Practice in daily life
- Ep381: I Nearly Died - Delson Armstrong
In this interview, Delson recounts nearly drowning when floodwater filled his retreat cabin at Dhammasuka in Missouri in June, and how he escaped with a deep cut to his foot.
- MN 19 Two Kinds of thought - Good vs Bad results-Dvedhavitakka Sutta
Delson reads and comments on MN 19 (Dvedhavitakka Sutta), in which the Buddha divides thoughts into two classes: sensual desire, ill will and cruelty on one side, and renunciation, non-ill…
- Day 9 Guided Meditation - Knowing
Delson guides a sitting that points to objectless awareness, a luminous knowing that is not an object and is not a thinking mind.
- He Meditated 30,000 Hours. The End of Suffering Isn't What You Were Promised | Delson Armstrong
Delson Armstrong responds to the question of whether the end of suffering is possible, especially for householders.
- Andrzej and Delson Podcast 3 Everyday Awareness
Delson Armstrong and Andrzej discuss everyday awareness: a simple, non-conceptual knowing of what is happening that remains when the ego's stories and identifications are let go.
- AN 7.57 –- The Seven Benefits of Giving -Talk 1 of 3 -Generosity Challenge
Delson reads and interprets AN 7.57, the Siha Sutta, in which the Buddha lists the benefits of giving.
- Day 1 Intro Aug 13-23 Tranquil Wisdom Insight Retreat at DSMC-Intro to Delson
Delson opens a retreat by giving his background and explaining the 6R's (Recognize, Release, Relax, Re-smile, Return, Repeat) as the method of right effort for letting go of distraction.
- Day 6 Last Day Thoughts -High Altitude Retreat
Delson closes a retreat by arguing that the real practice begins when people return to ordinary life, where enthusiasm and plans often fail and situations test patience and surrender.
- Day 4 High Altitude Retreat -Remember the Knowingness
Delson encourages listeners to rest in the knowing awareness they touched on the previous night, rather than trying to reach or return to it.
- MN 17 Jungle Thickets - Are We Being Supported? - Vanapattha Sutta
Delson reads and comments on MN 17, the Vanapattha Sutta, which describes when a monk should stay in a jungle thicket and when he should leave, depending on whether mindfulness and…
- MN 15 Anumana Sutta Majjhima Series with Delson Armstrong-Admonished by the Buddha
Delson teaches MN 15, the Anumana Sutta, in which Maha Moggallana lists sixteen qualities that make a monk difficult or easy to admonish.
- Day 8 DN31 Advice to Lay-People
Delson reads and comments on DN31, the Sigalovada Sutta, in which the Buddha gives a young householder advice on living as a lay person: abandoning the four defilements of action, avoiding…
- Day 6 AN 6.63 Penetrative Discourse -The workings of Karma
Delson works through AN 6.63, the Penetrative Discourse, which lists six subjects to be understood: sensual pleasures, feelings, perceptions, the taints, karma, and suffering.
- 5-Minute Guided Gratitude Meditation for Happiness 😊 | by Delson Armstrong
Delson leads a five-minute guided gratitude practice with eyes open, starting with relaxing the body and then silently saying thank you for the body, senses, people and everyday supports.
- Day 10 Last Day - AN 10.1 - The Path from Suffering to Awakening
Delson gives the last-day talk of a retreat, asking students to carry discipline and consistency back into daily life.
- Day 6 Introduction to Jhanas 1-4 -Keys to Entering the Jhana
Delson reads from DN 2 (Samaññaphala Sutta) to set out what the Buddha says must be in place before the mind naturally enters jhana: ethical conduct, guarding the sense doors, contentment…
- Delson Armstrong on questioning dogma
Delson Armstrong answers a question about how Buddhist traditions can move forward in the West, and he warns against dogmatic attachment to scripture, institutions and gurus.
- MN 10 Pt1 '4 Foundations of Mindfulness'-Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta - Majjhima Series with Delson Armstrong
Delson Armstrong opens his study of the Satipatthana Sutta (MN 10) by explaining the meaning of the word satipatthana as anchors for the mind in the present moment, with sati as…
- High Altitude Meditation Retreat Preview with Delson Armstrong and Doug Kraft -podcast
Delson Armstrong and Doug Kraft preview a seven-day retreat in California based on Doug's book High Altitude Meditation.
- MN 3 'Heirs in the Teaching" Sunday Sutta Series with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads MN 3 (Dhammadayada Sutta), in which the Buddha asks his monks to be heirs in the Dhamma rather than heirs in material things, and uses the example of two monks who receive…
- MN 2 Sabbasave Sutta-Taints -Sunday Series with Delson Armstrong
Delson walks through MN 2, the Sabbasava Sutta, on the taints (asavas) and the Buddha's teaching that they are abandoned in six ways: by seeing, restraining, using, enduring, avoiding…
- MN 1 Majjhima Nikaya Series Number 1 with Delson Armstrong-Sunday Series
Delson walks through MN 1, the Mula Pariyaya Sutta, which contrasts the untaught ordinary person, the trained bhikkhu, the arahant and the Tathagata in how each relates to earth, water…
- "Gems" The Ratana Sutta -Inspiring Sunday Talk with Delson Armstrong
Delson opens with photos from a recent trip to Sarnath, Varanasi and Prayagraj, where he and his group offered food and supplies to a line of about 120 Thai monks walking across northern…
- "Dozing" Sunday Sutta Session AN 7.62 with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads AN 7.61 ("Dozing"), in which the Buddha coaches the Venerable Maha Moggallana through drowsiness with a graded list of remedies: change the object, reflect on the Dhamma, rub…
- Day 7 - Seven Days at St Francis: The Final Chapter
Delson closes a seven-day series by recapping the seven enlightenment factors as the basic ingredients of practice, with mindfulness at the base, leading to tranquility, collectedness and…
- Is the World Eternal or....MN 63 - Sunday Talk with Delson Armstrong
Delson teaches from MN 63, the Cula Malunkyovada Sutta, in which the monk Malunkyaputta refuses to train unless the Buddha answers speculative questions about the world and the Tathagata…
- The Buddha's Uneasy Truth About Family Life-MN 87 with Delson
Delson reads MN 87, the Piyajatika Sutta ("Born from those who are dear"), and explains the Buddha's teaching that grief, sorrow and despair arise from those we hold dear.
- MN 48 Kosambiya Metta Leading to Nibbana- Sunday Talk with Delson Armstrong
Delson Armstrong reads and comments on MN 48, the Kosambiya Sutta, in which the Buddha addresses monks in Kosambi who were quarreling and calls them to acts of loving-kindness toward their…
- Aug 3 -AN9.20 Velama -Power of Giving -Sunday Series
Delson reads and comments on AN 9.20 (the Velama Sutta), in which the Buddha contrasts giving done respectfully and mindfully with giving done carelessly, and then ranks the results of…
- Day 9 Last Day -Ending Samsara
Delson closes his final retreat talk by asking listeners how they will carry the practice back into ordinary life, with its pain, difficult people and habitual reactions.
- June 13 -Day 9...Last Day Talk With Delson Armstrong
Delson closes a retreat with advice on keeping the practice going after it ends.
- June 29 SN 35.63 'Craving is a Partner' - Migala Sutta
Delson reads and discusses SN 35.63 (Migajala Sutta), in which the Buddha contrasts a lone dweller with one who dwells with a partner, the partner being craving.
- June 29 AN 35.63 'Craving is a Partner' - Migala Sutta
Delson reads and discusses Samyutta Nikaya 35.63, the Migajala Sutta, in which the Buddha defines a "lone dweller" as one who does not delight in, welcome, or hold on to sense experiences…
- June 22 AN 5.57 -5 Reflections - Sunday Sutta Study-Delson Armstrong
Delson reads AN 5.57, the five reflections: I am subject to aging, to illness, to death, I must be parted from what is dear, and I am the owner and heir of my karma.
- Sex as Path – Tales From Nibbana Episode 3 with Delson Armstrong
Delson Armstrong discusses sex, desire and craving in this interview from Tales From Nibbana.
- Mumbai Retreat February 2025 | Day 9 - Practice after Retreat
Delson gives the final Dharma talk of a Mumbai retreat, on how to carry the practice back into daily life.
- Ep292: Dharma Reunited - Daniel Ingram and Delson Armstrong 2
In this follow-up dialogue with host Steve, Daniel Ingram and Delson Armstrong discuss Delson's public renunciation of his earlier claims of attainment on the four-path model and the ten…
- 2025 SN 12.63 'Sons of Flesh' with Delson Armstrong Sunday Series
Delson reads through SN 12.63 'Sons of Flesh' on the four nutriments (edible food, contact, mental volition and consciousness), using the Buddha's similes of the desert couple, the flayed…
- Jan 2025 Retreat: Orientation and Talk w/Delson Armstrong
Delson opens a January retreat with beginner instructions for TWIM loving-kindness practice: sit comfortably, smile, bring up an uplifting feeling in the chest, and send metta first to…
- Ep280: I Renounce My Attainments - Delson Armstrong
In this interview on the Guru Viking podcast, Delson explains his written declaration that he renounces all claims to specific spiritual attainments, including the four-stage path from…
- Oct 19,2024 Retreat: Last Day Talk w/Delson Armstrong
Delson closes a retreat by presenting sila (ethical living) as the foundation for meditation and explaining karma as the mind's immediate response to actions.
- Oct 2024 Retreat: Orientation-Day 1 Metta Instructions Oct 11, 2024
Delson gives an orientation talk for an October 2024 retreat, mainly about intention rather than technique.
- Sept 2024 TWIM Retreat Orientation: Metta Instructions with a Guided Meditation and Instructions.
Delson leads a guided loving-kindness (metta) meditation for participants of a TWIM retreat, then gives orientation instructions for the retreat.
- DO Series - The Link of BHAVA-BEING-BECOMING
Delson continues his dependent origination series by explaining bhava (existence, becoming, habitual tendencies) as the link that sits between clinging and the birth of action.
- Meditation Master On How To Practice Intuition (Delson Armstrong)
Delson describes a simple exercise for developing intuition: pose a question to the mind about a meditation block or a life decision, then leave it and go about the day until an answer…
- The Dance of Attention - Infusing Awareness
This short talk, which is largely a narrator's account of a conversation with Delson Armstrong at a Mumbai restaurant, presents attention as the most valuable thing we can give and a…
- Delson's 4th Talk on the 8 fold path-Right Mindfulness
Delson teaches right effort as the heart of the path and connects it to the 6R's, then explains right mindfulness (sati) as remembering to observe how attention moves between objects.
- 3 Right Action 8 fold path series w/Delson Armstrong
Delson explains the three factors of sila on the Eightfold Path: right speech, right action and right livelihood.
- The Path to Unconditional Freedom with Meditation Master Delson Armstrong
Delson describes his path from Hatha yoga at 13 through Himalayan study, Kriya Yoga and other mystical traditions to teaching TWIM and the 6R's within Suttavada.
- Day 7 8 Fold Path- Japan Retreat Dec 2023
Delson explains the Noble Eightfold Path as the fourth noble truth and as a practical lifestyle, going through each factor from right view to right collectedness.
- Day 8 Upanisa Sutta - The Path to NIbbana- Japan Retreat Dec 2023
Delson walks through the transcendental links of dependent origination from the Upanisa Sutta (SN 12.23), asking how suffering leads to a path out and to the total cessation of suffering.
- Day 2: Hindrances Netherlands 2023
Delson gives a retreat talk on the five hindrances: sensual craving, aversion, restlessness and worry, sloth and torpor, and doubt.
- Day 9: Noble Eightfold Path
Delson closes a retreat by explaining the Noble Eightfold Path as a way of living, not only a sitting practice.
- Day 2: Hindrances
Delson gives a retreat talk on the five hindrances: sensual craving, aversion, restlessness (with worry and remorse), sloth and torpor, and doubt.
- Day 1: Introduction and Meditation Instructions
Delson gives day-one instructions for a noble silence retreat built around metta.
- Kalimpong 2023 Buddha Pāda Day 9 8 Fold Path-Last Day
Delson closes a retreat by explaining how the Eightfold Path applies off the cushion.
- Kalimpong 2023 Buddha Pāda Day 2 Hindrances
Delson teaches the five hindrances (sensual craving, aversion, restlessness and remorse, sloth and torpor, and doubt) on the second day of a Buddha Pada retreat in Kalimpong.
- Kalimpong Buddha Pāda 2023 Day 1 Introduction
Delson opens a ten-day Brahmavihara retreat at Buddha Pada by explaining the loving-kindness practice: a feeling-based meditation sent first to oneself and then to a spiritual friend.
- Last Day of the Retreat advice for Meditators - July 22, 2023
Delson gives closing advice on the last day of a retreat about carrying the retreat mindset into ordinary life.
- Day 1 Metta Lovingkindness Meditation Instructions with Delson Armstrong
Delson gives beginner instructions for metta (loving-kindness) meditation on the first day of a retreat.
- Last Talk of the Retreat with Delson Armstrong July 1
Delson gives a closing talk for a retreat, reading and commenting on MN 74 (the Dighanakha Sutta).
- June MN 48 Kosambyia Sutta with Delson Armstrong-Last Day
Delson reads MN 48, the Kosambiya Sutta, in which the Buddha rebukes quarrelling monks and gives six principles of cordiality: bodily, verbal and mental loving-kindness, shared virtue…
- MN 48 Kosambyia Sutta - Last Talk of Retreat! w/Delson Armstrong
Delson reads MN 48, the Kosambiya Sutta, about monks at Kosambi who quarrelled until the Buddha intervened, and uses it to teach the six principles of cordiality: bodily, verbal and mental…
- Generosity (DANA) Stories from Delson-Heartwarming!
Delson talks to retreatants about what to carry off the retreat, presenting sila, dana and bhavana as a way of living the path alongside the five precepts.
- How to build 'The Ultimate Wealth'; Talking All Things Spirituality & Money | Delson Armstrong
Delson Armstrong answers a series of interview questions about money, spirituality and ethics.
- May Retreat Day 10 Sigalovada Sutta DN 31 -advice to Lay People- Delson Armstrong
Delson reads and comments on the Sigalovada Sutta (DN 31), the Buddha's advice to the householder Sigalaka on how to live well as a layperson.
- Day 10 Sigalovada Sutta -Advice to Lay People with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads and explains the Sigalovada Sutta (DN31), the Buddha's advice to the young householder Sigalaka on how to cover the six directions, which means caring for and being cared for…
- Deerpark Retreat Day 6 'Mental Proliferation' & Guided Meditation w/Delson Armstrong
Delson reads and explains two suttas on how the sense of "I" feeds mental proliferation: the Madhupindika Sutta (MN 18), where contact, feeling, perception and thinking are traced to…
- Day 9 Mahabodhi Tree Mettā
Delson's talk, recorded on 2022-11-24, is very hard to follow because the transcript is largely garbled.
- Day 8 Wise Friendship
Delson closes a retreat with a talk on wise friendship (kalyanamitta), the companions who support a person's practice.
- Day 10 DN 31 Advice to Lay People - Aug Retreat -Delson Armstrong
Delson reads and comments on DN31, the Sigalovada Sutta, in which the Buddha tells the young householder Sigalaka that paying homage to the six directions is not the Aryan way.
- Day 10 2022 DN 31 Advice to Lay People - -How to live! -with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads and explains DN31, the Sigalovada (Sigalaka) Sutta, as advice on how to live as a lay person.
- Day 10 June Retreat - Metta Sutta - Karaniya Sutta SN 1.8
Delson reads through the Karaniya Metta Sutta (snp1.8) verse by verse as guidance for carrying loving-kindness into daily life after a retreat.
- Day 9 May 4 Upanisa Sutta -Transcendental Arising
Delson Armstrong reads and explains the Upanisa Sutta (SN 12.23) on transcendental dependent origination, the chain in which each factor is the proximate cause of the next, from ignorance…
- Day 9 - Apr Retreat -Upanisa Sutta -On Transcendental Arising - The 23 Links
Delson Armstrong teaches the Upanisa Sutta (SN 12.23) and its account of transcendental dependent origination, which runs from suffering through faith, gladness, joy, tranquility…
- Online Retreat 23 Dec 2021 Group Q & A With Delson Armstrong
Delson answers questions from participants at a group Q&A closing an online retreat, opening with a reading from SN 56.10 on talk that leads to Dhamma.
- Ep127: Siddha Tales - Delson Armstrong 2
In this interview, Delson Armstrong recounts mentors he met early on, including a Bombay cobbler who he says could read people's karma through samskaras, and a man with 13 near-death…
- Delson explanation of SN 35.95 the Malunkyaputta sutta at GTOG Sunday session
Delson reads and comments on SN 35.95, the Malunkyaputta Sutta, in which the Buddha gives a brief instruction: in the seen there is merely the seen, and so on for hearing, sensing and…
- April 2021 Online Retreat Q&A 3
Delson answers questions from retreat participants on the precepts as habits, the seventh jhana and light versus darkness, dependent origination, flow states, and daily schedules.
- Apr 3 2021 - Snp 1.8 - Metta Sutta - The Path of Metta towards Nibbana
Delson reads the Metta Sutta (Sutta Nipata 1.8) and explains it as a progression that starts with keeping the precepts and right intention, grows into loving-kindness, and leads toward the…
- Mar 28 2021 - MN 113 - The True Person - Total Non-Identification with Experiences Leads to Nibbana
Delson reads MN 113 (the Sappurisa Sutta, "The True Person") and explains how the Buddha contrasts an untrue person, who takes pride in family, status, gain, learning, ascetic practices or…
- Mar 7 2021 - MN 8 - Effacement - The Path and 44 Factors Leading to the Destruction of Conceit
Delson reads and comments on MN 8, the Salekha Sutta (Effacement).
- Dec 13 2020 – MN 152 - The Development of the Faculties – Awakening Beyond the Senses
Delson reads MN 152, the Indriya Bhavana Sutta, and explains that the Buddha's supreme development of the faculties is meeting sense contact with equanimity rather than suppressing the…
- Day-9 QA - Online 10-day Retreat (Nov-17) with Delson Armstrong
Delson answers questions from the final day of an online 10-day retreat.
- Day-2 QA - Online 10-day Retreat (Nov-3) with Delson Armstrong
Delson answers participants' questions on a day-two online retreat, covering MN10 contemplation of internal and external phenomena, bare observation as mindfulness, and balancing the seven…
- Day-0 QA - Online 10-day Retreat (Nov-3) with Delson Armstrong
Delson answers questions at the start of an online 10-day retreat.
- Day-8 QA - Online 10-day Retreat (Nov-3) with Delson Armstrong
Delson answers audience questions from the seventh day of an online retreat.
- Day-9 QA - Online 10-day Retreat (Nov-3) with Delson Armstrong
In this closing question-and-answer session from day nine of an online ten-day retreat, Delson Armstrong answers questions on whether lay people can become arahants without joining the…
- Q&A at DSMC Global Sitting Group - Oct 11, 2020
Delson answers questions from a Q&A session at a DSMC Global Sitting Group about linking the 6 R's to right effort in the Eightfold Path.