The 6R's
- MN 20 Removal of Distracting Thoughts- Do you Destroy or Torture your Wandering Mind?
Delson reads through MN 20 (Vitakkasanthana Sutta, the removal of distracting thoughts) and explains its five methods: replace an unwholesome sign with a wholesome one, examine its danger…
- 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…
- MN 18 The Honeyball - Perceptions and Notions - Self Being Created-Madhupindika Sutta
Delson reads and explains MN 18, the Madhupindika Sutta (the Honeyball), covering the Buddha's answer to Dandapani, Maha Kachana's detailed exposition, and Ananda's closing remarks.
- Day 4 Enlightenment Factors and 6Rs
Delson continues from yesterday's talk on the Eightfold Path by explaining the seven awakening factors (mindfulness, discernment, energy, joy, tranquility, collectedness, equanimity) as…
- Day 3 8-Fold Path - Aug Retreat - Delson Armstrong at DSMC
Delson walks through the Noble Eightfold Path as the spine of the practice, taking each factor in turn: right view, right intention, right speech, right action and right livelihood (sila)…
- 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.
- 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…
- 8 fold Path as the Path to Stream Entry- The Buddha's Path Laid Out to Awakening
Delson presents the Eightfold Path as the spine of the Dhamma and walks through its eight factors in order, from right view through right collectedness.
- MN 16 -Five Wildernesses -Weaknesses to be overcome -Cetokhila Sutta
Delson walks through MN 16, the Cetokhila Sutta, which lists five wildernesses in the heart (doubt about the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha and training, plus resentment toward fellow…
- 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.
- Day 2 Setting in Motion the wheel of Dhamma -8 Fold Path
Delson introduces the morning refuges, precepts and recollections as a way of setting intention for practice, then reads SN 56.11, the Buddha's first sermon on the middle way and the Four…
- Day 1 July 2-12 Advanced Retreat-Orientation and Instructions
Delson gives the orientation for a ten-day advanced TWIM retreat.
- MN 13 The Greater Discourse on Suffering - Majjhima Series w/ Delson Armstrong
Delson reads and comments on MN 13, the Greater Discourse on Suffering (Maha Dukkhakhandha Sutta).
- Spotkanie naszej sanghi z gościem specjalnym Delsonem Armstrogimem.
Delson Armstrong answers questions from a Polish sangha in an online Q&A.
- Day 9 Dependent Origination Pt 2 - Karma Discussion
Delson explains the middle links of dependent origination, starting from the Bhaiya Sutta (Ud 1.10) and moving through feeling, contact, name and form, consciousness, formations, ignorance…
- Day 8 Intro to Dependent Origination-6 Craving links - Craving, Clinging, Tendencies, Birth -Part 1
Delson explains the middle links of dependent origination, from craving and clinging through becoming (bhava) and birth, as the wisdom that shows how suffering arises and ceases.
- Day 5 What is Mindfulness - 4 Foundations of Mindfulness-Not McMindfulness
Delson explains the four foundations of mindfulness (satipatthana) as body, feeling, mind and mind objects, and says they are anchor points for the mind rather than stages to pass through…
- Day 4 Right Effort - 7 Enlightenment Factors -June Retreat at DSMC
Delson explains right effort as abandoning the unwholesome and cultivating the wholesome, and frames this as the core work of samadhi.
- Day 3 8 Fold Path June Retreat with Delson Armstrong
Delson explains the Buddha's first sermon (SN 56.11) and walks through the Noble Eightfold Path as a foundation for meditation, starting with right view and ending in right collectedness.
- Day 1 Guided Metta Meditation with Instructions -Retreat June 4-14th 2026
Delson leads a guided metta meditation for retreat students, beginning with posture, a body scan and a smile.
- What is the "I" Concept - Paramatthaka Sutta -Clinging to Views
Delson Armstrong reads and comments on the Paramatthaka Sutta (Sutta Nipata 4.9), on transcending views and not clinging even to Dhamma views.
- MN 10 Part 2 Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta-Feeling -Majjhima Series w/Delson Armstrong
Delson Armstrong continues his reading of the Satipatthana Sutta (MN 10), covering contemplation of feeling, mind, mind objects (the five hindrances, the aggregates, the six internal and…
- Interview: Andrzej Stasiak with Delson Armstrong-Jhanas through Awakening
Delson Armstrong and Andrzej Stasiak discuss TWIM (Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation), the jhanas, and awakening.
- Day 8 Dependent Origination Part 2 - Very Interesting!
Delson continues his teaching on dependent origination, moving from contact and feeling through craving, clinging, becoming and birth to suffering, and describing the seven underlying…
- Day 4 Foundations of Mindfulness and the Hindrances -Retreat Talk
Delson explains that hindrances should be released and relaxed rather than pushed away, using the six R's as the practical method.
- Day 3 8 Fold Path - The Journey w/Delson Armstrong
Delson retells the Buddha's life from the four sights through the years of indulgence and asceticism to the Middle Way, and presents the Noble Eightfold Path as the path the Buddha taught…
- Day 1-2 Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha- The Foundation to the Path
Delson opens a retreat by explaining the daily interviews: four simple questions about the object of meditation, the best sit, its length, and how the practitioner returns to the object.
- MN 9 Right View - Majjhima Series with Delson Armstrong
Delson walks through MN 9, the Sammaditthi Sutta (which he calls the Samadhiti Sutta), on right view.
- Obsession in the Mind AN 1.1 with Kirsten & Friends -Guest: Delson Armstrong
Delson Armstrong joins a group discussion of AN 1.1, the Buddha's teaching that nothing obsesses the mind of a man like the form, sound, odor, taste and touch of a woman (and the reverse).
- MN 6 Akankheyya Sutta - PRECEPTS ARE THE BASIS OF AWAKENING!
Delson reads and explains MN 6 Akankheyya Sutta, in which each "if a bhikkhu should wish" clause ends with the refrain to fulfill the precepts, develop samadhi and insight, and dwell in…
- MN 5 Unblemished - Sunday Sutta Series with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads and explains MN 5, the Anangana Sutta (Unblemished), in which Sariputta distinguishes inferior and superior persons who have or lack a blemish, depending on whether they…
- The 37 Requisites to Enlightenment -Sunday with Delson
Delson reads from the Maha Parinibbana Sutta (DN 16), where the Buddha gives his final instructions, and uses it to introduce the 37 requisites for awakening.
- "Refuge" How To Practice for Arahatship -Crossing of the Flood-Sunday with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads and comments on AN 4.170, where Ananda lists four paths to arahatship, and on SN 1.1, Crossing the Flood.
- DN 2 Oct 12, 2025 DN 2 Delson Armstrong Sunday Sutta Series
Delson reads from the Samannaphala Sutta (DN 2), section 42 onward, and explains the path it lays out from morality through sense restraint, mindfulness and contentment to the abandoning…
- Austria 2025 | Introduction - Just Relax!
Delson gives the opening instructions for a retreat on the Brahmaviharas, starting with metta as friendliness based on recognising one's own innate goodness and that of other beings.
- MN 70-Health & Attainments - Sunday Talk with Delson Armstrong
Delson works through MN 70, the Kitagiri Sutta, beginning with the Buddha's advice to abstain from eating at night and the monks who refused it.
- Day 6 "Dukkha to Tanha" the Links of Craving and what they are.
Delson continues his teaching on dependent origination (paticca samuppada), linking it to the Four Noble Truths.
- Day 3 'The First 4 Jhanas" Progressing on the Path to Nibbana -Excellent
Delson explains the first four jhanas as the mind experiences them in TWIM practice: the factors of the first jhana (vitakka, vicara, piti, sukha, ekaggata), how the second, third and…
- Day 2 AN 50 'Blocks to the Luminous Mind' - Delson Armstrong
Delson explains the Anguttara Nikaya passage on the luminous mind, which says the mind is naturally luminous but is obscured by adventitious defilements.
- Day 6 DN 16 'Take Care of the Dhamma... Delson Armstrong
Delson reads from the Mahaparinibbana Sutta (DN16) the "mirror of Dhamma," in which the Buddha describes how a noble disciple can know for themselves that they are a stream-winner.
- June 13 -Day 9...Last Day Talk With Delson Armstrong
Delson closes a retreat with advice on keeping the practice going after it ends.
- Day 2 All the Taints MN 2 -Hindrances!- Delson Armstrong
Delson reads and comments on MN 2, the Sabbasava Sutta, on the taints (asavas) and the six ways they are abandoned: by seeing, restraining, using, enduring, avoiding, removing and…
- Who is Delson? From Yoga to Buddhism - My personal Journey -From India to the US
Delson Armstrong tells his personal story: an early start in Hatha and Kriya yoga and study of yoga philosophy in the Himalayas, then his move to Buddhism through the Brahmaviharas and…
- From Yoga to Buddhism - My personal Journey -From India to the US
Delson Armstrong traces his path from Hatha and Kriya yoga in India and the Himalayas, through the Yoga Sutras, to Brahmavihara practice taught by Bhante Vimalaramsi.
- Day 1 Adv Retreat AN 3.32 To Ananda -The Mind Stilled
Delson opens a seven-day advanced retreat by reading AN 3.32, the Ananda Sutta, in which Ananda asks whether a bhikkhu can reach a state of mind with no conceit (mana) toward the body or…
- June 7 -Day 3 -In Depth Jhana Talk- Excellent! Delson Armstrong
Delson explains the jhanas as taught in the Suttavada approach, distinguishing jhanas that keep a person in samsara from the right meditation (samma samadhi) that leads to liberation.
- June 6 -Day 2 -First Day Blues-Origin of Hindrances
Delson explains, on the second day of a retreat, that the difficulties beginners meet in sitting come from hindrances: the five basic distractions of sensual craving, ill will…
- Day 1 June 5 -Why are you Retreating? Orientation Talk Jun5-14th 2025
Delson gives an orientation talk for a meditation retreat, explaining right intention (nekkhama, avyapada and avihimsa) and why the precepts, samadhi and wisdom form an integrated path…
- May 25 All is Burning Adhittasutta Sunday Sutta study with Delson Armstrong
Delson works through SN 22.61 (Adittasutta, "Burning"), which says form, feeling, perception, volitional formations and consciousness are all burning, and that seeing this leads to…
- Link of Bhava - What is it?: AN3.76 Bhava Sutta
Delson works through AN3.76 and AN3.77 on bhava (becoming), reading the sutta's repeated lines about karma as the field, consciousness as the seed and craving as the moisture for existence…
- Unlock the Mystery of Bhava in Buddhism -AN3.76 Bhava Sutta -Delson Armstrong
Delson reads AN3.76 and refers to AN3.77 on bhava (becoming), following the Buddha's answer that existence in each realm arises when karma ripens, with consciousness as the seed and…
- Apr 13 2025 Inspiring Sign AN 47.10 & SN 22.37 Delson Armstrong
Delson reads SN 47.10 about nuns established in the four foundations of mindfulness who perceive successively loftier stages, and explains that the 6R's act as an inspiring sign that…
- Apr 6 2025 Sunday Suttas "Origin of Suffering" AN 6.63 Penetrative Discourse w/Delson Armstrong
Delson works through AN 6.63, the Nibbedhika Sutta (Penetrative Discourse), which lists sensual pleasures, feelings, perceptions, taints, karma and suffering as things to be understood…
- Mar 30 MN 2 Sabbasava Sutta with Delson Armstrong - Sunday Zoom
Delson reads MN 2, the Sabbasava Sutta, on the taints (asavas) and the seven ways they are abandoned: by seeing, restraining, using, enduring, avoiding, removing and developing.
- Mar 30 2025 Sunday Sutta Study "All the Taints" MN 2-Delson Armstrong
Delson reads MN 2, the Sabbasava Sutta (All the Taints), and comments on it section by section.
- 2025 AN 10.76 'Incapable" with Delson Armstrong Sunday Sutta study
Delson reads AN 10.76 ("Incapable") and explains its chains of qualities, each of which must be abandoned before the next can be.
- Mumbai Retreat February 2025 | Day 2 - Dealing with Hindrances
Delson Armstrong gives a day-two retreat talk on the five hindrances (sense craving, aversion, sloth and torpor, restlessness and remorse, and doubt) and how to work with each one.
- 2025 SN 12.15 'Origin of Suffering'; Sn12.26 'Existence' with Delson Armstrong Sunday Zoom Series
Delson reads and explains two Samyutta suttas on dependent origination, SN 12.26 (Upavana) and SN 12.15 (Kaccanagotta).
- Origin of Hindrances and Cessation as a Pleasant Abiding with Delson Armstrong
Delson walks through AN 10.61 (the Avijja Sutta), which describes a chain in which the five hindrances feed ignorance, the three kinds of misconduct feed the hindrances, and so on back to…
- 2025 SN 46.54 Proof of Jhanas attained using Metta with Delson Armstrong Sunday Series at DSMC
Delson reads and comments on SN 46.54, in which the Buddha says that the liberation of mind by each brahmavihara (loving-kindness, compassion, altruistic joy, equanimity) can culminate in…
- 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…
- The 'Word' for 2025 with Delson Armstrong-Sunday Series at DSMC
Delson explains why he chose contentment as the word for 2025, linking it to renunciation (nekkhamma) in right intention and treating it as a non-craving state that can be cultivated in…
- 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…
- 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.
- Guided Metta Meditation -Beginner-Excellent TWIM Starter 30 min
Delson leads a 30-minute guided loving-kindness (metta) meditation as an introduction to the TWIM approach.
- 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 CRAVING/TANHA
Delson explains craving (tanha) as the link in dependent origination that follows feeling and is bridged by the underlying tendencies.
- DO Series - The Link of CLINGING or UPADANA
Delson continues his series on dependent origination with the link of clinging (upadana), which he explains as the "because" that rationalises why we crave, reject or identify with…
- DO Series - Jati -the link of Birth -Realms of existence
Delson explains jati as classification, drawing on the Aggañña Sutta to show that people are classed by their deeds rather than by birth.
- DO Series - Dukkha -the link of Suffering -The Delson Bot Introduced
Delson opens by demonstrating the Delson Bot, an AI chatbot built on his teachings, and promotes an AMA session.
- On Retreat -Delson talks to the meditators at the Solar Eclipse Retreat
This is a question-and-answer session at a retreat where Delson answers questions from meditators.
- The link of Birth or Jati; "The Dependent Origination Series!" with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads from his booklet on jati, the link of birth in dependent origination (SN 12.11), and explains birth at cosmic, moment-to-moment and everyday levels.
- Delson's 4th Talk on the 8 fold path: Right Mindfulness-Smrti????
Delson continues his eightfold path series with a talk on right effort and right mindfulness (sati), explaining how the 6R's express right effort and how sati means remembering to observe…
- 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.
- Talk 13 -Closing Talk- Dependent Origination Conf. with Delson Armstrong
Delson closes a multi-day dependent origination event by urging participants to see the links of dependent origination in everyday life, citing MN28, where Sariputta says that one who sees…
- Talk 12 -Q&A -Nibbana- Dependent Origination Conf. with Delson Armstrong-4K
Delson answers questions after a talk on cessation (nirodha), Nibbana and dependent origination.
- Delson's 2nd talk: 8 Fold Path Series-Right Intention
Delson explains right intention (sammasankappa) as the second factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, working from the Pali and from MN 117.
- Delson Armstrong 8 Fold Path Series - Right Intention
Delson explains right intention (sammasankappa) as resolve or wholesome determination, grounded in right view and developed through renunciation, non-ill will and non-cruelty.
- Delson Armstrong 8 Fold Path Series - Right View
Delson opens a study series on the Eightfold Path with right view (samma ditthi), using MN117 (the Mahacattarisaka Sutta) as his source.
- Talk 8 -Upadana (Clinging) - Dependent Origination Conf. with Delson Armstrong-4K
Delson explains upadana (clinging) as the link of dependent origination that follows craving.
- Delson's 1st talk: 8 Fold Path Series-RIGHT VIEW
Delson opens a series on the Eightfold Path by explaining that the path is the fourth noble truth and that right effort runs through all of its factors.
- Talk 7 -Bhava (Being) Q&A- Dependent Origination with Delson Armstrong-4K
Delson Armstrong answers participants' questions in a Q&A on bhava (being) within a dependent origination series.
- Talk 6 -Bhava (Being) - Dependent Origination with Delson Armstrong-4K
Delson Armstrong teaches bhava (becoming or existence), the link of dependent origination just before karmic action is produced.
- Talk 4 -Jati (Birth) Dependent Origination with Delson Armstrong-4K
Delson explains jati (birth), the second link of dependent origination.
- Talk 3 -Dukkha (Suffering) Dependent Origination Conf. with Delson Armstrong
Delson explains dukkha as the unsatisfactory, unstable nature of conditioned existence, using the etymology of sukha and dukkha and the chariot-axle image.
- Day 1/Talk 1 Introduction to Dependent Origination at the DO Conf. with Delson Armstrong
Delson introduces a dependent origination symposium that is rooted in the suttas.
- Dependent Origination Symposium 2023 with Ācariya Delson Armstrong - Talk #1 Introduction
Delson introduces a dependent origination symposium and a meditation based on DN14 and MN147, in which the practitioner begins with loving-kindness and then contemplates the five…
- 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 3 Enlightenment Factors & Jhana- Japan Retreat Dec 2023
Delson explains the seven enlightenment factors (mindfulness, investigation of states, energy, joy, tranquility, collectedness and equanimity) as qualities that arise naturally when…
- Day 2 First Day Blues Japan Retreat Dec 2023
Delson explains the five hindrances on the second day of a retreat, which he calls the "first day blues." He describes each hindrance (sensual craving, aversion, restlessness and remorse…
- Final Day Q&A Day 3/3 Bandra, Mumbai Sept 2023 w/Delson Armstrong Sept 7-9, 2023
Delson explains that practice after retreat is a lifelong commitment built on sila, samadhi and panna, and he walks through the Noble Eightfold Path factor by factor, from right view to…
- Day 8: Noble Eightfold Path Netherlands
Delson Armstrong gives a talk, recorded at the end of a retreat, on how to cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path in daily life after retreat.
- Day 5: Dependent Origination Part 1 Netherlands
Delson explains dependent origination as the mechanics by which the mind causes its own suffering, and presents the Four Noble Truths as a method applied through the six R's in each link.
- 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 1: Introduction and Meditation Instructions
Delson opens a retreat by explaining the basic practice: there is no goal, the aim is a light heart and mind, and a smile.
- Day 6: Dependent Origination part 1
Delson explains the first part of dependent origination (paticca samuppada), beginning with the links suffering (dukkha), birth, becoming, clinging and craving, in reverse order.
- Day 7: Dependent Origination part 2
Delson continues his talk on dependent origination, covering contact (phassa), the six sense bases, mentality-materiality, the five aggregates, and the formations, asavas and ignorance…
- Day 2: Hindrances
Delson Armstrong opens the second day of a retreat by explaining the five hindrances (craving, aversion, restlessness, sloth and torpor, and doubt) as obstacles that arise when mindfulness…
- Day 5: Dependent Origination part 1
Delson explains dependent origination as the framework in which the four noble truths operate, and shows how the links can be worked with through the 6R's in daily life and meditation.
- 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.
- Day 1 Mumbai 2023 Hindrances Ach Delson Armstrong
Delson explains the five hindrances (sensual craving, aversion, restlessness, sloth and torpor, doubt) and how to work with them during loving-kindness and six-directions practice on…
- 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.
- Copy of June 4, 2022 - Questions and Answers with Delson Armstrong
Delson answers a series of listener questions on TWIM practice.
- Guided Loving Kindness Meditation by Delson Armstrong
Delson guides a 30-minute loving-kindness meditation.
- 16 April 22 MN 9
Delson reads MN 9 (the Sammaditthi Sutta, Right View) and works through the links of dependent origination in reverse order, from aging and death back to ignorance, applying the Four Noble…
- 14 Dec 2021 Online Retreat. Dhamma talk with Delson Armstrong.
Delson reads and explains MN19, the Dvedhavitakka Sutta (Two Kinds of Thought), as guidance for the first day of a retreat, when restlessness, sloth and torpor, and other distractions…
- June 4, 2022 - Questions and Answers with Delson Armstrong
Delson Armstrong answers questions submitted through the Suttavada website about TWIM practice and Dhamma.
- Kalimpong 2023 Buddha Pāda Day 3 Awakening Factors
Delson explains the seven enlightenment factors as a way of understanding what jhana is: the absence of the five hindrances with the enlightenment factors present to varying degrees.
- MN111 12 April 2022 Easter Retreat - St. Francis Retreat Center, San Juan Bautista, California, USA
Delson walks through MN111 (the Anupada Sutta), in which Sariputta examines each jhana and its factors one by one as they occur.
- Kalimpong Buddha Pāda 2023 Day 1 Introduction
Delson opens a 10-day Brahmavihara retreat at Kalimpong Buddha Pada with a feeling-based loving-kindness (metta) practice.
- Day 2 UK Retreat (Sept 2023) Hindrances and Awakening Factors
Delson teaches the five hindrances (sensual craving, aversion, restlessness, sloth and torpor, and doubt) on the second day of a UK retreat, and explains how each arises.
- Day 5 UK Retreat (Sept 2023) - Dependent Origination
Delson teaches dependent origination as an explanation of the Four Noble Truths, working backwards from dukkha through clinging, craving, feeling, contact and the other links.
- HIndrances + Q&A Day 1/3 Bandra, Mumbai Sept 2023 w/Delson Armstrong Sept 7-9, 2023
Delson explains hindrances as distractions that reveal attachment and aversion, describes the five hindrances, and shows how the 6R's (shortened to four R's) work as right effort tied to…
- Zoom: Process of Dependent Origination Explained Quickly.
Delson explains how mental proliferation (papancha) grows out of contact, feeling and perception, and how craving turns into clinging (upadana).
- 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 Day 2 Hindrances
Delson Armstrong gives a day-two retreat talk on the five hindrances: sensual craving, aversion, restlessness and remorse, sloth and torpor, and doubt.
- 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.
- Kalimpong 2023 Buddha Pāda Day 3 Awakening Factors
Delson explains the seven factors of awakening (mindfulness, investigation, energy, joy, tranquility, collectedness and equanimity) as the basis for jhana and as the path to nibbana.
- Day 3 7 Enlightenment Factors, BUDDHA PĀDA INSTITUTE, Kalimpong- Delson Armstrong
Delson explains that jhana is the absence of the five hindrances together with the enlightenment factors present to varying degrees, and he walks through the seven factors (mindfulness…
- Day 2 Hindrances, BUDDHA PĀDA INSTITUTE, Kalimpong, India Metta Retreat- w/Delson Armstrong
Delson Armstrong teaches the five hindrances as they appear in sitting and daily life: sensual craving, aversion, restlessness and remorse, sloth and torpor, and doubt.
- 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.
- Dependent Origination Pt 1 with Delson Armstrong-July Retreat
Delson explains dependent origination as an elaboration of the First and Second Noble Truths, working backward through its links from suffering to birth, becoming, clinging and craving.
- Dependent Origination Part 2 with Delson Armstrong
Delson continues his talk on dependent origination by covering the links before craving, which he treats as old karma inherited in every moment.
- Day 3 Jhanas 1-4 Explanation with Delson Armstrong Pt 1
Delson introduces the first four jhanas as progressively deeper levels of collectedness and cessation that arise from the metta practice when the mind lets go of hindrances.
- Day 3 The Jhanas -First 4 explained- by Delson Armstrong Pt1
Delson explains the first four jhanas as progressively more settled states of mind that arise from loving-kindness (metta) practice once the mind is relaxed and free of hindrances.
- Day 2 - 2nd Day Blues -Distractions AN5 5.51 July 14
Delson gives a second-day retreat talk on distractions in meditation, reading from AN5.51 on the five hindrances: sensual desire, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and remorse, and…
- 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).
- 37 Requisites with Delson Armstrong. MN 77
Delson Armstrong reads and explains MN 77, the Maha Sakuludayi Sutta, in which the Buddha says his disciples honor him for five qualities and then lists the 37 requisites of awakening.
- Upanisa Sutta and a Deep Dependent origination discussion with Delson Armstrong
Delson Armstrong reads and explains the Upanisa Sutta (SN 12.23) on transcendental dependent origination, showing how liberation comes through a chain of supporting conditions that runs…
- June 25, 2023 MN 9 Right View and Dependent Origination - We are going deep.
Delson reads and comments on MN 9, the Samma Ditthi Sutta, in which Sariputta explains right view through the wholesome and unwholesome, the four noble truths, and each link of dependent…
- June 23, 2023 MN 128 Upakilesa Sutta Day 2 Distractions
Delson reads and comments on MN 128, the Upakkilesa Sutta, in which the Buddha's disciple Aniruddha lists the imperfections of the mind that disturbed his collectedness and the light and…
- June Retreat MN 38 Dependent Origination with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads the Mahatanhasankhaya Sutta (MN 38) and explains that consciousness arises dependent on conditions, so the view of a self-same consciousness passing from one life to the next…
- June Retreat AN 10.1 Transcendental Arising-Out of Suffering
Delson teaches the "transcendental dependent origination" from AN 10.1, in which Ananda asks the Buddha for the purpose of virtuous behaviour and the answer runs as a chain from non-regret…
- MN 10 Mindfulness Redefined-Satipatthana Sutta with Delson Armstrong-Very Good!
Delson reads through MN 10, the Satipatthana Sutta, and explains the four foundations of mindfulness: body, feelings, mind and mind objects.
- Dependent Origination MN38 at Dhamma Sukha with Delson Armstrong MN 38
Delson reads and comments on MN 38, the Mahatanhasankhaya Sutta (the Greater Discourse on the Destruction of Craving), using it to explain dependent origination.
- MN 10 Satipatthana Sutta with Delson Armstrong
Delson Armstrong reads MN 10, the Satipatthana Sutta, and explains the four foundations of mindfulness (body, feelings, mind, and mind objects) as they apply to meditation practice.
- MN 111 The Path Through the Jhanas-Very Good Explanation of the Jhanas
Delson explains the jhanas as naturally arising states of collectedness that come from letting go of the hindrances and relaxing, not from forceful concentration.
- 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…
- Delson Armstrong at Dsmc -Day 7- DN 14 Dependent Origination - Introduction
Delson introduces dependent origination by reading from DN 14, the Mahapadana Sutta, where the Bodhisatta Vipassi sees sickness, death, old age and a wandering ascetic and then reflects on…
- May 2023 Retreat -Day 8- MN 117 The 8 fold Path - How it all works together
Delson reads and explains MN 117, the Maha Cattarisaka Sutta (the Great Forty), to show how the Noble Eightfold Path works as a set of mutually supporting factors.
- Delson Armstrong MN 117 The 8 Fold Path - How all the folds come together
Delson reads and comments on MN 117, the Maha Chattarisaka Sutta (the Great Forty), and explains the eightfold path as a set of factors that support one another and lead to right…
- Delson Live at Dsmc -Day 7- DN 14 Dependent Origination - Introduction
Delson reads from DN14, the Mahapadana Sutta, where the Bodhisatta Vipassi sees old age, sickness, death and a wandering ascetic, then withdraws and reflects on what conditions aging and…
- Day 4 Talk on Enlightenment Factors and Jhanas. "Accompanied by Lovingkindness".
Delson reads SN 46.54, the Metta Sahagata Sutta, in which the Buddha answers wanderers who say their teaching matches his: the Brahmaviharas lead to liberation of the mind when they are…
- Deerpark Retreat Day 4 Noble Truths w/Delson Armstrong
Delson Armstrong reads the Four Noble Truths section of the Maha Satipatthana Sutta (DN 22) and explains it as a practical diagnosis: suffering, its origin in craving, its cessation, and…
- 2022 Aug Retreat SN 35.95 In the Seen is only the Seen...
Delson reads SN 35.95, in which Malunkyaputta asks for a brief exhortation, and explains it with the Bahiya Sutta (Ud 1.10) and SN 42.11.
- First Discourse of the Buddha at Deerpark - Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
Delson reads and comments on SN 56.11, the Buddha's first discourse at Isipatana (Deer Park) near Varanasi.
- First Discourse at Deerpark - Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
Delson visits Deer Park (Isipatana) and reads through the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (SN 56.11), the Buddha's first teaching to the group of five.
- Deerpark Retreat Day 9 Upanisa Sutta - Full Dependent Origination w/Delson Armstrong
Delson reads SN 12.23 (the Upanisa Sutta) and AN 10.1 to show the path to cessation as a chain of conditions, where each factor is the proximate cause of the next, running from ignorance…
- Deerpark Retreat Day 8 'Deeper Aspects of Dhamma Pt 2' w/Delson Armstrong
Delson reads through MN44, the discourse where the nun Dhammadinna explains identity, its origin, its cessation and the path to Visakha, and he comments on each answer.
- Deerpark Retreat Day 5 'Right View' w/Delson Armstrong
Delson reads from the Sammaditthi Sutta (MN 9) on right view and explains its list of wrong and right views, wholesome and unwholesome conduct, and the links of dependent origination.
- Deerpark Retreat Day 2 MN 107 Hindrances -2nd day blues w/Delson Armstrong
Delson reads MN 107, the Ganakamoggallana Sutta, as a summary of the gradual path, and uses it to explain how to deal with the five hindrances during a retreat.
- Deerpark Retreat Day 1 Orientation w/Delson Armstrong
Delson gives orientation for a 10-day retreat, covering the metta practice with a smile, the choice of a spiritual friend, and the six R's for handling distractions and hindrances.
- Day 7 The Steadfast State & The Eightfold Path
The talk, given on a retreat, reads MN 106 (Anenjasappaya Sutta) on ways to the steadfast state, the arupa states beyond the fourth jhana, and how to sit longer to reach them.
- Day 4 The Buddha's Awakening Part 1
Delson walks through the Buddha's path to awakening as told in MN 26 and MN 36, and in the sutta sequence he calls the gladness-to-collectedness sequence from DN 2.
- Day 1 Orientation
Delson opens a retreat with an orientation to a feeling-based loving-kindness (metta) meditation.
- 2022 Aug Retreat Sn 12.23 Upanisa 8-12-22
Delson reads and comments on the Upanisa Sutta (SN 12.23) during an August retreat.
- 2022 Aug Retreat MN 18 Honeyball -Proliferation
Delson reads and explains MN 18, the Madhupindika Sutta (honey ball discourse), and the exposition given by Maha Kaccana.
- 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 8 MN 112 The Six Fold Purity -What is an Arahant -Delson Armstrong
Delson reads MN 112, the Chabbisodhana Sutta on the six-fold purity, and comments on it section by section.
- Day 9- Retreat June 2022 MN 117 Eight Fold Path with Delson Armstrong
Delson walks through MN 117, the Great Forty discourse, explaining the eight factors of the noble path as supports for right collectedness.
- Day 2 2022 SN 12.23 'Transcendental' Dependent Origination -with Delson Armstrong
Delson introduces SN 12.23, the Upanisa Sutta, and walks through the dependent origination chain from ignorance and volitional formations to craving, clinging, birth and suffering, linking…
- Day 5 2022 MN 18 Honey Ball Sutta - Proliferation-with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads and explains MN 18, the Madhupindika Sutta (the honey ball discourse), in which the Buddha and then Maha Kaccana describe how perceptions born of mental proliferation arise…
- Day 7 SN35.95 In the Seen is only the seen... Aug Retreat 2022 -Delson Armstrong
Delson reads SN35.95, in which Malunkyaputta asks for a brief teaching and the Buddha explains that craving arises only through contact and feeling.
- A 'Mind without Craving' and a LIVE Meditation Experiment -Conversations with Delson Armstrong
In this FitMind podcast interview, Delson Armstrong explains what he means by "a mind without craving": a mind free of mental suffering, though it still feels bodily pain, and which he…
- Day 8 2022 MN 77 37 Requisites -July Retreat - -with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads MN 77, the Maha Sakuludayi Sutta, in which the Buddha explains why his disciples respect him, and uses it to introduce the 37 requisites for awakening.
- 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 8 2022 MN 7 The 16 types of Defilements -with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads MN 7, the Vatthupama Sutta (Simile of the Cloth), and uses it to explain the sixteen upakilesas, or mental defilements, that stain consciousness.
- Delson Armstrong PtII Dependent Origination Intellectual Content of Enlightenment & Core of Buddhism
Delson explains dependent origination as the mechanics of samsara and as something practitioners can observe directly in meditation, from everyday reactions up to the jhanas and cessations.
- Day 5 2022 July#2 Retreat SN 12.33 7-25-22 - The Cases of Knowledge
Delson reads SN 12.33, the Cases of Knowledge, and works through its 44 cases as the eleven links of dependent origination, each seen in terms of its arising, its cessation, and the Noble…
- Day 7 2022 July#2 Retreat Mn 109 7-27-22 - The 5 Aggregates
Delson reads from MN 109 (Maha Punnama Sutta) on the five aggregates affected by craving and clinging.
- Day 4 2022 MN 139 Exposition of Non-Conflict - What is Beneficial
Delson reads MN 139, the Exposition of Non-Conflict, and explains it as a guide to avoiding conflict through the middle way and the Eightfold Path.
- Day 5 2022 July#2 Retreat SN 33 7-25-22 - The 44 Knowledges
Delson reads SN 33, the Cases of Knowledge, and explains the 44 cases as the eleven links of dependent origination, each with its origin, cessation and the path to its cessation, set…
- Live Dhamma QA with Delson Armstrong Aug 6
Delson answers ten questions from a live online session covering dependent origination, the precepts, jhana practice in TWIM, the eighth and signless states, and craving.
- Day 10 2022 MN 143 Anathapindikavado Sutta -July Retreat - -with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads the Anathapindikovada Sutta (MN 143) on the last day of a retreat, in memory of Rex.
- Day 9 2022 MN 44 Cullavedalla Sutta -July Retreat - -with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads through MN 44, the Culavedalla (Shorter Questions and Answers) Sutta, in which the layman Visakha questions the nun Dhammadinna about identity, its origin and cessation, the…
- Day 7 2022 MN 74 Dighanakha Sutta -July Retreat - -with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads and comments on MN 74, the Dighanakha Sutta, in which the wanderer Dighanakha holds that nothing is acceptable to him and is led to see that clinging even to a view of no…
- Day 5 2022 SN 12.2 DO Analysis -July 4th -with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads through SN 12.2 on dependent origination, working link by link from aging and death back to ignorance.
- Day 4 2022 MN 10 Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta -July Retreat - -with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads through MN10, the Satipatthana Sutta, and explains the four foundations of mindfulness (body, feeling, mind, and mind objects) as different ways the mind becomes mindful, not…
- Day 1 -2022 First July 10 Day Retreat - with Delson Armstrong-Instructions
Delson gives opening instructions for a ten-day silent retreat: keep noble silence, start each day with a smile, and practise a feeling-based loving-kindness meditation held in the chest.
- Delson Armstrong - Part I - Marvels of Mind & “High Altitude” States of Meditative Absorption(Jhana)
Delson Armstrong is interviewed on a podcast about his background and his teaching in TWIM.
- 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.
- Ep156: Key To Enlightenment - Delson Armstrong 3
Delson explains dependent origination (paticca samuppada) as the elaboration of the second noble truth in its forward order, showing how craving leads to suffering, and in its reverse…
- Day 8- 10 Day Retreat June 2022 MN 43 Voidness and Vital Formations
Delson reads through MN 43, the Maha Vedalla Sutta, with commentary, from a 2022 retreat.
- Day 7 -2022 10 Day June Retreat - SN 12.25 Karma and Dependent Origination
Delson reads SN 12.25 (the Bhumija discourse), in which Sariputta and the Buddha say that pleasure and pain are dependently arisen on contact, and he uses it to explain karma through…
- Day 6 -2022 10 Day June Retreat - SN 12.32 Pt.2 Dependent Origination
Delson reads and explains SN 12.32, the Kalara discourse, in which Sariputta explains dependent origination in answer to the Buddha's questions about how his arahatship was attained.
- Day 4 -2022 10 Day June Retreat - MN 131 'A Single Excellent Night'
Delson reads and comments on MN 131, the Bhaddekaratta Sutta (A Single Excellent Night), and explains the Buddha's instruction not to revive the past or build hopes on the future.
- Day 2 June 2022 Day DN 2 Distractions -Retreat with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads and comments on DN2, the Samaññaphala Sutta, in which King Ajatasattu asks about the visible fruits of the homeless life and the Buddha answers by starting with morality.
- Day 1 -2022 June 10 Day Retreat with Delson Armstrong-Instructions
Delson gives the opening instructions for a ten-day silent retreat, beginning with a loving-kindness (metta) practice built on a smile and the feeling of warmth in the heart.
- Day 7 May Retreat Talk MN149 /MN77 Suttas with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads MN 149 (Mahasalayatanika Sutta) and explains how not knowing the six sense bases as they actually are leads to craving, clinging and renewed becoming, and how seeing…
- Day 6 May Retreat Talk AN6.63 & SN 36.21 Penetrative Discourse with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads AN 6.63, the Nibbedhika (Penetrative) Sutta, which lists a set of things to be understood: sensual pleasures, feelings, the taints, karma and suffering.
- Day 5 May Retreat SN 12.2 (2) Pt.2 Analysis of Dependent Origination with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads SN 12.2, the Buddha's Analysis of Dependent Origination, and works through each link from ignorance to birth and aging-and-death.
- Day 2 May Retreat MN 107 Ganaka Moggalana Sutta with Delson Armstrong -Distractions
Delson reads MN 107, the Ganaka Moggallana Sutta, and explains the gradual training it describes: precepts, restraint of the senses, moderation, wakefulness, full awareness, then seclusion…
- Day 4 May Retreat DN 14 Dependent Origination Pt. 1 with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads from the Mahapadana Sutta (DN 14) on Prince Vipassi, who sees old age, sickness and death, goes forth, and through wisdom born of collectedness works out the chain of…
- 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…
- Day 4 Apr Retreat DN 22 (5)- The Foundations of Mindfulness - 4 Noble Truths - D. Armstrong
Delson reads section 5 of DN 22, the Maha Satipatthana Sutta, which defines each of the Four Noble Truths.
- Day 4 Apr Retreat -DN15 Pt 1 Dependent Origination
Delson reads through the Maha Nidana Sutta (DN15), the Buddha's teaching to Ananda on dependent origination, and explains it link by link, from contact and feeling through craving…
- Day 5 Apr Retreat DN15 Pt. 1 -Dependent Origination w/Dhammachariya Delson Armstrong
Delson works through DN15, the Maha Nidana Sutta, on dependent origination (paticca samuppada).
- Day 2 Apr Retreat -MN 39 Distractions and Hindrances
Delson reads from MN39 (the Maha Asapura Sutta) on the qualities of a recluse: shame and fear of wrongdoing, purified conduct in body, speech, mind and livelihood, sense restraint…
- Day 2 Apr Retreat -MN 39 Hindrances and Distractions
Delson Armstrong reads from MN 39 (Maha Assapura Sutta) and walks through its list of training steps, from purified conduct and the precepts to sense restraint, moderation, wakefulness and…
- MN 109 : The Greater Discourse on the Full-Moon Night - Delson Armstrong
Delson reads and comments on MN 109, the Maha Punnama Sutta, explaining the five aggregates affected by clinging, how craving and identification sustain them, and how seeing them as…
- Suttavada Foundation Online Retreat 15 Dec 2021 Dealing With Hinderances With Delson Armstrong
Delson Armstrong gives a day-one retreat talk on dealing with hindrances, reading and commenting on MN 19, the Two Kinds of Thought.
- Day 1 2022 April Retreat 26 May5 - Orientation / Instructions
Delson gives the opening meditation instructions for a TWIM retreat.
- 4 Dec 2021 Online Retreat Q & A With Delson Armstrong Session 2 of 2
Delson answers questions from a retreat on the nature of the present moment, meditation pain versus physical pain, posture, and craving for subtle states.
- 14 Dec 2021 Online Retreat. Intro on how to practice and Q & A with Delson Armstrong
Delson gives the opening instructions for an online retreat: a metta practice that begins with oneself and then a living spiritual friend, with sitting and walking alternated and the six…
- 1 Dec 2021 Online Retreat Q & A with Delson # 1 part 2 of 2
Delson answers questions from retreat participants in the first online Q&A of a retreat.
- 1 Dec 2021 Online Retreat Q & A with Delson # 1 part 1 of 2 - AUDIO ONLY
Delson answers questions from retreat participants in the first online retreat Q&A.
- 27 Nov 2021 Q & A with Delson Armstrong
Delson answers audience questions on the Buddhist teaching of rebirth and intermediate states, near-death visions, and how precepts relate to hindrances.
- Neuroscience & the Meditation Path sponsored by FitMind App
Delson Armstrong, interviewed by Liam from FitMind, describes his practice path from Hatha and Kriya yoga and the Yoga Sutras, through Tibetan Rigpa, to the early Buddhist texts and TWIM.
- Ep120: Meditation Virtuoso - Delson Armstrong
Delson Armstrong describes his path from a Catholic-raised childhood in New Jersey to hatha yoga at 13, then Himalayan training from age 16 in the Yoga Sutras, six degrees of Kriya Yoga…
- MN 9 Samma Ditthi Sutta with Delson Armstrong at DSMC
Delson Armstrong works through MN 9, the Sammaditthi Sutta on right view, in which Sariputta explains right view as understanding the unwholesome and the wholesome and the Four Noble Truths.
- 30 Oct 2021 Online Retreat Q & A #3
Delson answers participants' questions at the close of an online Suttavada retreat.
- Zoom Talk MN 22 Simile of the Snake -with Delson Armstrong
Delson reads and comments on MN 22, the Alagaddupama Sutta (simile of the snake), in which the Buddha corrects the monk Arittha for holding that sensual pleasures cannot obstruct someone…
- Samma Ditthi Sutta MN 9 with Delson Armstrong - The Personality Oct 20, 2021
Delson Armstrong works through the Samma Ditthi Sutta (MN 9), in which Sariputta explains right view by taking up the wholesome and unwholesome, the four noble truths and each link of…
- Interview#6: Dependent Origination, Nibbana, Relax Step & 6Rs with Delson Armstrong
Delson Armstrong explains nibbana as the quenching of the fires of greed, hatred and delusion, and as the stopping of mental proliferation.
- Interview#4: Mindfulness Re-defined and the Jhanas Re-defined - Conversations with Delson
Delson explains that mindfulness (sati, from smriti, meaning to remember) is best understood as observing how the mind's attention moves, rather than focusing narrowly on an object such as…
- Zoom Talk MN 142 with Delson Armstrong -The Exposition of Offerings
Delson reads MN 142, the Dakkhinavibhanga Sutta, on the exposition of offerings, which ranks gifts by the attainment of the recipient and says gifts to the Sangha are especially fruitful.
- Interview#1: Dhamma Conversations with Delson Armstrong-Introduction & Jhanas
Delson describes his path from yoga, Yoga Sutra samadhis and Kriya Yoga to TWIM and the six R's, and explains why he sees these earlier practices as concentration that suppresses the…
- Oct 2, 2021 - Theragāthā Book of twenties, Chapter 1 – 16.3. Telakāni
Delson reads and comments on Theragatha 16.3, the verses of the brahmin Telakani, who searched for a teaching that would bring peace and free him from grief, craving, conceit and doubt.
- Introductory Talk on TWIM to Zen Community in Netherlands
Delson introduces TWIM, the meditation practice he teaches, and explains the brahmaviharas as a way to uplift the mind and let go of hindrances, especially ill-will.
- GTOG Sunday Meditation Session: Sutta reading (MN2 - Sabbasava Sutta) by Delson Armstrong
Delson reads MN2, the Sabbasava Sutta, on the taints (asavas) and the six ways the Buddha gives for abandoning them.
- July 3, 2021– DN 33 – The Chanting Together – Third Recitation - sets of Ten
Delson reads through the sets of ten in Digha Nikaya 33 (the Sangiti Sutta) and comments on each item, treating the ten protective qualities as a path toward nibbana.
- June 26, 2021– DN 33 – The Chanting Together – Third Recitation: Sets of nine
Delson continues reading the Sangiti Sutta (DN 33) at the sets of nine, covering the causes and overcoming of malice, the nine abodes of beings, the nine unfortunate times for the holy…
- May Online Retreat with Delson Armstrong
The transcript supplied for this talk ("May Online Retreat with Delson Armstrong", 2021-06-23) contains only a single placeholder line ("you") and no spoken content.
- June 5, 2021– DN 33 – The Chanting Together – Third Recitation – sets of six
Delson Armstrong works through the third recitation of the Sangiti Sutta (DN 33), the sets of six, reading each set and explaining it in his own terms.
- May 29, 2021– DN 33 – The Chanting Together – Second Recitation
Delson continues his series on the sets of five in DN33, the Sangiti Sutta, the second recitation.
- May 22, 2021– DN 33 – The Chanting Together – First Recitation
Delson reads the first recitation of the Sangeeti Sutta (DN 33), in which Sariputta restates the Dhamma as numbered sets from one to four, and comments on each item in terms of his TWIM…
- May 15, 2021 – MN 43 – The Greater Series of Questions and Answers
Delson reads MN 43, the Maha Vedalla Sutta, on wisdom, consciousness, feeling and perception, and on the jhanas, the faculties, cessation, and the signless and voidness deliverances of mind.
- May 8, 2021 - MN 44 The Shorter Series of Questions and Answers - Many Aspects of the Dhamma
Delson walks through MN 44, the Shorter Discourse on Questions and Answers, in which the nun Dhammadinna explains identity, its origin, its cessation and the path to it.
- 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…
- May 1, 2021 MN 7 - The Simile of the Cloth - The Effect of Faith on Meditation Practice
Delson reads and comments on MN 7, the Vatthupama Sutta (the simile of the cloth), in Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation.
- 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.
- April 24 2021 - MN 4 - Fear & Dread - Letting Go of Hindrances Leads to the Natural Freedom of Mind
Delson reads MN 4, the Bhayabherava Sutta (Fear and Dread), and comments on how the Buddha's solitude in the forest was free of fear because his conduct was purified and he recognized and…
- April 17 - MN 53 - The Disciple in Higher Training - The Qualities of a Sotapanna (Stream Enterer)
Delson reads MN 53, the Sekha Sutta, in which Ananda describes the disciple in higher training who has entered the stream.
- GTOG Sunday Meditation Session: Delson Armstrong Sutta reading & explanation Upanisa Sutta
Delson reads and explains SN 12.23 (Upanisa Sutta), in which the Buddha traces the links of transcendental dependent origination backward from the destruction of the taints to the starting…
- 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 14 2021 - MN 146 - Advice from Nandaka - The Unfolding Path to Reality
Delson reads and comments on MN 146 (Nandakovada Sutta), in which the elder Nandaka teaches the Buddha's foster mother Maha Pajapati Gotami and her five hundred nuns by asking them whether…
- Feb 21 2021 - MN19 - Two Types of Thought - Right Intention, Awakening Factors & Threefold Knowledge
Delson reads and comments on MN19, the Buddha's account of dividing thoughts into those of wrong intention and those of right intention, and of recognizing and releasing unwholesome…
- Feb 7 2021 - MN 18 - The Honeyball - Cessation of Mental Proliferation is Nibbana
Delson reads and comments on MN 18, the Madhupindika (Honeyball) Sutta, and explains how perceptions and notions born of mental proliferation arise through contact, feeling, perception and…
- Jan 31 2021 - MN 137 - The Analysis of the Six Sense Fields
Delson reads and comments on MN 137, the Salayatana Vibhanga Sutta (the analysis of the six sense fields), covering the six internal and external bases, the six types of consciousness and…
- Jan 24 2021 - MN 64 - The Greater Discourse to Mālunkyāputta - Paths of the Anagami and the Arahant
Delson reads MN 64, the Greater Discourse to Malunkyaputta, and explains the five lower fetters, their underlying tendencies, and how they are abandoned through seeing the five aggregates…
- Jan 17 2021 - MN 3 - Heirs in Dhamma - The Noble Eightfold Path is the Inheritance
Delson reads MN 3, the Dhammadayada Sutta (Heirs in the Dhamma), from Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation and comments on it as he goes.
- Delson Armstrong talks on The Discourse about Meghiya
Delson reads the Meghiya Sutta (AN 9.3, with the Udana version noted as nearly identical) and comments on it paragraph by paragraph.
- 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-4 QA - Online 10-day Retreat (Nov-17) with Delson Armstrong
Delson answers participant questions on day four of an online 10-day retreat.
- Day-3 QA - Online 10-day Retreat (Nov-17) with Delson Armstrong
Delson answers questions from day three of an online ten-day retreat in November 2020.
- Day-2 QA - Online 10-day Retreat (Nov-17) with Delson Armstrong
Delson answers retreat participants' questions on day two of an online 10-day retreat.
- 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-1 QA - Online 10-day Retreat (Nov-17) with Delson Armstrong
Delson answers questions from the first day of an online 10-day retreat.
- Day-7 QA - Online 10-day Retreat (Nov-3) with Delson Armstrong
Delson answers questions from day 7 of an online 10-day retreat on the Dhamma.
- Day-1 QA - Online 10-day Retreat (Nov-3) with Delson Armstrong
Delson answers participants' questions on the first day of an online retreat.
- Day-3 QA - Online 10-day Retreat (Nov-3) with Delson Armstrong
This question-and-answer session from an online retreat covers jhana objects, development by application, and how to recognize jhana factors without verbalizing them.
- Nov 15 2020 - MN 143 - Advice to Anāthapiṇḍika - Disengaging Consciousness Towards Nibbana
Delson reads and comments on MN 143, the Anathapindikovada Sutta, in which Sariputta advises the dying householder Anathapindika to stop clinging to the six senses, their contact and…
- Nov 8 2020 - MN 138 - The Exposition of a Summary - Non-Grasping Consciousness Leads to Nibbana
Delson reads MN 138 (the Exposition of a Summary), in which Maha Kacchana explains the Buddha's brief teaching that a mind not scattered externally, not stuck internally, and not clinging…
- Nov 1 2020 - MN 141 The Analysis of the Truths - Applying the Four Noble Truths
Delson reads MN 141, the Analysis of the Truths, in which Sariputta explains the four noble truths, including suffering in the five aggregates and the eightfold path ending in right…
- Oct 11 MN 133 - Mahākaccāna and a Single Excellent Night - The Nature of Consciousness in Meditation
Delson reads MN 133, the Single Excellent Night exposition given by Maha Kaccana, which says not to revive the past or build hopes on the future, and to see each presently arisen state…
- 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.
- Oct 4 MN 117 - The Great Forty - The Effect of Precepts in Meditation
Delson reads MN 117 (the Great Forty) and explains the eightfold path as the Buddha describes it, with right view coming first and each factor supported by right effort and right…
- Oct 4 2020 - MN 117 - The Great Forty - The Effect of Precepts in Meditation #2
Delson reads and comments on MN 117, the Great Forty, which presents right view as the first factor of the Noble Eightfold Path and shows each factor being developed with right effort and…
- Day 5 Foundations of Mindfulness - Discussing the Satipatthana Sutta -What is Mindfulness?
Delson explains right effort in the context of the Satipatthana teaching, describing it as abandoning unwholesome states and cultivating wholesome ones.