Guided Meditations

Q&As

Teaching Retreats

Culadasa's Curriculum

Patreon Q&As

Morning Q&A - Culadasa, California Retreat #1, Part 2

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Retreat in California part 7/13, Guided meditation - January 23, 2009

Guided Meditation - Culadasa, California Retreat #2, Part 6

TCMC Thursday part 2/3, Guided Meditation - March 5, 2009

Guided Metta Meditation, TCMC Thursday #6, Part 2 -  Culadasa

Q&A: It seems quite provocative to suggest that one just let go of what one is most attached to. What are your views? 

Culadasa explains that letting go of attachments is the ultimate goal of the path. He comments on how it is in contrast to what our society values.

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On attachment - March 26, 2009

The Benefits and Practice of Letting Go - Culadasa

Craving, what’s it all about? 
Culadasa describes what craving is, how it arises and how we can train ourselves to end our own suffering.

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On Craving - March 26, 2009

Craving, What’s it All About? - Culadasa

How does one do Loving Kindness Practice?
Culadasa discusses the formal practice of loving kindness. How to start with easy people to feel compassion towards and work to more difficult people.

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On Lovingkindness - March 26, 2009

Loving Kindness Practice - Culadasa

How does one exchange self and others? 
Culadasa explains how to exchange self and others within the context of a relationship.

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Exchange - March 26, 2009

Exchanging Self and Others - Culadasa

Q&A: I’ve made all these life changes, but am still in transition. I’m dissatisfied and I don’t know what to do sometimes. What do I do when I can’t think of any reason to get off the couch?
Master Culadasa talks about accepting things the way they are, not how we want them to be. Emphasis on how we grasp to things that we think will make us happy when they won’t necessarily do that.

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On transition - March 26, 2009

Combating Depression and Dissastifaction During Transition - Culadasa

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Beginner Guided Meditation and Explanations, UWest Meditation Camp #1, Part 2 - Culadasa

Guided Metta Meditation, UWest Meditation Camp #1, Part 13 - Culadasa

"Can you give us any tips for remaining mindful?"
Culadasa discusses how the mind works and how the practice of mindfulness can help us.

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Mindfulness Practice - Culadasa

Guided Beginner Meditation, UWest Meditation Camp #1, Part 10 - Culadasa

Guided Meditation, UWest Meditation Camp #2, Part 2 - Culadasa

Guided Meditation, TCMC Weekend #1, Part 7 - Culadasa

Do psychedelics play any role in the path? 
Culadasa discusses the extent of the usefulness of psychedelics.

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Role for Psychedelics in the Path - Culadasa

Pdf handouts: http://dharmatreasure.org/wp-content/uploads/jhanas-and-mindfulness-handout.pdf & http://dharmatreasure.org/wp-content/uploads/instructions-for-entering-jhana-leigh-brasington.pdf

The Jhanas: The Original Practice of Mindfulness and Insight.
Culadasa explains what Jhana is and why it is so important. There is a profound relationship between Jhana practice, Mindfulness, and the cultivation of Insight. How Jhana practice relates to the goal of achieving Insight and Awakening is described. Through a series of guided meditations, participants have an opportunity to learn about and experience Jhana first hand.

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The Jhanas, Part 1 - Culadasa

The Jhanas, Part 2 - Culadasa

The Jhanas, Part 3, Meditation and Discussion - Culadasa

The Jhanas, Part 4 - Culadasa

The Jhanas, Part 5 - Culadasa

The Jhanas, Part 6, Meditation - Culadasa

Pdf handouts: https://s3.amazonaws.com/dharmatreasure/BuddhadharmaWestPartI.pdf & http://s3.amazonaws.com/dharmatreasure/BuddhadharmaWestPartsIIandIII.pdf

Buddhadharma means “the Truth of the Awakened one”. It refers to the unique set of teachings set forth by the historical person we know as “the Buddha”. “Buddhism is a Western word coined to refer to the many different  eastern religions that are based on the Buddhadharma. The Buddha didn’t start a religion, nor did he promote any existing religion. But every Asian culture in which his teachings have become established has incorporated the Dharma into preexisting religious frameworks, thus making it into a religion. This is good news for us, because it means that Buddhist spirituality doesn’t require anyone to abandon his or her current religion, even those who count themselves as agnostic or atheist. Indeed, many Buddhist meditators today
don’t identify their religion as Buddhism.

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When the Buddhadharma Came to the West, Part 5 - Culadasa

Pdf handout: http://dharmatreasure.org/wp-content/uploads/What%20Is%20Enlightenment%20Handout.pdf

The purpose of the Eastern meditation traditions is to bring us to a completely new way of being, known as Enlightenment, Awakening, or Liberation. What exactly does this mean? And how does this relate to us, living as we do in a 21st century technological society confronted with problems that were unheard of even a generation ago.
Culadasa leads this weekend teaching where the methods of meditation practice and their immediate benefits are fit into a larger perspective. He then takes participants beyond the meditative practices to examine their ultimate goal, a goal that often seems hidden somewhere beyond the immediate horizon. The Buddha’s definition of Awakening is explored along with how being an Awakened being manifested both in his own life and in the lives of others who have followed this Path to its end.
Here we explore the relevance of this 2500 year old Path to Awakening to ourselves, the practical attainability of its goals, and to come to an understanding of how meditation, concentration, awareness, mindfulness, and Insight that we have been cultivating as a part of our daily practices are woven together to make up this Path.

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What Is Enlightenment? Part 4 - Culadasa

What Is Enlightenment? Part 3 - Culadasa

Pdf handout: http://dharmatreasure.org/wp-content/uploads/Meditation%20and%20Joy%20Handout.pdf

Joy plays a very special role in Buddhist meditation practice. The spontaneous arising of Joy marks an important stage in the progress of every meditator’s practice. Meditative Joy, often referred to as rapture, is one of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment taught by the Buddha. It is also a factor of deep Meditative Absorptions, and is distinguished from happiness or bliss, with which it is easily confused.
Culadasa explores what Joy really is, how it differs from happiness, and what makes it so important to the spiritual life. Learn where Joy comes from, how it can be cultivated on the cushion, and how discovering the Joy inherent in work and family life can improve the quality of your meditation practice.

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Joy & Meditation, Part 9 - Culadasa

Joy & Meditation, Part 5 - Culadasa

Joy & Meditation, Part 3 - Culadasa

Joy & Meditation, Part 2, Meditation - Culadasa

Pdf handout: https://s3.amazonaws.com/dharmatreasure/Magic%20of%20Mindfulness%20Handout.pdf

When the mindfulness of a samurai swordsman fails, he loses his life. When we lose mindfulness in daily life, something similar happens. We become so entangled in our own thoughts and emotions that we lose contact with the bigger picture. Our perspective narrows, we lose our way, and we end up doing and saying things that bring suffering and regret. On the other hand, being mindful allows us to recognize our options, choose our responses, and take control over the direction of our lives. It also gives us the power to alter our past conditioning and become the person we want to be. And, most importantly, mindfulness also leads to Insight, Wisdom and Awakening.

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The Magic of Mindfulness, Part 9, Meditation Only - Culadasa

Pdf handout: http://s3.amazonaws.com/dharmatreasure/Awakening%20in%20Daily%20Life%20-%20Handout.pdf

The Suttas tell us that the path to Awakening is open to all – men or women, old or young, lay or monastic. The Buddha once named 21 eminent lay disciples who had become Arahats (AN 6.119 & 120). We don’t know at what point in his 45 year teaching career this Sutta was spoken and so it is quite possible, and even likely, that by the end of the Buddha’s life there were many more lay Arahats than are spoken of here. There can be no question that Awakening is possible for Buddhist laypersons. 

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The Path to Awakening in Daily Life, Part 8 - Culadasa

The Path to Awakening in Daily Life, Part 5 - Culadasa

The Path to Awakening in Daily Life, Part 4 - Culadasa

Building a Powerful Meditation Practice.

How does one succeed in meditation? No matter what style or method of meditation you practice, whether you’re just a beginner or have been practicing for years, if you ever experience agitation, distraction and mind-wandering in your meditation or find yourself getting drowsy and dull, these retreat recordings are for you.
They include a series of guided meditations, through which you can learn specific techniques for overcoming these and other obstacles that stand in the way of becoming an accomplished meditator. Culadasa guides you through a variety of other practices, including Cultivating Joy, Loving Kindness, Finding the Still-point, and Realizing the Witness.
Interspersed among the guided meditations, which have been a popular part of past teaching retreats, are question and answer sessions. These teachings explore what it means to be mindful, both on the cushion and in daily life, and how mindfulness is cultivated.

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Sit, Breath, Wake Up! Part 8, Including Still Point Meditation - Culadasa

Building a Powerful Meditation Practice.

How does one succeed in meditation? No matter what style or method of meditation you practice, whether you’re just a beginner or have been practicing for years, if you ever experience agitation, distraction and mind-wandering in your meditation or find yourself getting drowsy and dull, these retreat recordings are for you.
They include a series of guided meditations, through which you can learn specific techniques for overcoming these and other obstacles that stand in the way of becoming an accomplished meditator. Culadasa guides you through a variety of other practices, including Cultivating Joy, Loving Kindness, Finding the Still-point, and Realizing the Witness.
Interspersed among the guided meditations, which have been a popular part of past teaching retreats, are question and answer sessions. These teachings explore what it means to be mindful, both on the cushion and in daily life, and how mindfulness is cultivated.

Buy Culadasa's books on Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/culadasa

Follow Culadasa on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Culadasa.John.Yates

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Sit, Breath, Wake Up! Meditation #5 - Culadasa

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Culadasa's Curriculum, Part 1 - Introducing the New Curriculum: An Overview and Explanation

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TASCAM DR-03

Culadasa's Curriculum, Part 2 - Why Walk the Path?

Culadasa's Curriculum, Part 3 - Why Walk the Path? (2)

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Culadasa's Curriculum, Part 4 - Exploring The Goal of the Path: What is Enlightenment?

Culadasa's Curriculum, Part 5 - Exploring The Goal of the Path: What is Enlightenment? (2)

Culadasa's Curriculum, Part 13 - The Noble Eightfold Path (2)

Culadasa's Curriculum, Part 14 - The Noble Eightfold Path (3)

Culadasa's Curriculum, Part 15 - The Noble Eightfold Path (4)

Upasak Culadasa

Culadasa's Curriculum, Part 16 - The Unconscious

Culadasa January 2013

Culadasa's Curriculum, Part 19

Culadasa's Curriculum, Part 20

Timestamps:
2:24 - Could you comment on [fire kasina or trataka] practice and say whether or not you see it as useful, in particular for working on TMI stages?

19:51 - Is there anything you retain from [your earlier Advaita Vedanta and TM practice] that you found beneficial to you on the path that you'd like to share? What are your thoughts in general on supplemental meditative practices outside of our regular TMI practice?

26:30 - Is it allowed to apply the techniques of a higher stage to achieve the goals of a lower one?

33:15 - How do right effort and equanimity fit together?

48:36 - Why do you think that those functional aspects of the mind -- information exchange and reflexive quality -- solve the hard problem of consciousness? Is your reasoning in this area intellectual, based on philosophical or scientific understanding, or rather based on the insight you've had into the ultimate nature of the mind?

57:46 - [Stage 5 practitioner describes meditative driving practice.] What do you think of this approach and is there a better way to support my practice while I am driving?

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Culadasa March 2018 Patreon Q&A

Timestamps:

0:03 What is the distinction between (1) awareness, (2) consciousness, (3) mind and (4) buddha nature. 

19:40 Is it possible to progress through the 10 stages and become awakened through using walking meditation as the main practice? 

26:30 How does the Stage 5 body scan and the cultivation of awareness of prana in Indian yogic practices and qi in Chinese practices such as Tai Chi and Qigong relate to each other? How are they related to the phenomenon on piti/priti? Can one experience piti at stage 5? 

36:40 Are there different degrees(intensities) of craving (or the hindrances in general)? If so, are this degrees related with the amount of conditioning that is beyond their manifestation? 

45:20 There are retreats where people may be asked to stay awake for 24 or 48 hours or even longer. What is your opinion on this? 

48:55 Description of a state of tranquility. What happened to me, and how can I achieve this again? 

52:40 Characteristics of access concentration, one-pointedness and absorption. Can metta practice assist in achieving and sustaining these mind states?

1:07:20 What role do perceptual and sensory changes ("centerlessness", an opening up of the visual field and Luminosity amongst other things) play in the path? 

1:17:35 Can you speak about your experience of going through the awakening process as a lay person in a committed relationship? 

1:21:15 What advice would you give someone who is is suffering from complacency due to recent stream-entry? 

1:23:30 What is your take on why there is so few people at and beyond third path? 

1:30:00sTinnitus.

1:33:40 Culadasa's health and projects. 


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Culadasa February 2018 Patreon Q&A

Timestamps:

00:00 - [Please] talk a little bit about the arising of piti, spontaneous body movements, and how it relates to purification of the mind.

04:45 - Could you please talk about mindfulness in daily life and how one could use it to reduce craving and procrastination?

09:44 - Do gross distraction and strong dullness always occur independently from one another or can they ever exist simultaneously?

14:15 - To what degree should a TMI meditator care about or be familiar with the [Progress of Insight] map? Would it be useful or a hindrance?

30:42 - What do you have to say on location optimizing/tailoring (in Jeffrey Martin's Finder Course model)?

46:29 - Sometimes I am wondering how to handle stress at work or stress in general?

53:45 - I am uncertain about the comment regarding the characteristics of subtle dullness.

56:38 - I found it interesting that you talked about locations as a state kind of phenomenon. Also Jeffrey speaks of sub-locations and that the four locations each contain infinite amounts of sub-locations or sub-states.

57:48 - It's often said that Awakening is a recognition or understanding, not a state that's subject to passing away. Even today though, some prominent people and researchers continue to view it as something more state-like...

1:07:34 - I'm having trouble applying mindfulness to my health conditions off the cushion.

1:14:23 - Mostly in stages 4 and 5 inclining the mind to the breath sensations at the nose shows bubbly vibrational sensations even off the cushion.


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Culadasa October 2017 Patreon Q&A

Timestamps:

2:34 - What makes people not achieve Stage 10 in one year? How much time do meditators take [to get to] Stage 4?

22:07 - What are some strategies and techniques both on the cushion and off that you've discovered are particularly effective for weakening and ultimately eradicating [the fetters of sense desire and ill will]?

40:00 - TMI says that long months or years of retreats are not critical for achieving Insight since regular diligent practice of one to two hours a day is sufficient for progress. At the same time, Ajahn Chah said that solitude is essential for a meditator's progress, especially for novices. Likewise, the Anapanasati Sutta begins the explanation about a monk that goes into the wilderness to be alone.

48:44 - As practice progresses, and suffering declines, questions begin naturally to arise as to what practice and dharma might mean beyond insight into annata and emptiness of phenomena, beyond the end of suffering.

57:19 - I'd really appreciate an explanation of how somebody can be an adept meditator and also engage in physcially and sexually abusive behavior.

1:08:39 - Can you talk about the importance and benefits of super slow walking meditation?

1:16:35 - Could you talk more about how analytical meditation can be used in the development of piti?

1:24:07 - Do you have any recommended sources for practicing the formless jhanas and the powers as TMI does not give much information of them except to say that it is beyond the scope of this book?

1:25:10 - What practices or techniques would one do to remember past lives?

1:41:14 - How does the use of mindfulness to train wholesome behavior and virtue apply to livelihood? 


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Culadasa December 2017 Patreon Q&A

Timestamps:

01:26 How do I know when I move from stream enterer to once returner? Are there any practices to accelerate the progression.

08:50 |follow up question| Is it considered craving if I intend something to happen?

13:55 What is the most likely progression on stages of awakening? (first path - second path - ...)

18:31 In TMI you emphasize not to conciously change the breath. What do you think about adjusting the breath to allow positive feelings to arise?

24:50 Since you said there is no reincarnation, does the believe in karma provide any benefit or has it any role in TMI?

32:43 Pain and suffering are two different things. If we remove the suffering is pain just a sensation?

39:05 Have you heard of or experienced the transfer of conciousness? From what or to what is the conciousness transferred?

43:01 There are so many "awakened" people who seem to behave poorly in different ways. What can a practitioner do to keep from following into that trap?

53:08 Doing stage 6 practices I noticed a change in perception of the breath at the nose (descending into the sensations, even feeling them in other parts of the body). Is this a characteristic of the acquired appearance?

55:36 |follow up question| If the perception of the breath shifts, how/where do I define the scope of attention?

59:35 What do you know about koan practice and its nature and function on the path? Are there any parallels to Terravada or Tibetan Buddhism?

1:05:16 Would have TMI been approached any differently if one were already a stream enterer?

1:07:12 Does someone doing TMI go through the stages of insight in a different way than a dry vipassana practitioner? (dark night and dukkha nanas)

1:13:12 |continuation| Does one cycle through the stages repeatedly and does insight ever end?

1:17:13 I didn´t read about first path and so forth in the book, but it gets mentioned quite a lot. Do I have an old version? Culadasa then talks about his upcoming book (on different stages of awakening).

1:20:35 Culadasa talks about the deepening of jhana , the first luminous jhana and fire kasina.

1:28:45 Do the skills that are developed in meditation spill over in daily life?


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Culadasa January 2018 Patreon Q&A

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Culadasa July 2019 Patreon Q&A

Culadasa November 2019 Patreon Q&A - Nº 2

Culadasa November 2019 Patreon Q&A - Nº 3

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Culadasa December 2019 Patreon Q&A - Nº 1 (Sunday)

Culadasa (John Yates, Ph.D.) is a meditation master with over four decades of experience in the Tibetan and Theravadin Buddhist traditions. He taught physiology and neuroscience in college for many years. Later, he worked at the forefront of healthcare education and therapeutic massage, serving as the founding director of the West Coast College of Massage Therapy. Culadasa retired from academia in 1996, moving with his wife into an old Apache stronghold in the Arizona wilderness, where they deepened their spiritual practice together. He currently leads the Dharma Treasure Buddhist Sangha in Tucson, Arizona and holds retreats across the United States.
 
Culadasa’s book, The Mind Illuminated, is the first comprehensive guide to Buddhist meditation for a Western audience. It combines age-old teachings with the latest research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience, providing meditators with step-by-step guidance for every stage of the path – from your very first sit, all the way to mastery of the deepest states of peace and insight. This is the clear, friendly, and in-depth meditation manual that people have been waiting for.

Culadasa, Dr. John Yates

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