Retreat Talks at Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center

June 21, 2026 Maha-dukkhakkhandha Sutta The Greater Discourse on the Mass of Suffering Challenged to show the difference between his teaching and that of other ascetics, the Buddha points out that they speak of letting go, but do not really understand why. He then explains in great detail the suffering that arises from attachment to sensual stimulation.

June 14,2026 Maha Sihananda Sutta A disrobed monk, Sunakkhatta, attacks the Buddha’s teaching because it merely leads to the end of suffering. The Buddha counters that this is, in fact, praise, and goes on to enumerate his many profound and powerful achievements.

June 7, 2026 The Buddha declares that only those following his path can genuinely experience the four stages of awakening. This is because, while much is shared with other systems, none of them go so far as to fully reject all attachment to the idea of a self.

May 17 Part 2 Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta Explanation -Continuing with Feeling

May 10, 2026 MN 10 Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta Delson goes through the first half of the sutta and explains it. ***Here the Buddha details the seventh factor of the noble eightfold path, mindfulness meditation. This collects many of the meditation teachings found throughout the canon, especially the foundational practices focusing on the body, and is regarded as one of the most important meditation discourses.

Apr 26, 2026 MN 9 Sammaditthi Sutta Venerable Sāriputta gives a detailed explanation of right view, the first factor of the noble eightfold path. At the prompting of the other mendicants, he approaches the topic from a wide range of perspectives.

Apr 5, 2026 MN 8 Effacement - Sallekha Sutta How to use the 8 fold path to purify the mind-What is Conceit? The Buddha differentiates between peaceful meditation and spiritual practices that encompass the whole of life. He lists forty-four aspects, which he explains as “effacement”, the wearing away of conceit. How to use the 8 fold path https://suttacentral.net/sn45.8/en/bodhi?lang=en&reference=none&highlight=false

June 13, 2026 AN 10.1 Benefits (What Progress) Transcendental Dependent Origination https://lnk.bio/delsonarmstrong https://delsonarmstrong.com Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center https://www.dhammasukha.org

MN 7 Mar 29, 2026 Vatthupama Sutta The Simile of the Cloth The many different kinds of impurities that defile the mind are compared to a dirty cloth. When the mind is clean we find joy, which leads to states of higher consciousness. Finally, the Buddha rejects the Brahmanical notion that purity comes from bathing in sacred rivers.

June 12, 2026 DP Pt. 2 Karma Discussion https://lnk.bio/delsonarmstrong https://delsonarmstrong.com Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center https://www.dhammasukha.org

Mar 22, 2026 MN 6 Akankheyya Sutta 'IF A BHIKKHU SHOULD WISH' According to the Buddha, careful observance of ethical precepts is the foundation of all higher achievements in the spiritual life. "Follow your precepts and everything higher follows!"

Mar 15, 2026 MN 5: Anaṅgaṇa Sutta – Unblemished This sutta, found in the Majjhima Nikāya, explores the nature of mental blemishes and the importance of self-awareness in spiritual development. Ven. Sāriputta explains four types of individuals based on whether they are blemished or unblemished and whether they recognize their state. The key insight is that true virtue lies not in being free of flaws, but in recognizing them and striving to overcome them.

Day 8 June 11 Introducing the links of D Pt 2 is the first 6 of the aggregates https://lnk.bio/delsonarmstrong https://delsonarmstrong.com Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center https://www.dhammasukha.org

June 10, 2026 Delson explains the higher jhanas and the subsequent attainments that follow. https://lnk.bio/delsonarmstrong https://delsonarmstrong.com Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center https://www.dhammasukha.org

Mar 8, 2026 Majjhima Nikāya Bhayabherava Sutta No.4 Fear and Dread How Sila or Morality is the basis for a mind free from hindrances. The Buddha explains the difficulties of living in the wilderness, and how they are overcome by purity of conduct and meditation. He recounts some of the fears and obstacles he faced during his own practice.

Mar 1, 2026 Dhammadāyādasutta Heirs in Dhamma Some of the Buddha’s students inherit from him only material profits and fame. But his true inheritance is the spiritual path, the way of contentment. Venerable Sāriputta explains how by following the Buddha’s example we can experience the fruits of the path.

Day 6 Intro to Jhanas - How you achieve them- they are the cessation of factors. https://lnk.bio/delsonarmstrong https://delsonarmstrong.com Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center https://www.dhammasukha.org

June 8, 2026 Satipatthana Sutta is explained. The definition of Mindfulness is re-defined. https://lnk.bio/delsonarmstrong https://delsonarmstrong.com Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center https://www.dhammasukha.org

Feb 22, 2026 MN 2 Sabbasava Sutta -All the Taints Talking about Distractions

Feb 8, 2026 MN 1: Mūlapariyāya Sutta This is the first discourse in the Majjhima Nikāya, the "Middle-length Discourses" of the Pāli Canon. It is a foundational and challenging sutta that directly confronts the tendency to posit a metaphysical origin or ultimate source for all existence—rejecting monistic views such as those found in Samkhya philosophy. The sutta systematically examines and dismisses various speculative theories about the root of all things, including the idea of a primordial self, a cosmic principle, or an eternal substance. Instead, it emphasizes that there is no single, unchanging source from which all phenomena arise. This is central to Buddhist non-theistic and non-essentialist thought.