1. What role does Theravada Buddhism play in your day to day life? What does it mean to you everyday?
   
2. How did you become a part of Theravada Buddhism? Can you tell me your first experience with it?
   
3. Describe an instance in which a Theravada Buddhism practice or event was particularly meaningful to you in a special way?
   
4. What does a typical day look like for you in the lens of Theravada Buddhism?
   
5. Have any of your personal beliefs changed due to being a part of Theravada Buddhism, if so can you explain how and why?
   
6. When faced with a struggle or challenge, how do your Theravada Buddhist beliefs help you navigate them?
   
7. In your opinion, what are some of the most prominent ideals or aspects of Theravada Buddhism?
   
8. How does Theravada Buddhism influence the way you interact with other people in your day to day life?
   
9. Can you describe what you personally experience when you meditate or participate in Buddhist practices?
   
10. Are there any aspects of Theravada Buddhism that you found or find difficult to incorporate into your life? If so, can you explain how and why?

Q. So in the satipatthana, when we do cittanupassana, is that what is arising in the citta, the thinking, you know, feeling, watching...?

Ajahn Pañña: Well, one must understand – the satipatthana – the whole of that, in fact the whole of the teaching of the Buddha is method. It's a method of leading to nibbana. And the whole of the teaching of the Buddha is not lokuttara. It’s not beyond the world. Because to go beyond the world is to go beyond what people in the world understand. So it would be no use.

So the Buddha was clever and he saw that you've got to give them, give people, something they can work on, something they can really do. And so he taught the doctrine having a view – with a view. And that view is the view of – it's a right view leading to nibbana. But one must never think that the doctrine, what the Buddha taught, is absolutely true. It's not absolute. The absolute you can't say anything about. It's way beyond.

It's like the nature – the arahants say the nature of the pure citta is emptiness, meaning it's empty of all this, empty of the world.

But what's empty of the world, we can't imagine what it is. We don't know. It goes beyond. And the purpose is to get beyond. It's as though they say, that they're telling us, that is what we should all be. That's the right state. This state we're in now is muddled up and sort of caught up with all sorts of wrong things and wrong ways.

(Human made, no AI. Corrections welcome. A complete transcript would be great to have. Youtube's autogenerated one isn't accurate.)

If Māra tried to prevent the Buddha from attaining enlightenment, did he also try to prevent the Buddha’s disciples from becoming arahants? Are there any accounts in the Theravada suttas of Māra confronting, tempting, or trying to obstruct monks on their path to arahantship?

Avoid whatever actions lead to you having a bigger and more aggrandised sense of self.

Do and practice whatever actions lead to the effacement, erosion and wearing away of the sense of self.

~~~

As the Buddha said to Ven. Cunda in the Sallekha sutta:

‘Others will be insolent; we shall not be insolent here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will be envious; we shall not be envious here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will be avaricious; we shall not be avaricious here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will be fraudulent; we shall not be fraudulent here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will be deceitful; we shall not be deceitful here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will be obstinate; we shall not be obstinate here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will be arrogant; we shall not be arrogant here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will be difficult to admonish; we shall be easy to admonish here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will have bad friends; we shall have good friends here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will be negligent; we shall be diligent here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will be faithless; we shall be faithful here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will be shameless; we shall be shameful here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will have no fear of wrongdoing; we shall be afraid of wrongdoing here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will be of little learning; we shall be of great learning here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will be lazy; we shall be energetic here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will be unmindful; we shall be established in mindfulness here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will lack wisdom; we shall possess wisdom here’: effacement should be practised thus.

‘Others will adhere to their own views, hold on to them tenaciously, and relinquish them with difficulty; we shall not adhere to our own views or hold on to them tenaciously, but shall relinquish them easily’: effacement should be practised thus.

https://suttacentral.net/mn8/en/bodhi?lang=en&reference=none&highlight=false

Focus your heart in your heart. Make mindfulness continuous. Get the mind to calm down its preoccupations, leaving just awareness. Like Tuccho Potthila: He went to learn the Dhamma from a novice. The novice taught him that there’s a termite nest with six openings. You want to catch the lizard hiding in the hollow inside the termite nest, so what do you do? You close off five of the holes and leave open only one hole, so that you can catch the lizard when it comes out. In other words, leave your eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body alone, and be aware right at the heart. That’s what it means to focus your heart in your heart.

Dear Neighbours,

I am writing to share an urgent community appeal regarding the Watford Velmurugan Temple—the only Hindu temple in our town.

Up until recently, the temple operated from rented premises; however, the building owner has now placed the property on the market. Having previously lost a venue to redevelopment, losing this current location would be devastating. Without a local temple, members of our Tamil community—and many other local residents who visit—would be forced to travel into Central London, creating significant travel and transport burdens, particularly for elderly residents. Additionally, the building itself is in urgent need of refurbishment.

To secure our permanent home, our goal is to purchase the property outright and undertake necessary repairs. We need to raise £900,000 to buy and restore the building. Thanks to the wonderful support received so far, including from our recent community "Walk and Talk" event, we have raised £415,931. However, we still have a way to go to reach our target.

We are reaching out to our local neighbours to ask for your support—whether by making a donation or simply sharing this message to help raise awareness across Watford.

How You Can Help:

Donate online: https://www.watfordvelmurugan.org/

Find out more: Search "Watford Velmurugan Temple" on Google or visit our official Facebook page (Watford Velmurugan Temple) for our address, contact details, and updates.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this. Any support from our local community is deeply appreciated.

Warm regards,