Vipassana Talks

These Dhamma talks were given by Anthony during the silent 7-day vipassana retreat at Wat Kow Tahm, Koh Phangan, Thailand in August 2015. You can listen to the audio recordings on this page or download them as separate tracks. The full collection of the 16 talks is available for download as a bundle for off-line use. (zip/593MB).

A complete transcription of the 16 talks is available as a book for free download:

“Truly Understanding the Teachings of the Buddha” (pdf/2.3MB). These transcribed talks follow the outline of a 7-day silent vipassana retreat. They are best listened to / read in sequential order as the topics address issues that unfold naturally as a retreat progresses. However you may, of course, listen to a single topic that interests you. The topics are listed below.


7-day Retreat Dhamma Talks

General guidelines – meaning of meditation retreat, importance of the schedule, maintaining silence, and expectations

Meditation Instructions – virtue, present moment, internalising, awareness of breath sensation, and the four elements

Vipassana – purpose and benefit, insight into impermanence, suffering, and selflessness – noting, knowing, letting go

Maintaining awareness of daily activities, developing wise attention, the labelling technique, and the four postures

Refining sitting meditation – rising, falling, sitting, touching – and awareness of the six-sense-base consciousness

Awareness of feeling – pleasantness and unpleasantness, mind & matter, contact and the sense perception process

Awareness of the five hindrances – sensual desire, aversion, laziness and boredom, restlessness, and skeptical doubt

Enlightenment factor of mindfulness, the enlightenment factor of energy, and the awareness of painful sensations

Enlightenment factor of investigation-of-states, awareness of intention, and walking meditation instructions (intention)

Awareness of the mind – defilements, dealing with emotions- greed, anger and delusion – developing right attitude

Awareness of subtle wishes and wants, contentment and acceptance, and balancing the five controlling faculties

First noble truth – dukkha (suffering), awareness of the five aggregates, awareness of six-sense-bases, and identity-view

Enlightenment factors of rapture, tranquillity, and concentration (samadhi) – first jhana and second jhana

Dependant Arising – the second noble truth (craving), the third noble truth (cessation), and the unconditioned Nibbana

Enlightenment factor of equanimity – a determined striving of balanced non-reaction – the third jhana and fourth jhana

Practice everywhere in daily life – the ten perfections, the fourth noble truth (the noble eightfold path) and generosity