Freeing The Mind with Samatha & Vipassana , Q & A | Ajahn Canda |14th March 2026

In this Q&A session, Ajahn Candā reflects on awakening as a gradual, conditioned process. She touches upon virtue, spiritual friendship, and recollecting our own goodness as aspects of developing mindfulness. She also points out that it’s essential to hear the Buddha’s teachings, so we may strengthen every factor of the Noble Eightfold Path. [0:00] Do you need to fully clear the hindrances to meditate well? [3:06] How do we manage the suffering of people close to us? [6:12] How can we work with regrets? [10:15] How do you integrate samatha and vipassana? [14:42] What if you can’t yet forgive someone who has harmed you? [15:47] How to tell your practice is developing? [18:40] How to overcome doubt? [21:00] Is there a difference between wishing for violence and creating it? [23:45] Any insights on do-good work that is monetized? [27:42] How was mindfulness involved for the monks who walked for peace in the US? [32:00] Comments and thanks ✨ Anukampa Grove is our new Bhikkhuni residence: the first of its kind in the UK! Your help is especially appreciated at this exciting time: https://anukampaproject.org/donate ️ ✨ Standing orders help us plan ahead and cover our running costs. ✨ Please click SUBSCRIBE to help us spread the Dhamma! ABOUT US: Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project was founded in 2016 by Ven Canda and Ajahn Brahm. The charity aims to spread the Buddha's teachings and give women the opportunity to practice as bhikkhunis for the first time in UK history, by establishing a monastic residence for bhikkhunis. This second aim was accomplished in March 2024, when we procured a property in a secluded woodland hamlet near Oxford, called Anukampa Grove, where Ven Canda now resides. Donations of any amount are gratefully received and help support the monastics' requisite needs and cover our running costs, either as one-off gifts or standing orders. UK taxpayers can claim gift aid, increasing your donation by 25%. International bank transfers can be made via Wise. Please visit