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Kathina 2014 Photo Gallery

October 19, 2014, 12:00 am
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On October 12th, approximately 300 members of the extended Abhayagiri Community assembled for the annual Kathina celebration. The Abhayagiri Sangha wishes to express appreciation for the harmony, cooperation and generosity of those in attendance, as well as the ongoing support of the lay community, who contribute in many different ways, allowing the Abhayagiri community to continue to practice and grow. 

Below is a link to a photo gallery from the 2014 Kathina :


Anumodana. 
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Buddhist Bicycle Bridge

October 18, 2014, 12:00 am
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This September the Abhyagiri community completed its newest and longest bridge. The bridge, which spans a gully on the Blackrock trail, was designed and built by the resident Abhayagiri Community. The funding for the bridge was provided through a donation by the 2013 Buddhist Bicycle Pilgrims.  Click on the below link for photos of the bridge:

Photos of Bridge

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Born On a Four Rebuilds Outdoor Buddha Rupa Area

October 27, 2014, 12:00 am
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During Ajahn Sumedho’s stay, Rik Center was at the monastery contemplating how to support the monastery with an anniversary birthday project. A number of friends of Abhayagiri who were "born on a four" (born in 1954, 1964, 1974, etc.) were interested to continue the success of the previous year's project. Despite the enthusiasm of the "born on a four” crew, nobody knew what a suitable project would be.

Then one day, while taking with Dennis Crean in the cloister area, Rik looked up the hill to the outdoor Buddha rupa area. He reflected on how rarely he goes up there and recognizing there were steps from the driveway that went up and lead to nowhere. Standing below the hill no one could tell or even see the other trail that goes around from the side. Plus, even if one was able to finally find their way up to the Buddha there was nowhere to sit. Rik recognized in himself there was a lonely and desolate feeling of separation from the beautiful Buddha that was so close and yet so far. 

He saw the possibility of steps that would continue on from the first steps leading up from the driveway. Rik imagined benches that would make it easier to sit by the Buddha and look out over the monastery grounds. He was imagining not just the view of the current cloister area, but also the view of the future reception hall and outdoor deck. He further considered that some landscaping and plants would brighten up the area on the hill and having some colorful flowers on a sconce hanging from the poles on the Buddha’s shelter would raise our eyes and mind up towards the Buddha. After sharing these thoughts with Dennis and conferring with Ajahn Pasanno, the project was a go!

After a bit more organizational work, some online shopping, and some help from “Cody” our neighbor and heavy equipment operator, the transformation began. The "born on the four’s” funded and put all the pieces into place to create our new Buddha rupa hill area. Those from the “group” who were available came together at the end of September to finish up the project. On Sunday, September 28th the “born on the four’s” put the benches together, raked the stones and celebrated their birthdays with a meal at the monastery including a lovely Red Velvet birthday cake.

The following day, under the guidance of Betsy Blessing and Rik (who had been out shopping all morning at the local nurseries) and with the help of the monastic community, new foliage and 100 flower bulbs were planted into the ground. All this came together in time for the Annual Kathina Festival. Abhayagiri’s new outdoor Buddha rupa area was ready.

Many blessings to the generosity of our Sangha and how we all turn the wheel of awakening together.

For a photo gallery illustrating the transformation, click on the link below.



Born On a Four Photo Gallery

The participants in the Born On a Four Project are:

Rik Center
Paul Catasus
Catherine Direen
Edward Lewis
Mary (Sakula) Reinard
Apple Shutintorn
Hisayo Suzuki
Anagarika John
Betsy Blessing





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Community Work Day - Saturday November 8

October 28, 2014, 12:00 am
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The Abhayagiri kitchen is used 365 days a year to prepare food for residents and guests. We strive to keep such essential facilities very clean as an expression of our monastic training. Thus on the afternoon of November 8 we plan to conduct the annual kitchen deep clean (weather permitting). It takes many hands to move everything out of the kitchen, clean all the equipment, wipe down all surfaces, and put everything back, but it's also fun to work together to clean the space we all use. Morning work that day will likely include tree trimming along the gravel road and other outdoor work.

We invite you to work alongside us, join us for the day's meal, share tea with us at 5:30 pm, and listen to the Saturday night Dhamma talk. There is no need to contact us in advance, but it's helpful to arrive in time for the 7:00 am breakfast and 7:30 am work meeting.

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Change of Mealtime to 10:45 am

October 26, 2014, 12:00 am
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Due to the change from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time on November 2nd, the Abhayagiri mealtime will be 10:45 am from November 2nd onward. 
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Born On a Four Rebuilds Outdoor Buddha Area

October 27, 2014, 12:00 am
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During Ajahn Sumedho’s stay, Rik Center was at the monastery contemplating how to support the monastery with an anniversary birthday project. A number of friends of Abhayagiri who were "born on a four" (born in 1954, 1964, 1974, etc.) were interested to continue the success of the previous year's project. Despite the enthusiasm of the "born on a four” crew, nobody knew what a suitable project would be.

Then one day, while taking with Dennis Crean in the cloister area, Rik looked up the hill to the outdoor Buddha rupa area. He reflected on how rarely he goes up there and recognizing there were steps from the driveway that went up and lead to nowhere. Standing below the hill no one could tell or even see the other trail that goes around from the side. Plus, even if one was able to finally find their way up to the Buddha there was nowhere to sit. Rik recognized in himself there was a lonely and desolate feeling of separation from the beautiful Buddha that was so close and yet so far. 

He saw the possibility of steps that would continue on from the first steps leading up from the driveway. Rik imagined benches that would make it easier to sit by the Buddha and look out over the monastery grounds. He was imagining not just the view of the current cloister area, but also the view of the future reception hall and outdoor deck. He further considered that some landscaping and plants would brighten up the area on the hill and having some colorful flowers on a sconce hanging from the poles on the Buddha’s shelter would raise our eyes and mind up towards the Buddha. After sharing these thoughts with Dennis and conferring with Ajahn Pasanno, the project was a go!

After a bit more organizational work, some online shopping, and some help from “Cody” our neighbor and heavy equipment operator, the transformation began. The "born on the four’s” funded and put all the pieces into place to create our new Buddha rupa hill area. Those from the “group” who were available came together at the end of September to finish up the project. On Sunday, September 28th the “born on the four’s” put the benches together, raked the stones and celebrated their birthdays with a meal at the monastery including a lovely Red Velvet birthday cake.

The following day, under the guidance of Betsy Blessing and Rik (who had been out shopping all morning at the local nurseries) and with the help of the monastic community, new foliage and 100 flower bulbs were planted into the ground. All this came together in time for the Annual Kathina Festival. Abhayagiri’s new outdoor Buddha rupa area was ready.

Many blessings to the generosity of our Sangha and how we all turn the wheel of awakening together.

For a photo gallery illustrating the transformation, click on the link below.



Born On a Four Photo Gallery

The participants in the Born On a Four Project are:

Rik Center
Paul Catasus
Catherine Direen
Edward Lewis
Mary (Sakula) Reinard
Apple Shutintorn
Hisayo Suzuki
Anagarika John
Betsy Blessing





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New Reception Hall Construction Photos

November 8, 2014, 12:00 am
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Forest Sangha News

December 28, 2014, 12:00 am
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The annual Forest Sangha Newsletter published by Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England is now available online.


Three file sizes are available this year, to help those with slower internet connections:

For a high resolution PDF (50 mb), please use this link: amaravati.org/pdf/FSN_94_highres.pdf

A medium resolution PDF (14 mb) is available at this link: amaravati.org/pdf/FSN_94_mediumres.pdf

A low resolution PDF (4.5 mb) is available at this link: amaravati.org/pdf/FSN_94_lowres.pdf


The newsletter contains many noteworthy articles including several in honor of Luang Por Sumedho's 80th birthday and an article by Ajahn Sucitto marking his recent transition from being abbot of Chithurst Monastery in England. Copied below is the article concerning the recent news at Abhayagiri.



News from Abhayagiri


Abhayagiri Monastery had the good fortune to host Luang Por Sumedho for ten days in July. Though we encouraged him to spend as much time as he wanted in the secluded Elder’s Cabin, Luang Por was remarkably generous with his time. Most days he spent over an hour after the meal chatting with monastics and lay guests about the ‘path to the Deathless’ and how happy he is to have trained with Luang Por Chah. On 13 July he gave a public talk at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB), the large Chinese Mahayana monastery nearby, describing his early days of practice and how Master Hua, the founder of CTTB, had offered half the land that became Abhayagiri Monastery shortly before his death in 1995. In his introduction Rev. Heng Sure recalled Master Hua’s description of the land: ‘We have a piece of mountainside. It’s pretty rugged. It’s suitable only for monks.’ In the nearly twenty years since Master Hua’s gift, Abhayagiri Monastery has indeed become a suitable environment for monastic training. A total of twenty monks have ordained and trained with Luang Por Pasanno since the founding of Abhayagiri. Sixteen of these monks are still in robes, and four of them have over ten years as a monk. This year Tan Suhajjo took bhikkhu ordination, Sāmaneras Khantiko and Gambhīro ordained as novices, and Anagārikas Doug and John took on the white robes. Abhayagiri monks typically spend their third year after ordination training in a monastery abroad, and this year Tan Khemako is dwelling at Tisarana Monastery near Ottawa and Tan Pesalo is spending the year at various monasteries in Thailand.



Reception Hall Construction


Although the community of residents and visitors has increased in size, we are still functioning with the original Dhamma Hall (a converted garage) and main building/kitchen (originally a small bungalow). While we have done our best to make use of these buildings, the monastery has outgrown them, and we have begun construction of a new Reception Hall as a replacement. The main floor of the new structure consists of a meditation hall, a commercial-grade kitchen and outdoor wooden veranda to accommodate overflow crowds. The lower floor contains a small shrine room, library, day room for visiting elders, laundry room, showers for male lay guests, food storage space and childcare facilities. The Reception Hall is the last building we plan to construct in the lower cloister area, and has been carefully designed to make the best possible use of the limited flat land available. We are fortunate to be employing the same team of architects, project manager, general contractor, and heavy equipment operators who built the Cloister Offices (2006) and the Bhikkhu Commons (2010). The project will be completed in four phases whose timing depends on available funding. Hillside excavation and construction of a concrete retaining wall began in July 2013, and Phase I of the construction was completed with the pouring of the foundation and concrete floors in November. Phase II of the project will consist of finishing the exterior walls, roof, windows and doors, so that the structure is weatherproof. However, by late 2013 our financial stewards did not have enough funds to start Phase II, so construction was mostly on hold during 2014. Generous donors have now provided enough funds and Phase II will commence in March 2015. We plan to finish the interior of the building in Phase III and landscape the cloister area in Phase IV.



Pacific Hermitage

The Pacific Hermitage, Abhayagiri’s first branch monastery, established in south-west Washington in 2010, continues to flourish. The Hermitage maintains the practice of a daily alms-round into the nearby town of White Salmon, and four days a week the monks rely solely on the alms received in that manner for their daily nourishment. The Hermitage is unique in that it consists of only three bhikkhus, with no resident novices or stewards. The town of White Salmon has been very generous and hospitable and has offered plenty of support. Ajahn Sudanto, the senior monk of the Pacific Hermitage, is currently taking a one-year sabbatical to focus on formal practice. He plans to return in April 2015. In other news from this region, Portland Friends of the Dhamma, the Pacific Northwest lay group associated with Abhayagiri Monastery, recently acquired its own centre in the heart of Portland, Oregon. The grand opening weekend in June 2014 was attended by more than a dozen monks from our tradition, including Luang Por Sumedho, Luang Por Pasanno, Luang Por Vīradhammo, Ajahn Preecha and Ajahn Sona. Luang Por Sumedho offered a day-long retreat as part of the weekend of festivities and ceremonies, which were attended by a large number of people. It was an inspiring gathering, offering an auspicious start to this new centre.

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Audio from 2014 Monastic Retreat Now Available

December 31, 2014, 12:00 am
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Various members of the extended Abhayagiri Community have come together to make the audio from the 2014 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat available online. The 29 talks given by Ajahn Pasanno, Ajahn Karunadhammo, Ajahn Ñaniko, and Debbie Stamp at the 2014 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat in Santa Rosa, California from November 21 to November 30 are available for online browsing (opens in new tab) and can be requested on CD. Furthermore, the individual questions from the Question & Answer sessions have been indexed and can be listened to individually. A 586 MB zip file can also be downloaded from the audio section of this website. 
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Ajahn Pasanno visits Ruth Denison

January 1, 2015, 12:00 am
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During the first week of September, Luang Por Pasanno and other members of the Abhayagiri community made a trip down to Southern California to visit Ruth Denison. Debbie Stamp, Amy Zhu, and Samanera Khantiko accompanied Luang Por Pasanno to Dhamma Dena in Joshua Tree, CA. (For more information about Ruth Denison and an upcoming documentary on her life and teachings, please visit www.dhammadena.com.)

Ruth Denison has been a long-time supporter of the monastic sangha in the United States and has been involved with Abhayagiri since the monastery opened. Over the years she has continually shown her support for the community and has contributed to the building and maintenance of the monastery, especially with construction of several of the women's dwellings.

Ruth Denison's broader influence can be seen in many areas of Buddhism in the United States. She was a pioneer in bringing Insight Meditation (in the Burmese U Ba Khin tradition) westward. She taught and helped to establish many retreat centers, both in Europe and the United States. Ruth Denison also began teaching a women's retreat that became an annual event, providing a great opportunity for women to practice meditation and develop community.

Over the many decades of Ruth Denison's teaching career, and in parallel to her unique style and innovative teaching approach, she has emphasized "the Dharma" as the essence of what has been passed along from teacher to student since the time of the Buddha. For her, it does not seem to matter whether this unfolds as the continuance of the traditional monastic sangha in the west, or in creative methods and new venues for sharing the teachings. Ruth Denison's unbiased approach to upholding the Dharma is a great treasure to those who encounter her.

When we arrived at her home in early September, we spent some time in the afternoon visiting with Ruth. Now, in her early 90's, she is experiencing periods of poor health, but during our visit she showed great energy and enthusiasm for talking about the Dharma. She made a strong point of insisting that practitioners should not settle for any common form of happiness, but should rather persist until they find the highest happiness possible in the Buddhist teachings. Luang Por Pasanno provided encouragement and admiration for Ruth's practice and then offered paritta ("protective") chanting for Ruth's continued well-being.

It was not easy to leave Dhamma Dena that afternoon as many there knew it might be the last time they were together face-to-face. We left feeling inspired by the vitality of Ruth and her strong devotion to the Dharma, and also by the strength and enduring care of those looking after her. Ruth Denison's impact on the Abhayagiri community will always be appreciated, and it was well worth the effort to visit with her again and share in her wisdom.
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Winter Retreat 2015

January 1, 2015, 12:00 am
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Beginning January 1st and continuing until March 31st, Abhayagiri will be in winter retreat. This annual time of quietude, gratefully supported by a team of lay supporters, gives Abhayagiri residents an opportunity to set aside work projects and concentrate on more formal aspects of meditation and the study of Dhamma. Short days, wet weather, and the silence of winter make this a natural time to be looking inward.

During these three months there will be no overnight guests accepted. (For overnight visits after the retreat please contact the monastery after April 1st, 2015.) This, however, does not mean that the monastery is closed to day visitors; day visits are still possible. As per usual, people are still welcome to attend the chanting, meditation, and Dhamma talks on Saturday nights and the evenings of the Lunar Observance Days. People wishing to visit the monastery to participate in the meal offering or bring offerings of requisites at meal time are also welcome.

For those interested in listening to, or downloading Dhamma talks from the monastery website, we plan on posting new talks regularly throughout the retreat.
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Ruth Denison Passes On

March 11, 2015, 12:00 am
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Ruth Denison Passes On

On February 26, 2015, Ruth Denison passed away at her center in Joshua Tree, California (see previous article on our website for a report of Ajahn Pasanno's visit there last autumn). Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karunadhammo will be attending the memorial service for Ruth, which will be held on March 21st. This event will be live-streamed – information about Ruth, the memorial service, and how to view the event is available on the Dhammadena website

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Ajahn Amaro to visit Abhayagiri

April 8, 2015, 12:00 am
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We are pleased to announce that Ajahn Amaro will be here for a brief visit in June. He will be in San Francisco in early June to attend a Mindfulness and Compassion Conference, and will come to stay at Abhayagiri from June 7 – June 10. On Tuesday June 9, we will have an ordination of novices and bhikkhus (see above article), and Ajahn Amaro will give the ordination reflections. On Wed. June 10, Ajahn Amaro will lead a meditation and offer a Dhamma talk from 4 pm to 6 pm at Yoga Mendocino in Ukiah – please see our website calendar for more information and the address.

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Happenings at the Monastery

April 9, 2015, 12:00 am
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Our annual winter retreat during the months of January, February, and March recently came to a close and the community is slowly re-entering the pace of our normal daily schedule and routine. The retreat was a very beneficial time for us: a chance to move into more stillness and time for reflection – deepening our contemplative practice. The theme for teachings this year was the first three establishments of mindfulness: mindfulness of body, of feelings, and of mind itself (the fourth establishment of mindfulness, dhammas, was the entire retreat theme a few years ago).


With readings and reflections from the senior monks nearly every day, we had a chance to move into deeper contemplation around these themes, with periods of group meditation practice as well as periods of solitary practice to bring them into our real experience. Everyone, the resident monastics and long-term lay residents, as well as the retreat helper crew, expressed much appreciation for the opportunity to practice like this together. We were also rewarded with beautiful weather which encouraged lots of outdoor practice (although all of us would have liked to see more rain to help alleviate the drought!). After we have had time to edit the recorded teachings, these will appear on the website. This may take some time, as the recordings are quite extensive.


As we resume a more engaged pace, there are a number of events on the horizon. The regular monthly teachings in Berkeley, Ukiah, and Fort Bragg will be resuming, Upasika Day teachings will be happening, and various members of the community will be visiting and teaching around the country (see our events calendar for details). Upasika Debbie has been invited to teach in North Dakota, Ajahn Karunadhammo will be teaching in Wisconsin in late April, and Luang Por Pasanno and Ajahn Jotipalo are currently in Mississippi visiting a meditation center there.


There will be several ordinations happening on June 9th. Samanera Khantiko and Samanera Gambhiro will be taking their full bhikkhu ordinations that day, and Anagarika Doug and Anagarika John will be taking their samanera (novice) ordinations as well. All are welcome to attend this auspicious event. It will likely take place in the middle to late afternoon, but the exact time has yet to be determined. Coming for the meal time at 11:00 am and staying on through the day is a great way to do it! We are also pleased that Ajahn Amaro will be visiting us briefly and will be present for the ordinations (see accompanying article).


Of course, the other major happening is the beginning of Phase 2 of the Reception Hall construction (see below for lots of photos). We now have sufficient funds for this phase, the framing and roof. At present, we plan to once again put the project on hold after the completion of this Phase 2 (October 2015) until sufficient funds become available for Phase 3. Phase 3 would be the completion of the building, which would then make it ready for occupancy. We are very pleased to be able to have our contractor, Bob Madlem, and his excellent crew back with us for this phase.


With all of this happening, we still try to strive for a quiet, contemplative life here, and welcome visitors to come and share in this teaching and lifestyle.

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Community Work Days

April 26, 2015, 12:00 am
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If you are looking for a way to support the Abhayagiri community and want to connect to the residents in a working environment, then you are welcome to come join us for some afternoon work projects. The next scheduled community work days are May 16 and June 13. The work period will start with a work meeting at 1 pm and the work will probably end by 4:30 pm. You are welcome to come join us for the 11:00 AM meal and stay for tea at 4:30 pm and evening puja at 7:30 pm followed by a Dhamma talk.

On May 16 we hope to complete some trail maintenance, including improving steps and trimming and clearing brush. This project will include tasks requiring a range of skills and physical abilities.

There is no need to contact us in advance if you would like to join us.



Steps needing improvement



Previous community work day
 
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Reception Hall Update from the Sanghapala Foundation Board President to the Abhayagiri Lay Community

April 27, 2015, 12:00 am
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One warm day in June nineteen years ago, Ajahn Amaro and Anagarika Tom (now Ajahn Karunadhammo) established Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in Redwood Valley, CA. Luang Por Pasanno arrived about six months later. The original infrastructure consisted of a small two bedroom house and a garage, which was converted to the current Dhamma hall. For several years now, it has been apparent that we have outgrown these original structures.

I had the good fortune to join the community early on. My relatively short time as a member of the resident community taught me a great deal about the teachings of the Buddha and myself. I will be forever grateful. This community carries the lamp of the Dhamma and shines its light on the Buddha’s path to the highest human potential.  As the daily chanting says, “they give occasion for incomparable goodness to arise in the world.” 
These past nineteen years have seen Abhayagiri grow into one of the finest training monasteries for Theravada Buddhism in the West. The field of goodness created by Luang Por Pasanno and the community of monastics attracts hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors a year. 

As you are probably aware, the Abhayagiri community, supported by the lay stewardship organization Sanghapala Foundation, is in phase two of a three-phase building project to build a facility that will include a spacious meditation hall, a larger and more efficient kitchen, office, library, guest rooms, child care room, lay bathrooms and showers, laundry, a small shrine room/reliquary, plus covered decks and storage rooms. This new facility will provide improved amenities for all of the lay supporters.

As of March 31, 2015, we are about $18,000 short of having the designated donations needed to complete phase two, which will essentially seal the building from the weather. Phase two is planned to be completed this year. 

Phase three will allow us to build out the interiors of the building and make it useable. At this time, phase three is estimated to cost $1 million. Ideally, we will have raised the funds by the end of 2015 so that phase three can be completed during 2016. However, we will only be able to complete the building once sufficient funds have been donated.

The lay community has shown a beautiful outpouring of generosity to fund the building project so far. But we are only two-thirds of the way to our new home. I so look forward to the day when there is plenty of space in the Dhamma hall on a Saturday night or on a festival day, as well as having a spacious post-meal clean up in the kitchen. But mostly, I want to support the incomparable goodness that is Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery. Please join with me in supporting phase three.

With gratitude,
Mark Sponseller
Sanghapala Foundation Board President



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Coastal Tudong by Ajahn Jotipālo

May 30, 2015, 12:00 am
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Recently Tan Thanavaro and I took up the practice of “tudong”. Walking from the small town of Westport, CA to Boonville, CA, mostly following Rt 1 along the coast and Rt 128 through redwood forests and along side the Navarro River.

The word 'tudong' is derived from the Pali word “dhutanga”, meaning ascetic practices. There are 13 ascetic practices that the Buddha allowed and encouraged for assisting monks and nuns in their Dhamma training. These practices include, for example, eating one meal a day, eating only from one's bowl, living in the forest and meditating in cemeteries. These days when forest monks and nuns walk on faith or pilgrimage, it is often referred to as going tudong.

Tudong is meant to be something much more profound than mere travelling like a tourist. The purpose is not to accumulate new and pleasant sensory experiences but to understand the truth of our experience. Sometimes the simplicity of living close to the elements means having to put up with some difficult situations, so tudong encourages the practice of developing patience and endurance. Travelling outside one's comfort zone can bring up a range of reactions, and this is a valuable opportunity to learn more about oneself.

Tudong also encourages us to look at uncertainty, “Will we get alms food offered in this small town? Where will be sleep tonight? Is it going to storm?” Tudong can be used as a period of time to set down the planning mind that tries to control the future. In such situations the mind can become more sensitive and intuitive. Allowing oneself to surrender to the present can provide the opportunity for many wonderful, unplanned and nearly magical situations to occur.

Tan Thanavaro and I set off on May 7th with the blessings of the community to be away for a week. Debbie and Beth offered to drive us from the monastery to the tiny town of Westport, CA about 16 miles north of Fort Bragg. Mettika, the founder of Three Jewels Dhamma Hall in Fort Bragg put out word to several people about the tudong. As a result we had places to stay in Westport and Fort Bragg.

Finding places to stay ended up not being that difficult and we received food in every town that we walked through (and Westport has a population of 60 people)! In the towns of Albion and Elk, we weren't even going on alms-round and received food offering (the population of Albion is 168 and Elk is 208). The most difficult aspect of the walk was the hardness of the road surface and after two days of walking my feet were really sore. If I do a tudong in the future, I'll hopefully do several months of training before setting out.

It's hard to say what was the best part of the tudong: the natural beauty of the land and sea, the people we met, the generosity, the solitude and time for meditation... Certainly all of these were present during this tudong and it probably isn't important to pick one aspect as a favorite.

The tudong ended with an invitation from our good friends at Pomo Tierra Ranch, near Boonville, CA where we spent the last night. The next morning we were offered a home-made breakfast and one of the residents drove us back to Abhayagiri.

Photo gallery of the walk

"Just Enough", a talk given by Ajahn Jotipālo after returning from this tudong
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Ajahn Liem to Visit Abhayagiri

June 19, 2015, 12:00 am
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Ajahn Liem, the abbot of Wat Nong Pah Pong and successor to Ajahn Chah, will be visiting four North American monasteries in the Ajahn Chah tradition from June 19 to July 16. Ajahn Jundee, abbot of Wat Pah Ampawan, and two other monks will accompany Ajahn Liem. After visiting Tisarana Buddhist Monastery, Temple Forest Monastery, and Pacific Hermitage, they plan to arrive at Abhayagiri in the early evening on July 6. We will ask Ajahn Liem to give the 7:30 pm evening talk on Saturday, July 11. He will be away from Abhayagiri on July 9. Ajahn Liem's last public event in California will be a talk after the meal at Wat Buddhanusorn in Fremont on July 12.


Abhayagiri's guest accommodations are completely full for the duration of Ajahn Liem's visit.


Ajahn Liem's itinerary (follow the links for more details)

June 19 – June 24: Tisarana Buddhist Monastery, near Ottawa, Canada

June 26 – July 2: Temple Forest Monastery, Temple, New Hampshire

July 3 – July 4: Portland Friends of the Dhamma, Portland, Oregon

July 4 – 5: Pacific Hermitage, White Salmon, Washington

July 6 – 12: Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery

July 6: Arrives in early evening

July 9: Away from Abhayagiri

July 11: Saturday talk at 7:30 pm

July 12: Departs in morning for Wat Buddhanusorn

July 12: Public talk at Wat Buddhanusorn, Fremont, California after morning meal (not announced on their website)



Ajahn Liem's schedule in Portland (from the Pacific Hermitage website)

Friday, July 3rd – Friends of the Dhamma, Portland

5:30pm – 6:40pm Tea and Dhamma discussion

7:00pm – 9:00pm Meditation and Dhamma talk


Saturday, July 4th – Friends of the Dhamma, Portland

10:00am – 10:30am Buddha Rupa blessing ceremony

11:00am – 1:00pm Meal offering, visit with the monastics


Saturday Afternoon, July 4th – Pacific Hermitage, White Salmon

1:00pm-3:00pm Interdependence Garden Party

3:00pm-4:00pm Tea and reception


Sunday, July 5th – Pacific Hermitage, White Salmon

11:00am -1:00pm Meal offering, visit with the monastics


Sunday Evening, July 5th – Yoga Samadhi, White Salmon

6:30pm-8:30pm Meditation and Dhamma talk

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2015 Abhayagiri Thanksgiving Retreat Registration Open

June 29, 2015, 12:00 am
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Abhayagiri Monastery in Redwood Valley, California and the Sanghapala Foundation invite you to

join Luang Por Pasanno and the Abhayagiri Community for a 10-day retreat over the Thanksgiving

holiday, November 20-29 at the Angela Center in Santa Rosa, California.


We will create a monastery environment during our time together, and we offer you this opportunity

to explore the Dhamma in a setting that differs somewhat from a typical meditation retreat. We will

all live the monastery life, following the Eight Precepts, taking only what is offered, and attempting to

reflect on our every activity as part of our practice. This will include noble silence, morning and

evening chanting, sitting and walking meditation, a work period, and daily Dhamma talks and

teachings.


The retreat will be held from Friday afternoon, November 20th, through mid-day Sunday,

November 29, 2015, in the Ursula Hall at the Angela Center in Santa Rosa, California. The closest

airports are Santa Rosa, Oakland and San Francisco, with shuttles available to Santa Rosa.

Because of the length of this retreat and the adherence to the Eight Precepts, you must previously

have sat at least one five-day meditation retreat. Retreatants are requested to attend the entire

retreat, from the opening taking of the Precepts on Friday evening to the closing ceremony on

Sunday morning.


The facility is wheelchair accessible. We are unable to accommodate special dietary or

environmental needs. We will eat a light breakfast and, in keeping with this monastic tradition, the

daily meal (vegetarian) is eaten before noon; there is no evening meal or use of kitchen. Incense

and candles are used at the morning and evening chanting periods.


The retreat will be offered solely on dana (freewill donations); there is no set fee.


Due to the popularity of this retreat, registration is via lottery and a deposit is required for

registration. (For those who attend the retreat or are on the waiting list, or who cancel by October

25th, the deposit can be refunded upon request or it can be offered as a freewill donation to

Abhayagiri Monastery. The deposit cannot be refunded to those who cancel after October 25th.)

Out of respect for others, please register only when you can make a clear and wholehearted

commitment to attend.


To register for the retreat, print out the pdf registration form and mail it along with the $100 deposit check to Paul Friedlander, 722 Prospect Avenue, Oakland 94610. There is no email registration this year.

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August 23 Benefit and Community Event at Mindfulness Care Center

July 12, 2015, 12:00 am
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The foundation of the new Reception Hall has been poured and the walls are going up, but funds are still needed to complete the interior of the building. The Mindfulness Care Center in San Francisco has organized a Benefit Day on August 23, 9:30 am - 5 pm, which will be an opportunity to interact with Ajahn Pasanno and the Abhayagiri Monastic Community, sharing in reflections and being of support. As with all Abhayagiri events, there is no charge to attend.

9:30 am: Morning chanting, meditation, Dhamma reflection and opportunity to take the Five Precepts.
11:30 am: Meal Offering to the Monastics. Please bring a vegetarian dish or item for the meal offering.
1:00 pm: Meet & Greet with the Abhayagiri Monastic Sangha. This will be an opportunity for the lay community and the monastics to share what Abhayagiri and the Ajahn Chah Thai Forest Tradition has meant to them. Followed by a slide show and update on Reception Hall construction progress.
3:00 pm: Q & A with Ajahn Pasanno and Mark Sponseller
3:30 pm: Break & Open House.
4:00 pm: Closing reflection, blessing and final community sit.

More details at mindfulnesscare.org
Event flyer

Mindfulness Care Center
42 Gough Street SF, CA 94103
(415) 503-1971
mindfulnesscare.org

Ongoing construction photographs are posted weekly in the gallery.
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