Fearless Mountain Newsletter
Fall 2002 Articles
Saranaloka: The Light of Refuge Other articles… The Right Angle: Everybody Benefits, Nobody Loses Out Other articles… The Essential Eights Other articles… Awakened Consciousness From the Monastery From Māra’s Desk Being with Elders Kondañña Was My Teacher The Death of J. Friendship A Shorter Long Road North From the Monastery Mara’s Desk Tales from Varapañño Anagārika Life Journey to the Source An Offering of Gratitude Newsletter Editor Stepping Down Absolute Sincerety Letting Go In India Inspiration, Gratitude, and Joy in India From the Monastery Sīladhāras Coming to America Māra’s Desk Spirit Rock Family Retreat From the Monastery Tales From Varapañño The True Nature of the Body The Gift of Dhamma The Sanghapala Meditation Group Early Years with Ajahn Sumedho, Part 2 From the Monastery Three Reflections For One Gone Forth Peace, Peace From the Monastery Adventures of Me and I Anagarika Life Māra’s Desk Tales from Varapañño From the Monastery Abhayagiri Monastery Reaches Ten Years New Upasika Committee Formed, New Members Welcome to Join Fearless Mountain Makeover, Help Wanted Building Committee Report “What’s in a Name?” The Heart of a Pilgrim Ajahn Pasanno on Sabbatical The Island That You Cannot Go Beyond 2006 Upasika Program to Feature a New Study Session Format From the Monastery Teaching Oneself Not Being Ajahn Amaro CALM Group to Visit Thailand At the Monastery Attending to the Here and Now Chanting the “Mirror of the Dhamma” These Are the Highest Blessings Mississippi Journal From the Monastery Building Committee Creating a Refuge on Every Occasion Spring Newsletter 2004 Winter Newsletter 2004 Fall Newsletter 2003 From the Monastery Bike Pilgrimage Sep. 20th-21st On Pilgrimage in Thailand Building a Monastery on Faith and Gratitude Greetings From the Pilgrim Sisters On the Road to True Freedom From The Monastery Go Forth, Young Man Tradition Welcome to the Homeless Clan Building Committee From Blessing to Commitment Sanghapala Foundation A Day in the Life The Bell On the Road Together Upasika Program Mindfulness of the Body Satipatthana Sutta The Bearable Irritation of Being From the Monastery Where Were You? What Is Normal? The Way Beyond Fear Practice, Inc. Not enough room at the Inn From The Monastery Who Was Ajahn Chah? The Life and Teachings of Ajahn Chah Living with the Cobra Pavarana, or Invitation Alms Sandwich Sitting in the Living Room Calendar View Archive
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Summer has arrived once again at Abhayagiri. Baked leaves fall from the trees and crunch on the paths underfoot. The swamp-cooler hums and whirs through the afternoon, sending a cool breeze into the Dhamma hall and through the open door of the monk's vestibule. Several days reaching temperatures of over one hundred degrees have already passed, and traces of Mendocino dust can be found almost anywhere.
The community heart has been through a number of transformations and recalibrations over the last few months, as well as being a witness to many comings and goings. Perhaps the most notable of these was the illness and passing away of our beloved neighbor and companion, Mary Curran. Diagnosed with terminal cancer during the winter retreat, she soon became a bed-bound and loving host for family and friends. The gravity of her illness first became apparent while on stage during a performance in Willits. "It was like the music stopped and there were no more chairs," she remarked (referring to the game of musical chairs).
After two weeks in the hospital, coming close to death several times, she was able to return home. The environment was one of love, trust, and openness. During her five weeks at home, Mary came to a place of peace with her dying. The final few weeks were filled with many tender and joyful moments interspersed with occasional pain, and as Mary moved more and more inward, the sense of peace became predominant. On the afternoon of May 3, two months after her first trip to the emergency ward, Mary made a smooth and graceful exit. The entire monastic and lay community sat with the body in quiet reflection throughout the night. Many remarked on how serene her features appeared. How blessed we are to have had Mary as a neighbor, and what a true gift to be able to participate in her dying.
Ajahn Dtun Ajahn Jumnien
Ajahn Dtun, a disciple of Ajahn Chah and the abbot of Wat Boonyawat in Thailand visited the monastery in early April. His reputation is as a Page 2 of 7
well-practiced monk, and it showed in his quiet manner and bright presence. His short visit included trips to Montgomery Woods and the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, and a fruitful question and answer session with the Abhayagiri community. Something unique worth mentioning about Ajahn Dtun is the way his monastery is run. No morning and evening pujas are held, and there is a strong emphasis on solitary practice. However, there is also an open invitation to come and ask questions on Dhamma throughout the day. As his visit was coming to a close, Tan Ajahn turned to Ajahn Pasanno with a few words of encouragement in Thai: "The place is suitable, the people are suitable." He plans to return for a longer visit in the future.Several members of the community went on a tudong (pilgrimage), heading south to join Ajahn Jumnien's retreat, which was being held at Taungpulu Monastery in the Santa Cruz mountains. Ajahn Pasanno then left to spend a few weeks in Thailand, leading retreats and catching up with friends and supporters. Upon his return, a rich account of his time abroad was given. The impressions were of activity and contrast, happening within an underlying feeling of affection and joy. Part of the time was spent in packed air-conditioned spaces giving guided meditations and answering questions on Dhamma. Lovely tales of his time at the forest monasteries in Ubon were also related-including an account of a refreshing walk around Ajahn Chah's memorial stupa with Ajahn Liam, the abbot of Wat Pah Pong, and several other well-respected elders on a calm evening after a long stretch of meetings and discussion. It was great to hear of the enduring sense of friendship and connection with the Sangha in Thailand.
Arriving on the same day as Ajahn Pasanno was Ajahn Tiradhammo, a senior western monk who also trained with Ajahn Chah and is now the abbot of Dhammapala Monastery in Switzerland. Notably easy to look after, Ajahn Tiradhammo was a pleasure to have around. His Saturday night talk, in which he reflected with warmth and humor on maturing one's attitude to Page 3 of 7
spiritual practice, was much appreciated by all. Tan Sudanto, who was a member of the Abhayagiri community in its early years, also returned on the same day. Admirably, he has taken on the task of "work monk" with skill and enthusiasm, since Tan Jotipalo has left to spend some time at Wat Pah Nanachat in Thailand. Tan Phasuko has also left us and will spend a year at Cittaviveka Monastery in West Sussex, England. Both have devoted much time and energy to building and maintaining the community here and will be missed by all. Despite doubts about "how many clocks to take" and "will they let me on the plane with razor blades?" their departures went smoothly and in an atmosphere of well wishing and appreciation.
Abhayagiri was also fortunate enough to have Ajahn Candasiri visit for just over a week. She is currently the senior nun at Amaravati Monastery in England, having been in the robes for some twenty-three years. The presence of herself, Ajahn Jitindriya, and Ajahn Sundara together was heartwarming, and it was a pleasure to be in their company. Together with Ajahn Amaro, they spent one midnight tea (on our weekly moon-night vigil), reminiscing about "the old days" at Amaravati and Chithurst. For the community, it was a treat to be given a window into their sense of history and shared endeavor, and also to be in the presence of such beautiful friendship.
Also passing through was Ajahn Sucitto, abbot of Cittaviveka Monastery, who came and went in a matter of days. He gave an excellent talk, which gave rise to laughter and quiet reflection. Sakula put it on tape, and some of us sent it to our mothers. It is comforting to know that Tan Phasuko will be in such good hands. Ven. Jinalankara, who trained in the forest monasteries of Sri Lanka, stayed with us for ten days on his way to Amaravati Monastery in England, where he will spend one year. His joyful, helpful attitude and kind manner made it a pleasure to have him around. We wish him all the best Page 4 of 7
for the future.
The community is happy to welcome Harald Herbst, who first visited us during the summer of 2001. Having returned this April, he has decided to make a commitment to life as an anagarika for a year. This coincided with the pabbajja (going forth as a novice monk) of Leif Orbom, now Samanera Naniko, who completed his one year in anagarika training and went forth into brown robes. Tan Karunadhammo has continued to give himself wholeheartedly to the position of "guest monk," which is no easy task. His caring, welcoming spirit and patient attentiveness are a great blessing to those who come to visit.
Lastly, on the people front, our heartfelt thanks go out to Debbie Stamp, Steve Christiansen, and Larry Restel, who continue to take care of many of our needs and administrative matters on a daily basis, as well as sharing with us with those qualities of kalyana mitta (spiritual friendship) that support and sustain the spiritual life.
DEVELOPMENT
The plan for this year has been to hold off from many building projects and take some time out to consider the best way in which to proceed. There has been a great momentum of planning, deadlines, workdays, and making things manifest over the last few years, which is natural for the early stage of a monastic community. Consistent over the past several years has been a steady number of people expressing interest in coming to Abhayagiri to train as monastics, and we continue to turn away many of them. As interest in ordination continues to grow, we will need to consider building additional cabins in the near future. On the level of communal space, there is still much work to be done. Plans are being discussed for construction of a much-needed building to house offices, bathrooms, and wheelchair-accessible lodgings. Completion of such a building will allow the monastery to enter phase two of its development plan, consequently opening the door to more residents and guests. A full account of items pertaining to the development of the monastery is given elsewhere Page 5 of 7
in the newsletter.
TEACHINGS AND EVENTS
The retreat led by Ajahn Jumnien was of great benefit to many people. Ajahn Jumnien is a well-respected Thai Forest master, who is also well known for his healing abilities. Ajahn Pasanno, Joseph Kappel (formerly Ajahn Pabhakaro) and Paul Breiter (formerly Venerable Varapa––o) courageously acted as translators and were greatly appreciated for their clarity and stamina - Ajahn Jumnien also being famous for his boundless enthusiasm in teaching Dhamma. The focus of the retreat was the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, which was appropriate in the light of the flu bug that nearly everyone caught. Ajahn Jumnien was both articulate and inspiring, and we look forward to spending time with him again.In April, Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Sundara participated in a five-day conference at Gethsemani Abbey, a well-known Trappist monastery in Kentucky. The theme of the conference, "Suffering and Transformation," provided a rich forum for the seventy to eighty Christian and Buddhist monastic participants who spoke from a deep wealth of personal experience and insight about suffering and its power to transform their lives. The topic was addressed in contexts ranging from "greed and consumerism" to "structural violence," from "unworthiness and alienation" to "sickness and aging." At the beginning of the conference, a tribute was paid to Thomas Merton, who lived at the abbey for more than thirty years and was well known for his writings on religion and for pioneering East-West religious dialogues.
In mid-June, a large gathering of monastics and lay supporters headed to Fort Bragg on the West Coast to hear a Dhamma talk by renowned meditation teacher, S. N. Goenka. After spending some time at a quiet beach, we stopped off at Mettika's house and her Three Jewels Dhamma Hall. We were all grateful for the hospitality and kindness we received. Goenka-ji's talk, given at a local hall, covered the central themes of Buddhist practice and focused around the Four Noble Truths and mindfulness of the body. In the words of Ajahn Sundara, "It was pure Dhamma." The monastic community was lucky enough to visit with him Page 6 of 7
afterwards and to express our appreciation. It was a joy to be able to meet with such a being.
Towards the end of June, Abhayagiri hosted the second CALM weekend, which was an opportunity for the group of those in the "lay ministry" training program to gather. Themes included overviews of the sutta pitaka, discussions on the role of monastics and the laity, women in Theravada Buddhism, and a lecture on the Anattalakkhana Sutta given by Ajahn Sucitto. Though opinions differed and many perspectives on various topics were given, it felt as if all was being held within a space of compassionate listening and friendship. The result was a sense of spaciousness and ease, without the expectation of easy solutions or definite ideas of "the future." We hope it was a useful time for the group and that the meetings and teachings may bring good fruit in the months ahead.
On regular weeknights Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno have been giving readings from The Island-a draft of writings inspired by sutta quotations on the nature of Nibbana. Having expressed their interest in hearing comments and criticism regarding content, form, grammar, style, and so on, a number of interesting discussions have taken place, giving rise to a feeling of shared participation in the evenings. It has been a valuable way to spend the time before our evening pujas.
In July, Ajahns Amaro and Jitindriya, accompanied by Samanera Obhaso, led a retreat in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ajahn Amaro was on the road during the summer months and has connected with communities ranging from Louisville, Kentucky, to New York. Ajahn Sundara also travelled to various places, including the locations mentioned above. Her talk at the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery was very well received. Ajahn Jitindriya has also been giving teachings in California and its neighboring states these last few months.
Finally, the community was blessed by a visit from Ruth Denison, much loved student of U Ba Khin, who came to offer a rug for the Dhamma hall. Not just any old carpet, this piece of Afghan craftsmanship is said Page 7 of 7
to have supported meditations led by D. T. Suzuki as well as musical performances by Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan. Despite being the object of some trepidation on Saturday evenings-giving rise to the perceptions of "Sacred Carpet" and hence "we couldn't possibly sit on that"-it seems to have found its place in the center of the hall and adds color and life to the surroundings. Having just turned eighty, Ruth was as lively as ever, and many expressed their thankfulness and mudita for her generous offerings-both in material and in spirit.
