We are pleased to announce that Ajahn Sucitto, the former abbot of the Cittaviveka (Chithurst) Buddhist Monastery in England, will be visiting Abhayagiri from April 19th through April 22nd. He will then continue to make visits and teachings throughout the United States through June. Please consult his website for more information.

He will be invited to offer reflections on the Lunar Observance evening of April 21st here at Abhayagiri. Please consult our calendar for more details.

From his website…

[Ajahn Sucitto] entered monastic life in 1975 in Thailand, but since 1978 has been based in Britain. He spent fourteen years training under Ajahn Sumedho, the senior Western disciple of Ajahn Chah, and so is part of that lineage of direct practice…Ajahn Sucitto himself is based at Cittaviveka Monastery in Chithurst, West Sussex, near Petersfield in southern England.

Other Links of Interest

• Ajahn Succito’s website, teaching engagements and additional links
• Talks at Dharmseed.org
• Ajahn Sucitto’s Blog
• Cittaviveka (Chithurst) Monastery

On Sunday, April 10, the Thai New Year celebration (Songkran) ceremony was held here at Abhayagiri. Many people came out that day to share in the meal offering, take the 3 refuges and 5 precepts and participate in the water pouring ceremony.

Some of the lay supporters provided the following videos and pictures of the event to share with everybody. Please enjoy.

Videos

Photos

View in Gallery…

A Thai New Year celebration (Songkran) ceremony will be held at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery on Sunday, April 10, 2016. Please plan to join us for this festive occasion.

10:00 AM – Monks on almsround (Please, only dry goods, but not canned products as these can damage the monk’s bowl)

10:30 AM – Meal offering and ceremonial washing of a Buddha image

1:00 PM – Ceremonial washing of Ajahns’ hands, Paritta chanting, Dhamma talk, and holy water blessing

Please plan on carpooling if possible as parking is limited. Please also be here well in advance of the 10:00 AM meal.

A new slideshow and several Thai audio recordings have been posted chronicling some of Luang Por Pasanno’s teaching engagements and travels throughout Thailand from December 2015 to January 2016. The photo series posted here chronologically follows him from his receiving the ecclesiastic title “Chao Khun” (on Dec. 5th - 2 days after his arrival in Thailand) to his receiving an honorary doctorate degree from MahaCula University (on Jan. 19th - the day before his return to America). The Thai audio can be found on the Thai language audio page here.

Forest Practice – update

Ajahn Jotipalo recently visited Chithurst Buddhist Monastery in England. He met with the grounds keeper who oversees a practice called Forest Practice, where several people volunteer to take on a project for ten days or up to four weeks. These volunteers work alongside several of the monastic community members, while doing some vital work for the health of the forest. This practice can be set up so the entire crew would live (sleep, eat, work and practice meditation) in the forest, but this depends on the individuals and the weather conditions. This practice would not require any great skills in forestry practice, but a willingness to work 5 – 7 hours a day. Also adherence to the eight precepts, having some familiarity with the monastic lifestyle and an on-going meditation practice are essential.

We are planning to do a version of Forest Practice period from April 30 - May 7, 2016 (Saturday - Saturday). The current idea is to work along side the monks of Mt Tabor monastery (our Christian neighbors to the north). We share a dirt road along the ridge and the section of the road that is on Abhayagiri’s property is in much need of maintenance. The main job will be clearing dead brush and slightly widening the path, to help create a firebreak and improved access to this beautiful part of the monastery . Father Damien the abbot at Mt Tabor, has several volunteers lined up to help (they are retired fire fighters from Sonoma County) and several of the monks from their community will join in the work. Already four lay Buddhist are planning to come for the project. There is space for 4 - 5 more people to be part of this practice.

Part of this practice will focus on daily reflections, teachings, group sittings and time for solitude. One idea is to take a theme like the 10 perfections and use one of the perfections each day. At Chithurst they also take one or two afternoons and do some kind of educational program. We are considering doing this, and maybe also a trip to visit a redwood forest or the coast.

If this type pf practice sounds interesting to you, please write to Ajahn Jotipalo using this contact form. or email: retreat2016@abhayagiri.org Please mention the term “Forest Practice - Ajahn Jotipalo” in your message.

Below is a link to Mt Tabor’s Web site:

http://www.monksofmttabor.com/

On December 5, 2015 at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaeo) in Bangkok, Luang Por Pasanno received the honorary ecclesiastical title “Chao Khun” and name “Phra Bodhinyanavidesa” from the Crown Prince of Thailand, on behalf of His Majesty King Bhumipol Adulyadet. This title is given periodically to monks in the Thai tradition who have distinguished themselves with their contributions to the monastic tradition, and is considered a high honor. This year, both Luang Por Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro were given this title – particularly significant as Western monks are rarely awarded this special recognition.

On January 24, 2106 Luang Por Maha Prasert from Wat Buddhanusorn and nuns from Dhammadharini Vihara joined with ~150 lay supporters to express mudita (sympathetic joy) for Luang Por Pasanno. Photos of the event are now posted in the gallery. After the meal, Luang Por presented a video slideshow of the Chao Khun ceremony and subsequent reception of the honorees at Wat Pah Nanachat produced by a Thai lay supporter.

Luang Por Maha Prasert and Luang Por Pasanno both gave Dhamma talks on the occasion, and we hope to have them posted fairly soon, but we have fewer audio editing resources during Winter Retreat. In the meantime, the following talks explain the significance of this honor:

Ajahn Viradhammo’s Kathina 2015 talk: The Monastery: A Place of Transformation

Luang Por Pasanno answers a question about the Chao Khun title on the 2015 Thanksgiving Retreat: Q & A session 7, question 2

Enjoy video from the Ajahn Chah Memorial Celebrations at Wat Nong Pah Pong, Ubon, Thailand via Youtube. Senior monks of the Ajahn Chah Tradition gave Dhamma talks throughout four days in Thai and English, including Luang Por Pasanno. Luang Por gave his talk in English. The video can be found at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CkdcLVpGEE&t=398m6s

There are 6 new books in Thai Luang Por Pasanno which have been posted on the website with the cooperation of many volunteers in Thailand. These books are available in both pdf and epub formats. You can find them our Books page.

On December 5, 2015 at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaeo) in Bangkok, Luang Por Pasanno received the honorary ecclesiastical title “Jaokhun” and name “Phra Bodhinyanavidesa” from the Crown Prince of Thailand, on behalf of His Majesty King Bhumipol Adulyadet. This title is given periodically to monks in the Thai tradition who have distinguished themselves with their contributions to the monastic tradition, and is considered a high honor. This year, both Luang Por Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro were given this title – particularly significant as Western monks are rarely awarded this special recognition.

All are invited to the celebration of Luang Por Pasanno’s Jaokhun title at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery on Sunday, January 24, 2016.

Schedule for Jan. 24th at Abhayagiri:

• 10:30 AM Meal offering
• 1:00 PM Offering of flowers, incense, and candles to Phra Bodhinyanavidesa (Luang Por Pasanno)
• Paritta chanting
• Dhamma talk by Phra Bodhinyanavidesa (Luang Por Pasanno)
• Dhamma talk by a senior monk (Luang Por Maha Prasert from Wat Buddhanasorn is hoping to attend)
• Holy water blessing

Please plan on carpooling if possible. Parking is limited.

Please be here well in advance of the 10:30 AM meal offering.

Although January 23 is a full moon observance day, there will be no all-night vigil that evening, but there will be the 7:30 pm Saturday talk as usual that day.

The annual winter retreat begins on January 4, 2016 and lasts for three months, ending on April 1st. During this time, the resident community takes time to engage in more formal meditation practice following a changing schedule of group or individual practice.

During these three months there will be no overnight guests accepted. (For overnight visits after the retreat please contact the monastery after April 1, 2016.) However, day visitors and those wishing to visit the monastery to participate in the meal offering or bring offerings of requisites at meal time are still welcome. It should be noted, however, that the community is practicing noble silence, and talking and conversations with the monastics and retreat crew are very limited.

We will continue to have the Saturday night meditation and Dhamma talk (7:30 pm each Saturday) and the weekly lunar day observances, as on the website calendar.

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