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 t…
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…
On August 29, 2015, photographer Andy Romanoff came to Ukiah make photographs of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas for his 15,000 Buddhas project. While there, he learned that Abhayagiri Monastery was only 35 minutes north and decided to visit. He spent a few hours here photographing Buddha images, almsbowls, and monk’s laundry. He kindly allowed us to post his photographs in our gallery (All image…
The last two months of the year, we plan to have Community Work Days. Everybody is invited to come help with some important work projects that we hope to complete before the end of the year. There probably will be help needed in the kitchen and other lighter jobs, so there will be work available for people of all physical abilities. Saturday, November 14th we plan to do some maintenance work on th…
The Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery welcomed the arrival of the new Buddha image that will eventually grace the new reception hall. The Buddha image arrived auspiciously on a wan phra (observance day). The shipping truck did experience some difficulty in trying to navigate the narrow and steep Tomki Road, which leads to our upper parking lot. Due mostly to generous help from some neighbors, we were…
Each year since the time of the Buddha, at the end of the three-month Rains Retreat, the lay community around every Buddhist monastery has gathered to celebrate the completion of the retreat and to offer to the monastic community gifts of cloth and supplies that will be useful for the coming year. The cloth is then cut, sewn and dyed by the monks to make a robe on that day to offer to one of the S…
Forest Practice Month The senior monks at Abhayagiri were meeting recently, discussing several important jobs that need attention. One project is trail maintenance. The 2.5 mile long “Loop Trail” has been in existence for over 10 years and has had many repairs and improvements done to it, but in many places the trail surface is getting unevenly worn. Another important job is creating fire breaks /…
Recently, a hand-drawn picture was the focus of attention at the monk’s office of Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery. [Hand-drawn charcoal sketch] It’s a highly detailed pencil drawing featuring Buddha images, stupas, and a relatively youthful-looking Luang Por Chah and Luang Por Sumedho. It was attracting its share of admiration…but some people wanted to know, “Who drew this?” After some discussion, i…
Some new photo albums have been posted on the website, including more photos from Luang Por Liem’s visit to Abhayagiri in early July. Other postings include the Spirit Rock teen weekend, Luang Por Pasanno’s 66th birthday, Ajahn Karunadhammo’s 60th birthday, and the annual Yosemite trip. So, check out the gallery section. Enjoy!
On August 23, six Abhayagiri residents and fifty lay supporters gathered at the Mindfulness Care Center in San Fransisco for a day of sharing. Rik Center, founder of the Mindfulness Care Center, had organized the event as an opportunity to recollect the history of Abhayagiri, to reflect on the blessings that the monastery has brought to people’s lives, and to support Abhayagiri’s ongoing developme…
