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Don’t Confuse the Methods with the Goal

Ajahn Viradhammo discusses how the methods or practices of Buddhism such as metta practice or morality often get taken up as goals in and of themselves. Although these practices can be reflective tools for deep peace, having a goal-oriented mindset to the practices (i.e., I should do that) is bound by wordly conditions and self identity. He describes how the Buddha pointed to a peace that is beyond the conditions of the mind. (Dhamma talk recorded at Tisarana Monastery on 15 August 2019. Duration 34:50 minutes)… Read the rest

Annual General Meeting at Tisarana

Notice of the Annual General Meeting for the Year 2018
Date – Sunday, 17 November 2019.
Place – Tisarana Buddhist Monastery –
Time – 1:30 PM
The Directors of the Board of Tisarana Buddhist Monastery cordially invites all members of good standing to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled to be held on Sunday, November 17, 2019 at 1.30 PM. 
A special resolution to change the Bylaws will be made at the AGM to facilitate the monastery’s online banking and payment of bills that will reduce the required number of signatories from two to one.
Sincerely,
Tilak Gunawardhane
Secretary to the Board
November 1, 2019… Read the rest

Deep Peace Through Witnessing Suffering

On Thanksgiving weekend, Ajahn Viradhammo reflects on the cultural formats that support monastic practice. He reflects that beauty of the harvest moon can make the mind stop and experience deep peace. With an emphasis on composed awareness rather than control, we can investigate suffering and be at peace with difficult situations and mind states. (Dhamma talk recorded at Tisarana Monstery on 13 October 2019. Duration: 40:29 minutes)… Read the rest

Kathina 2019

On Sunday, 27 October, the Tisarana community will be celebrating this year’s Kathina ceremony starting at 10:30am. Doors open at 9:00 AM.

The event will be held at the Stanleyville Hall across the street from the St. Bridget Church in Stanleyville, which is only 5 minutes from Tisarana Monastery. The address is 844 Stanley Rd, Stanleyville, ON K0G 1K0. Everybody is invited to participate in this auspicious occasion.

The Kathina ceremony is a 2,500-year-old tradition celebrated across Buddhist monasteries around the world. Following the end of three-months rains retreat period, the Buddha allowed for the lay community to make offerings of cloth and other requests to the Bhikkhu Sangha. The word “Kaṭhina” refers to the frame on which cloth is attached to while sewing robes. Cloth offered on Kathina will be used that day to produce a robe that will then be offered to one of the monks. The Kathina ceremony signifies and celebrates the deep relationships between the lay and monastic communities.

 

The doors will open at 9AM and the preliminary ceremonies will began at 10:30AM, followed by a meal offering and blessing. At 1PM, the Kathina offering ceremony will take place followed by a Dhamma reflection. This year’s Kathina offering is sponsored by a group of Ottawa Buddhist families and friends.… Read the rest

Event cancelled: Saturday meditation on 26 Oct 2019

The Saturday Meditation for 26 Oct 2019 has been cancelled. We ordinarily have a 1:30PM event on Saturdays, which includes a guided meditation and Dhamma talk, open to the public. This particular Saturday, however, is a bit overbooked and so we’re obliged to cancel.

Please consider attending our Kathina celebration, which will be on the following day, 27 October.

The next Saturday Meditation will be on 02 November.… Read the rest

The Vinaya and Sexual Restraint

Venerable Khemako offers reflections on the Vinaya, the Buddha’s prescribed code of conduct for monastics, and how it relates to the Dhamma and ultimate liberation. He points out how sensual and sexual restraint are the very foundation for true success in the monastic discipline. (Talk recorded at Tisarana on 4 February 2019. Duration 30:17)… Read the rest

Timeless Practise

Tan Khemako explains that everything that we can experience happens in the present moment, whereas the past and the future are merely mental representations. He shows how investigating the mind in the present moment is the way out of dukkha. (Dhamma talk recorded at Tisarana Monastery on December 7, 2019. Duration: 50:46)… Read the rest

Awakening the Heart to Purity

At a Saturday afternoon public meditation session, Ajahn Khemasiri explains the purposes and benefits of meditation. He notes that cultivating an understanding of how our minds work can be very helpful in providing a sense of calm and peace. However, he suggests that there can be purposes of meditation beyond the benefits of grounding and investigation – purposes such as cultivating a place of pure awareness and awakening the heart to purity. (Dhamma talk recorded at Tisarana Monastery 10 August 2019. Duration: 38:15).… Read the rest

At Ease with Bees

For the Lunar Observance evening talk, Tan Khemako reflects on our habit of thinking that we know what is going to happen next. He tells a story showing how unexpected events help us wake up to the uncertainty of life. He also explains how training and developing wholesome thoughts and actions aid us in reacting to unexpected events in skillful ways. (Dhamma talk recorded at Tisarana Monastery on September 6, 2019. Duration: 33:39)… Read the rest

Conforming towards Freedom

On a windy, late summer’s evening at Tisarana, Ajahn Viradhammo reflects on the freedom that comes from conforming to the monastic rules and way of life. With this foundation for freedom, he discusses how we can let go of one’s self-narrative and perspectives, and abide with the reality of awareness of change. (Dhamma talk recorded at Tisarana Monastery on 13 September 2019. Duration: 36:23)… Read the rest