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Events, Page 3

New Dhamma Hall Site Clearing Ceremony, Sunday August 15th.

We are going to have a site clearing ceremony for the New Dhamma Hall on Sunday, August 15th starting at 1pm. An outline of the new Hall will be laid out on the ground which we will all circumambulate with social distancing, and then the Sangha will chant parittas so as to to bless the site and the trees that will have to be cut down to make room for the new Hall. Once finished, we can begin clearing the land to get ready for the start of construction this coming spring of 2022.

All are invited to this important ceremony for the New Dhamma Hall, which is coming about after many years of inspiring generosity and planning. Due to lingering Covid concerns there won’t be a shared meal before the ceremony but feel free to bring your own meal and enjoy the monastery grounds. See you then.… Read the rest

Ajahn Pavaro’s Reflections on 2020

Reflections on 2020

Ajahn Pavaro

December at Tisarana. Each day we walk by the deer in their thickened fur – the does with their observant young, foraging on grass and congregating at the salt lick near our main buildings. The Canada geese have now flown South with their happy racket. Only a few hardy species of birdlife remain, like the chickadees with their pinprick eyes, darting between the low bushes to feeders we fill for the simple pleasure of seeing them thrive.

I’ve now been at Tisarana for half a year; it’s my first Canadian winter after living in Thailand for nine years. Each morning’s community meeting contains a brief weather update – seldom a pressing matter in S.E. Asia. Since returning my supply of clothing and footwear has tripled. Snow has come and gone… and come and gone, and come. Almost without noticing, my acquaintance has returned with the crackle of ice underfoot, the moods of a wood stove, and the uncanny compaction of sound in dense cold.

Yet for all the differences, living as a bhikkhu in this tradition ensures a fair continuity of purpose and practice, something that differing weather, and alterations of flora and fauna, do not disrupt.… Read the rest

Kathina Wish List 2020

At the request of our caring supporters, here is a list of suggested items that would be useful for Tisarana that could be offered during the Kathina season this year. If you plan to offer an item please cross it out using strikethrough (example) so that it can be removed from the list.

2020 Kathina Wish List

As usual, our main priority is to build a New Dhamma Hall. If you would like to contribute towards this effort as part of a Kathina offering please visit the Financial Contributions page.

If you have any questions please contact office@tisarana.ca… Read the rest

Covid 19 / Coronavirus Update

Functioning guidelines with regard to COVID 19 / Coronavirus

In keeping with Health Canada guidelines detailed by the Public Health Agency of Canada, we request our community to follow guidelines below until further notice. We will update you when conditions change, but until you hear from us, please note the following:

Events:

All pubilc events at Tisarana have been cancelled until further notice.

  • All pujas will be restricted to the resident community
  • Saturday afternoon public meditation sessions will not recommence until further notice
  • All New Guest Orientation events have been cancelled for the time being
  • The Sala is not open to non-residents for meditation or gatherings

Overnight guests:

Until further notice we will not be open for overnight guests. If you have made a booking to stay with us after April 1, 2020, we will email you a letter of cancellation.

The booking form will not be available online until Health Canada lifts restrictions on public gatherings.

Dana & Food:

The kitchen is a high-risk area for the spread of infection and disease. We request that

  • All groceries and food be dropped off at the designated drop-off table, just outside the front entrace.
  • The kitchen area will be restricted for the use of residents only
  • Once you have dropped off your dana, it will be offered to the sangha by the residents
  • The Anumodana will be chanted daily but given the size of our hall, proper social distancing can not be practiced.
… Read the rest

Update from Luang Por Viradhammo on his visit to Asia

Dear friends,

I’m back from Asia and thought I’d send you my New Year greetings and share news of the past few weeks before settling in to our winter retreat. With the beginning of a new year and a new decade, I wish you much peace, health and contentment for the times ahead. May silence, stillness and wisdom be our guides as we traverse the path of Dhamma to reach ultimate happiness and the unconditioned.

My entire visit was extremely fulfilling in many ways. Meeting Dhamma friends and mentors in Asia, travelling with friends from Canada and teaching retreats in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia were highly inspiring and uplifting. Observing the commitment, generosity and care of so many people was bearing witness to Dhamma manifesting in daily life. Friends in Asia have been so supportive of our Dhamma Hall project that their generosity has resulted in an advance to the start date. Stay tuned for an update on our website.

My first port of call was Tokyo in response to an invitation from a friend who worked at the Royal Thai Embassy there. Japanese woodworking is in a class of its own and in many ways, quite unparalleled. This old woodworker was in joinery heaven.… Read the rest

New Year’s Puja 2020

On New Year’s Eve at Tisarana we’re planning to mark the event by having an extended practice period which will go on until midnight.

7:00 PM – Puja: Evening chanting and group meditation
8:00 PM – Dhamma talk
9:00 – 11:15 – Open practice period (walking and sitting meditation)
11:15 PM – Last group sit of the evening
11:45 PM – Paritta chanting by the monastics to bless in the new year

All are welcome, please join us. … 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

2019 Kathina Wish List

Our main priority this year is to collect funds for the New Dhamma Hall. If you’d like to contribute to this fund please visit the Financial Contributions page and mark your envelopes, PayPal or eTransfers – “Dhamma Hall Contribution”.

Otherwise, click this link – 2019 Kathina Wish List – for some recommendations for objects that would be useful to the monastic community. If you plan to offer an item please cross it out using strikethrough (example) so that others will know it is already being offered.

If you have any questions please contact Bee and Steve at magga4sb@gmail.com … Read the rest