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News Updates, Page 10

New Year’s message from Ajahn Viradhammo

Dear friends,
It is the 22nd of December and I am at a monastery near the city of Mae Hong Son in Northern Thailand. At breakfast this morning the temperature was 19C, that’s plus, and the birds were singing their hearts out. I’m here at this forest monastery, 50km from Burma, at the invitation of Ajahn Cagino, the Dhammagiri foundation and Dhamma friends from Singapore who support this monastery and often come to visit. This evening we shall begin a 7-day retreat. 


Among our forest monasteries, Ajahn Cagino has created a unique space for the practice of wisdom and compassion. It is a forest monastery, an orphanage and retreat centre set among rural villages and extensive forests. Some 12 years ago Ajahn Cagino was walking tudong in this area and came across an orphaned boy. Must do something. He contacted his sister in Malaysia  who organised funds for this boy to be cared for. On subsequent visits Ajahn Cagino came across more kids in need so supporters bought a house, people were employed, volunteers gave their time and so it grew.

The lower part of the monastery has 60 children in residence, the upper part for monks has 20 bhikkhus, many visiting from Wat Pah Pong who have just returned from tudong.… Read the rest

Tisarana Photo Book for Summer 2018

The Tisarana Community is pleased to share our photo book for the Summer of 2018. You can view the photo book online, download it or request a print copy. A French version is also available.

View Online

Download PDF

Ordering a Print Copy

If you would like to order a print a copy from the printer:

  1. Create an account on the Pikto website (the printer).
  2. Send a request to receive a copy of the project you want.
    (English Project ID: 45458160, French Project ID: 45772920)
  3. Wait for Pikto to reply (this may take a few days).
  4. Add the project to your cart.
  5. Checkout.
… Read the rest

Saturday Program Canceled

Saturday Program Cancelled, Departure of Luang Por Viradhammo:
Today, Saturday 03 November 2018, our usual Saturday program of a 1:30 meditation and Dhamma talk is canceled. Instead we will be seeing off Luang Por Viradhammo who will be departing for a 2-month trip through New Zealand and Asia at 2:30 PM. … Read the rest

Kathina 2018 Location Reminder

This year’s Kathina ceremony will be starting at around 10AM this coming Sunday, October 28, 2018.

The event will not be held at the monastery. Instead, Tisarana’s Kathina will be held at the Stanleyville Hall across the street from the St. Bridget Church in Stanleyville. The address is 844 Stanley Rd, Stanleyville, ON K0G 1K0.

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. Please come early if you have any food offerings.

For more information about this year’s Kathina, including its history, please see our previous news posting.… Read the rest

Kathina – Sunday, October 28, 2018

The Tisarana community will be celebrating this year’s Kathina ceremony on Sunday, October 28th starting at 10:30am. 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 welcome 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

Notice of the Annual General Meeting for the Year 2017

Notice of the Annual General Meeting for the Fiscal Year 2017

Date – Sunday October 21, 2018.
Place – Tisarana Buddhist Monastery – Meditation Hall
Time – 1:30 PM

The Directors of the Board of Tisarana Buddhist Monastery cordially invite all members of good standing to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled to be held on Sunday, October 21, 2018 at 1.30 PM.

Sincerely,

Tilak Gunawardhane
Secretary to the Board
October 2, 2018

Link to announcement PDF: 2017AGMNotice… Read the rest

Ajahn Sucitto Dhamma Talk – Saturday, September 15

We are pleased to announce that Ajahn Sucitto will be invited to offer the Dhamma talk during our afternoon meditation session this Saturday, September 15 starting at 1:30pm. All are welcome.

(Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Ajahn Sucitto ordained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand in 1976 and later trained under Luang Por Sumedho in Britain starting in 1978. He helped establish many of the western Ajahn Chah branch monasteries in Europe including Cittaviveka (Chithurst) Buddhist Monastery, Harnham Buddhist Monastery and Amaravati Buddhist Monastery. Ajahn Sucitto was the abbot of Cittaviveka Buddhist Monastery from 1992 through 2014. He is well-known throughout the Buddhist world for his teachings and writings.

To learn more Ajahn Sucitto, please visit the following links:

… Read the rest

Seeking Volunteers for Winter Retreat 2019

Staffing the Winter Retreat 2019

—–

Tisarana Buddhist Monastery is looking for sincere, mature Dhamma practitioners to volunteer as staff for part or all of our upcoming Winter Retreat (Jan 01 – Mar 31).

The crew for the retreat usually consists of 5-6 people who run the critical functions of the monastery on a shared rotating basis of daily chores interspersed with regular time off. Crew members should expect to work between 2-4 hours daily, with occasional longer work days as circumstances require.

General tasks

Potential candidates should be willing and able to perform all duties of the retreat. These include –

  • Cooking: being head cook
  • Cooking: being assistant cook
  • Domestic chores: Vacuuming, laundry, dish-washing, cleaning bathrooms, etc.
  • Winter chores: Shoveling snow

Specialty roles

  • Office: Responding to urgent messages, paperwork / bills
  • Maintenance: Responding to plumbing, electrical, structural emergencies and routines. Operating the tractor with snowblower.

Responsibilities will also include attending all morning and evening pujas and upholding the Eight Precepts.

In return the Winter Retreat staffers will receive an opportunity to practise the Dhamma in a quiet, beautiful and inspiring monastic setting and gain the satisfaction and merit of providing support for monastics and fellow crew members undertaking this period of more intense practise.… Read the rest

Alms Rounds in Ottawa

Two weeks ago, the monks from Tisarana Buddhist Monastery have started alms rounds in the Barrhaven suburban neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario.

Alms Round 2018
Alms Round 2018
6 photos

The above photos were from Sunday, August 12, 2018.

For over 2,600 years, Buddhist monastics have traditionally went on daily alms round (piṇḍapāta) to collect food. The Buddha established this practice to allow his monastic disciples to obtain their daily sustenance through the generosity of lay people. The tradition continues in many traditional Buddhist countries such as Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka. The forest masters of Thailand, include Ajahn Chah, made alms round a centerpiece of the daily monastic schedule.

Since the late ’70s, as monasteries in the Ajahn Chah tradition became established in the west. There was strong interest in keeping the alms round tradition alive. In many ways, maintaining this alms round tradition in new cultures has been successful. For example, the monks at the Pacific Hermitage, located in southern Washington, go on alms every day to the nearby town of White Salmon. The monks at Temple Forest Monastery, located in New Hampshire, go on alms round twice per week and the monks at Abhayagiri, located in northern California, go on alms round once per week.… Read the rest

Bhikkhu Ordination of Sāmaṇeras Amarasiri and Sirimedho

At 12:30pm on Sunday, September 16, 2018, Sāmaṇeras Amarasiri and Sirimedho will take full ordination (Upasampadā) and become bhikkhus under the preceptorship of Luang Por Vīradhammo. All are welcome to attend.

There will be a meal offering that day at 11:00 am. Shortly after the meal offering and cleanup, the ordination ceremony will start. Therefore, please plan to be at the monastery by 12:30pm.

The ceremony will be followed by a Dhamma talk given by Ajahn Vīradhammo. This will all take place in our large outdoor tent at the monastery. In addition to the tent, canopies will be available in case there is a large attendance.

For questions and other inquiries, please contact us by using our contact form.… Read the rest