Join us for a garden work bee on Saturday, May 7th beginning at 8:30 am. Bring your gardening gloves and tools! We’ll work for about three hours and the meal will begin at 11:30 am. A meditation, followed by a Dhamma talk will begin at 1:00 pm.… Read the rest
During the spring, summer, and fall (April 1 to November 6), the meal will be offered at 11:30 am.
The Saturday afternoon program (meditation and Dhamma talk) will henceforth begin at 1:30 pm rather than 1:00 pm in order to allow sufficient time for post-meal clean-up.… Read the rest
Dear Friends,
I have just returned from a most inspiring journey to India and Thailand. The trip to India was on invitation from Luang Por Sumedho to join him on pilgrimage to the Buddhist holy sites. Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Lumbini and Kusinara — the place of Enlightenment, the first teaching, birth and Parinibbana — these places bring forth devotional feelings of deep gratitude and inspiration to anyone who has practiced the way of the Buddha. Being on pilgrimage with my teacher and good friend, Luang Por Sumedho was obviously very special and will inform and energize my life for many years to come. As you can well imagine I am deeply grateful.
The time in Thailand allowed me to get my teeth fixed, get a new pair of specs but most importantly a new Buddha image for our proposed meditation hall. This was organized by the Thai embassy and I had a chance to see the wax image while I was in Bangkok. It is very beautiful and I am more than pleased with the artist’s work. Included in this post are some photos. The image will be cast in bronze on the 19th of March at the factory in Nakhon Pathom north of Bangkok.… Read the rest
Dear Friends:
We are happy to let you know that arrangements are well under way for the Kathina celebration scheduled to take place at Tisarana monastery at 10am on Sunday November 8th. The lay members of the Board of directors heartily invite friends and supporters of the monastery to participate in this happy and auspicious occasion.
This year’s Kathina ceremony will be held at Tisarana monastery in the large white tent on the front lawn. The tent will be enclosed and several heaters will be operating to keep everyone warm.
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Programme for the Kathina Ceremony
Date: Sunday November 8, 2015, 10am
Location: Tisarana Buddhist Monastery
10:00 am: Arrival, preparation and receiving of food offerings (potluck meal)
10:30 am: Opening Pūjā, Welcoming remarks from Ajahn Viradhammo, Taking Five Precepts, Paritta Chanting, Formal offering of food to the Saṅgha
11:00 am: Invitation of laity to join in the meal
1:00 pm (approximately): Opening remarks by a member of the Tisarana board of directors, Kathina Ceremony and Offering of Kathina Robe and requisites, Dhamma Talk by Ajahn Viradhammo, Closing Remarks by Ajahn Viradhammo
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For more information about Kathina, the potluck meal, and how you can participate, please visit the Tisarana monastery Kathina webpage here.… Read the rest
Each year since the time of the Buddha, at the end of the three-month Rains Retreat, lay people who support Buddhist monasteries have gathered to celebrate the completion of the retreat and offer the monastic community gifts of robe cloth and requisites that will be useful for the coming year. The cloth is cut, sewn and dyed by the monks that same day to make a robe to offer to a member of the monastic Sangha.
This 2,500-year-old tradition is still carried on here in the West, initiated by a lay supporter or group of supporters who request to organize the preparation and formal offerings. Kathina is a significant and joyful occasion that’s emblematic of the rich relationship between lay people and monastics, a connection characterized by deep bonds of friendship and commitment to mutual support. The core values that are celebrated by the Kathina tradition are those that make living together in harmony possible; qualities like generosity, patience, joy, kindness and empathy.
2015 is the third year that a Kathina is being held for the Sangha at Tisarana Buddhist Monastery. This year’s Kathina will have eight bhikkhus in attendance and is being sponsored by the lay members of the Tisarana Board of directors.… Read the rest
On Sunday, October 11 at 1:00 pm, Samanera Khema will take full ordination (Upasmapadā) and become a Bhikkhu under the preceptorship of Luang Por Vīradhammo. All are welcome to attend.
There will be a pot luck meal at 11:00 am. The ceremony is planned to take less than one hour and 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.… Read the rest
If you have ever wondered how the Tisarana free distribution books are produced, here is a description by Lisa explaining the process. It also illustrates how the life of Tisarana Monastery is made possible by an extended family of volunteers . . .
In October of 2013, Philip and I began our “special volunteering project” for Tisarana Buddhist Monastery. At that time, its abbot, Luang Por Viradhammo, was contemplating publishing his second collection of Dhamma reflections based on 10 of his recorded Dhamma talks that had already been transcribed by a friend in the U.S. into a tentative essay format. But the abbot was still in need of two editors to steward these written texts into a publishable form. So Philip and I happily agreed to embark on the great – if not formidable – adventure of creating a new book for the author of these talks.
The creation of this book, which is now entitled The Contemplative’s Craft: Internalizing the Teachings of the Buddha, took place over the course of about 20 months. Needless to say, there were numerous steps involved in the completion of this project. First, my co-editor and I had to determine which of these 10 talks were (to our way of thinking) most worthy of publication.… Read the rest
We would like to update you with the following Tisarana schedule changes:
1) The Tisarana Kathina will take place on Sunday, November 8th at Tisarana Monastery
2) Teachings on the Noble Eightfold Path and the Satipatthana Sutta will be offered once a month by Ajahn Viradhammo and other monks at Tisarana Monastery in the outdoor tent.
Program:
11:00 am Dana (Potluck lunch)
1:00 pm Chanting and meditation
1:50 pm Dhamma talk on chosen theme
2:45 pm Break (those who have just come for the talk can leave)
3:00 pm Q&A
4:00 pm Finish with the five precepts
These special Saturday study groups are open to the public on these dates and with these themes:
July 11th: Right Effort
August 15th: Satipatthana – Mindfulness of the Body
September 12th: Satipatthana – Mindfulness of Feeling
October 10th: Satipatthana – Mindfulness of the Mind
November 7th: Satipatthana – Mindfulness of Mind Objects
December 12th: Right Concentration… Read the rest
This coming week, June 19 to 24, Luang Por Liem, Luang Por Jundee, Ajahn Seyk, and Ajahn Thaniyo will be visiting Tisarana Monastery.
Luang Por Liem (who has been monk for more than 50 years) is the abbot of Ajahn Chah’s main monastery in Thailand, Wat Nong Pah Pong and was the monk who succeeded Ajahn Chah more than 25 years ago. Luang Por Liem is a highly respected elder and central figure in our tradition. He is known for his wisdom, humility, and quiet, even temperament. Over the past two decades Luang Por has been the preceptor for many monks and a source of guidance and inspiration for our widespread communities in Thailand and abroad. As well as a gifted teacher, he is also an accomplished craftsman and has been instrumental in the planning and building of many Dhamma Halls in our branch monasteries.
Luang Por Jundee has been a monk for 40 years and was ordained with Ajahn Chah just after Luang Por Viradhammo. He is presently the abbot of Wat Pah Ampahwan, a beautiful monastery in Chonburi province.
We are very happy to welcome Luang Por Liem and Luang Por Jundee to Tisarana this coming week. It is a great honour to our community.… Read the rest
This year we will hold our annual Vesākha Pūjā on Saturday, May 30. This is a day commemorating the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death.
The commemoration will begin with the taking of the 5 Precepts at 10:30 am under the large outdoor tent (conditions permitting).
At 11:00 am the monks will receive the meal danā (a potluck lunch).
Around 1:00 pm, after everyone is finished eating and the dishes have been cleaned, we will reassemble for blessing chants, a short sitting, and a Dhamma talk by Luang Por Vīradhammo.
Everyone is welcome to attend for all or part of the day.… Read the rest
