Beginning at 10:30 am, the Tisarana Community will commemorate Luang Por Vīradhammo’s mother’s birthday and dedicate blessings for the King of Thailand’s birthday. Also on this day, the Lay Saṅgha will offer the Bhikkhu Vihara and the new tractor to the Monastic Saṅgha. We will have a potluck meal at 11:00 am and afterwards everyone will be invited into the Bhikkhu Vihara Dhamma Hall for blessing chants.
Luang Por Pasanno, abbot of Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in Northern California, will be coming to Tisarana this weekend to participate in our Kathina. On Saturday, November 1st, Luang Por Pasanno will lead the weekly 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm meditation and Dhamma Talk.
All are welcome to join us for his Dhamma Talk and for the Tisarana Kathina.
The Kathina this year will be held at Civitan Hall in Perth (6787 Lanark County Road 43) and will begin at 10:00 am on Sunday, November 2nd.
For more Information about Tisarana’s Kathina please click 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 cloth and supplies 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 Saṅgha.
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. It’s a significant and joyful occasion that’s emblematic of the rich relationship between lay people and monastics, a relationship characterized by deep bonds of friendship and commitment to mutual support. All year round, the monastery functions solely on offerings from the lay community.
Programme for the Kathina Ceremony:
Please Note: Daylight Savings Time ends in the early morning before our Kathina. Clocks roll back one hour at 2:00 am, Nov. 2nd (very early on Sunday morning).
9:30 am: Arrival, preparation and receiving of food offerings
10:00 am: Opening Pūjā, Welcoming remarks from Ajahn Vīradhammo, Taking Five Precepts, Paritta Chanting
10:30 am: Formal offering of food to the Saṅgha
11:00 am: Chanting of Anumodanā and invitation of laity to join in the meal
1:00 pm (approximately): Opening remarks by Ambassador Pisan, Kathina Ceremony and Offering of Kathina Robes, Dhamma Talk by Ajahn Pasanno, Closing Remarks by Ajahn Vīradhammo
For more Information about Kathina offerings please go here.… Read the rest
For anyone interested in attending all or part of the non-residential retreat held at Tisarana, September 14 to 21, the following is our planned retreat schedule:
Sunday, September 14
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Evening puja, meditation, and Dhamma talk
Monday, September 15 to Saturday, September 20
5:00 am to 6:30 am – Morning puja with the monastic community
6:30 am to 8:30 am – Monastic community and resident guests’ breakfast, chores and rest time
8:30 am to 11:00 am – Instruction, sitting and walking meditation
11:00 am to 2:00 pm – Lunch and rest time
2:00 pm to 5:30 pm – Instruction, sitting and walking meditation
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm – Tea time and rest time
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm – Evening puja, meditation, and Dhamma talk
Sunday, September 21
8:30 am to 10:30 am – Meditation and closing remarks
As this is a non-residential retreat, we are opening the schedule to anyone who might like to participate despite limited time. If you would like to participate for just part of the day, we ask that you arrive at the beginning of any instruction or meditation session: 5:00 am, 8:30 am, 2:00 pm, or 7:00 pm.
If you have any questions about the retreat, please email Marion at marion.itsgoodenough@gmail.com… Read the rest
Ajahn Vīradhammo will be teaching a week long residential retreat in Arnprior (very close to Ottawa), organized by the Ottawa Buddhist Society. Retreat Registration is now open. It will begin October 24th and end October 31st. Please note, space is limited so please register soon if you are interested.
All information and the registration form for this retreat at the Galilee Centre in Arnprior is available at: http://ottawabuddhistsociety.com/activities/retreats/
This years week long non-residential Tisarana retreat will be lead again by Ajahn Vīradhammo.
The retreat will begin at 7:00 pm on Sunday, September 14th and end at 11:30 am on Sunday, September 21st.
At this time all spaces available in the house have now been taken and we have no further accommodation left.
Rather than using the Dhamma Hall connected to the house, we plan to have the group sittings and Dhamma talks under the large tent that has been erected for this years rains retreat. This is an experiment to see if we can accommodate more non-residential retreatants. If you are planning to attend, please prepare for what might be cool mornings and fairly warm afternoons.
To keep the kitchen quieter and more simple, we are asking all non-residents attending the retreat to bring their own breakfasts, lunches and afternoon drinks, etc.
If you are interested in coming for all of the retreat, part of the retreat, or part of a single day, please email Marion at: marion.itsgoodenough@gmail.com to let her know about your plans.… Read the rest
For the summer months we have decided to move the meal up half an hour to be offered at 11:30 am.… Read the rest
Invitation for the Tisarana Saṅgha to Stay for the Traditional Rains Retreat
On July 12th, Ambassador Pisan Manawapat, the Thai Ambassador to Canada, along with the lay community of Tisarana, will be inviting the Tisarana Monastic Community to reside at Tisarana for the traditional rains retreat and receive the necessary requisites during this period (July 12th to October 8th). Over 2500 years ago, the Buddha asked that Bhikkhus stay in one place during the vassa period, only allowing short trips for specific occasions during this time. Without the generosity of our lay friends this would of course not be possible.
The Vassa Āraddhana Ceremony will be held at Tisarana on Saturday, July 12 beginning at 10:00am. All are welcome to partake in this traditional ceremony.
Please note that the Tisarana Kathina will be held on SUNDAY, November 2nd in the town of Perth at the Civitan Hall (6787 County Rd 43, Perth, ON). We will post more information on the Kathina later in the summer.… Read the rest
Now that five years of seniority as a monk have accrued, my Majjhima (Middle) years as a monk have now come. I’ve been released from Nissaya (Dependence) upon my ācariya (teacher), and traditionally, this is now the time to seek out other training opportunities at other monasteries, and hermitages, with a variety of teachers. This is a chance for me to “round out” my training, as well as deepen my practice in situations of increased seclusion. I’ve been offered to spend the vassa (Rains Retreat) at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage. Dhammagiri is located a 40-minute drive west of Brisbane, Australia. More info is available at Dhammagiri
I’d especially like to voice my gratitude to LP Vīradhammo for his tremendous kindness and warmth, in letting me train at Tisarana for the last year and a half. My troubled knees (and psoriasis) have healed substantially in this time. This gift of healing is a huge boon to me.
The Tisarana community has been great to train with, and the lay community has been very kind and supportive. I’ll always look back upon my time at Tisarana with fondness and appreciation. To all those I’ve had the chance to meet, I want to wish you all the best in your practice, and life in general, and perhaps our paths will cross again in the future.… Read the rest
Please note that Ajahn Sumedho and Ajahn Vīradhammo will not be at the monastery June 17th-19th, as they will be travelling to meet with lay Buddhists in Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec. They will return the evening of the 19th, and will be offering Dhamma teachings here at Tisarana on the 21st for the “Gratitude to Parents Day.” If you wish to participate in that event you are encouraged to arrive between 10:00 and 10:30 in the morning.… Read the rest
