News Updates, Page 22

Luang Por Viradhammo Away Teaching Retreat

Luang Por Viradhammo will be away teaching a ten day retreat in Aylmer, Quebec. The retreat runs from the seventh to the 17th of September. Days of mindfulness will continue with a recorded talk being played. Have a good retreat Luang Por!

Gratitude to Parents Day

Gratitude to Parents Day is coming up soon. It will take place on September 22nd. It is a great opportunity to express appreciation and gratitude for the goodness we have received from our parents. Participants are encouraged to arrive around 10:30am. The day will begin with a potluck dana at 11:00am. Following lunch, there will be some Dhamma reflections. Dedication chanting will occur either before or after lunch. All are welcome.

Ten Day Retreat at Tisarana

We will be holding a ten-day, non-residential retreat held at the monastery. It runs from October 1st to October 11th. Because of our small shrine room, space is very limited. This is an experiment to see if we can do a longer retreat at Tisarana without providing residential facilities. For further information or booking, contact Marion Foot at marion.itsgoodenough@gmail.com

Sati Saraniya Foundation Pouring

We chanted blessings before the pouring of cement for the foundations of the new Dhamma Hall at Sati Saraniya.… Read the rest

Gratitude to Parents Day

Gratitude to Parents Day is a chance to express appreciation and gratitude for the goodness we have received from our parents. It will take place on September 22nd. Participants are encouraged to arrive around 10:30am. The day will begin with a potluck dana at 11:00am. Following lunch, there will be some Dhamma reflections. Dedication chanting will occur either before or after lunch. All are welcome.

Ten Day Retreat at Tisarana

There will be a non-residential retreat held at the monastery from October 1st to October 11th. Because of our small shrine room, space is very limited. This is an experiment to see if we can do a longer retreat at Tisarana without providing residential facilities. For further information or booking, contact Marion Foot at marion.itsgoodenough@gmail.com.

Monastery Building Projects

Thanks to the hard work of our builders, Lori and Kyle, the new kuti is basically finished and should be ready for habitation within a week. The next major construction project will be a re-modeling of the workshop. The floor will be re-done and the building will be sealed to provide protection from the elements. We also have a new road into the kuti sites, which allows small trucks and vehicles such as ambulances access to the area where the monks live.… Read the rest

Luang Por Viradhammo Returns

Luang Por Viradhammo has returned from England. His trip seems to have been very successful. He visited Chithurst and Aruna Ratanagiri. He also visited Amaravati and led a ten day retreat. Welcome back Luang Por!

New Photos Uploaded

We have uploaded over 700 new photos. There are over 600 photos of Luang Por’s trip to Laos, China, and Thailand in Early 2012. It is a slideshow that’s worth seeing. There are images of great natural beauty. The images from Thailand are very inspiring. Looking at them gives an idea of the scope of Buddhism in Asia. It also gives an idea of the larger tradition that Tisarana is connected to. Have a look here.
There are also over 80 photos of Luang Por Sopa and Luang Por Kampong’s visit in late June. As well as sightseeing, they also gave encouragement and teaching to the Sangha. On the last day of their visit, they officiated at an almsgiving ceremony where friends from the Thai embassy offered a substantial donation to our building fund and other requisites for the use of the Sangha. Have a look here.

Podcast Back Again

The Tisarana podcast is up and running again. The latest talk uploaded is called ‘With This as Condition, That Comes to Be’.… Read the rest

Venerable Thai Ajahns Visit

Our Venerable Ajahns from Thailand left this past Sunday for Abhayagiri Monastery in California. It was a lovely opportunity for us to have them here. We spent most of the week sightseeing with the Ajahns. They also answered Dhamma questions during tea time. It was our good fortune to have the chance to receive their teachings.

This past Saturday, the Ajahns facilitated a Tot Pa Pa at Tisarana. This is a ceremony where robe cloth is offered to the Bhikkhu Sangha, as well as other items. The Thai community came out in force for the occasion, and to offer their support for Tisarana. Sincere thanks to the Royal Thai Ambassador, the Thai Embassy, the Thai community and to all who came to participate in the event.

Ajahn Thanissaro to Visit Ottawa and Tisarana

Ajahn Thanissaro will pay a visit to the Ottawa area next week. He will hold a public talk on Thursday, July 12 from 7:30 – 9:30 in the evening. The talk will take place at at St. Paul’s University on Main Street, not far from the Ottawa Hospital and the Glebe. Ajahn Thanissaro is one of the foremost voices in Western Theravada Buddhism. It is a rare and wonderful opportunity to hear him speak.… Read the rest

Venerable Ajahns From Thailand to Visit

Our Venerable Ajahns from Thailand have finally received their visas and will be arriving at Tisarana on the 24th of June. Their American visas were unsure until a few days ago.
On the 30th of June the Thai Embassy will be making offerings to the monastery on behalf of the government of Thailand. This as a great honour for us and we are fortunate that our elders in the Thai Sangha are joining us on this occasion.
After the dana offerings and a shared meal, there will be a Dhamma talk given by Ajahn Sopa and translated by Ven. Thaniyo, an Australian monk who is accompanying the group. All are welcome to come. Pot luck as usual for the meal. … Read the rest

Welcome to Ajahn Hasapanno
We are delighted to have Ajahn Hasapanno visit us from Thailand. Ajahn is originally from the Mississauga area and will be staying at Tisarana for about six months. A warm welcome to Ajahn!

Annual General Meeting
The annual general meeting of Tisarana Buddhist Monastery will occur on Sunday, June 10th at 1pm. The meeting will be held at the monastery; all are welcome.

New Committee Members Needed
We are currently looking for two new committee members with experience in either accounting or construction. If you are interested, please send a message to office@tisarana.ca.

Ajahn Tiradhammo’s Visit
We are happy to welcome Ajahn Tiradhammo to Tisarana. He will visit from June 6th to 16th. Ajahn Tiradhammo is a seniour disciple of Ajahn Chah and a good friend of Ajahn Viradhammo. Ajahn Kusalo has recently taken over for him as abbot of Bodhinyanarama monastery in Wellington, New Zealand. Ajahn Tiradhammo will give a talk at Tisarana on the Day of Mindfulness on Saturday, June 9th. He will also offer teachings to the resident community and other visitors during his stay.

Venerable Ajahns From Thailand to Visit We are honoured to host Ajahn Sopah and Ajahn Kumpong at Tisarana from the 25th of June to the first of July.… Read the rest

Vesak

We will celebrate Vesak at the monastery on Saturday, June second. The day will begin at 10am with the taking of the five precepts and paritta chanting. There will be a potluck dana at 11:00am. Following the meal, there will be a Dhamma talk around 1pm.

Ajahn Viradhammo has Returned

Ajahn Viradhammo arrived safe and sound at the monastery yesterday. He will lead the first Day of Mindfulness since his return on Saturday, May 26th. Welcome back Ajahn! (Please note the change in dates for the next DOM at Tisarana. 26th of May is the correct date.) … Read the rest

Bon Voyage Ajahn Kusalo!

Ajahn Kusalo’s going away party was a great success. The hall was filled to capacity. Over 70 people came to bid Ajahn farewell. The day began with a lovely dana. Following the meal, we gathered with Ajahn Kusalo in the eponymous kusala sala. Reflections of gratitude were offered by the monastic and lay community. The reflections closed with a message fromAjahn Viradhammo. Finally, the monastic community chanted blessings while Ajahn Kuaslo gave everyone a liberal sprinkling of holy water. It was a lovely day indeed. Please have a look at the photos.

Arrow River Library Project

They are building a new library at Arrow River Hermitage in Thunder Bay. Construction is scheduled to begin in early May, and will likely continue into the fall. They are now in the process of recruiting crew. Ajahn Punnadhammo writes…

“Any time a person is willing to share, long or short, is appreciated and we will slot them in. Housing priority will be given to construction crew this summer.”

If anyone is interested, please contact Ajahn Punnadhammo at arfh@xplornet.com.

Ajahn Viradhammo’s Travels

Ajahn seems to be having a great time in China. He writes…

“I’m back in Jinhong after spending 2 days in the hills with the Bulong people.… Read the rest

Bon Voyage Ajahn Kusalo!

Ajahn Kusalo’s going away party was a great success. The hall was filled to capacity. Over 70 people came to bid Ajahn farewell. The day began with a lovely dana. Following the meal, we gathered with Ajahn Kusalo in the eponymous kusala sala. Reflections of gratitude were offered by the monastic and lay community. The reflections closed with a message from Luang Por Viradhammo (more on the name change below). Finally, the monastic community chanted blessings while Ajahn Kuaslo gave everyone a liberal sprinkling of holy water. It was a lovely day indeed. Please have a look at the photos.

Arrow River Library Project

They are building a new library at Arrow River Hermitage in Thunder Bay. Construction is scheduled to begin in early May, and will likely continue into the fall. They are now in the process of recruiting crew. Ajahn Punnadhammo writes…

“Any time a person is willing to share, long or short, is appreciated and we will slot them in. Housing priority will be given to construction crew this summer.”

If anyone is interested, please contact Ajahn Punnadhammo at arfh@xplornet.com.

Ajahn Viradhammo Now Luang Por

Very seniour monks in the Ajahn Chah tradition are often referred to as ‘Luang Por’, which means ‘venerable father’.… Read the rest

Ajahn Kusalo Going Away Party

Ajahn Kusalo will be departing in mid-April. He leaves to take over as abbot at Bodhinyanarama monastery in New Zealand.
We are planning to hold a going-away party for him on Saturday, April 14th at the monastery. If you’re free, please come down and join us.
We will have dana at 11:00am, and meet in the sala sometime after lunch for some Dhamma reflections. Aside from the dana start time, it will be a loosely structured day with plenty of time to meet with Ajahn and say your goodbyes.

Winter Retreat

The monastery will begin its’ winter retreat on January 8th. It will run through around April 1st. Days of Mindfulness will still continue as usual during this time.
We will still accept applications for guests during the winter retreat. Guests who wish to stay during the retreat must have stayed at the monastery before. The minimum stay is one week, and guests may be asked to help in the kitchen.
We will only be checking the monastery e-mail around once a week during the winter retreat. There will be no further updates until April. Have a wonderful winter!

New Year’s

We had a lovely New Year’s eve service at the monastery on the 31st.… Read the rest