News Updates, Page 23

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

Ajahn Kusalo Arrives

Ajahn Kusalo will arrive back at Tisarana today, after a two month trip around the world. A warm welcome back to Ajahn!

New Year’s Celebration

We will ring in the New Year at Tisarana on December 31st. There will be a service at seven pm, with meditation and a Dhamma talk. Following the service we will have a bonfire and a marshmallow roast. Bring your own marshmallows. Attendees are free to leave during the marshmallow roast if they have other engagements. After enjoying the bonfire and some marshmallows, we will end 2011 with some meditation and chanting. The evening will finish shortly after 12:00am. Come and join us.

Ajahn Viradhammo’s Travels

Ajahn Viradhammo wrote to us on the 15th. He had just arrived in Hong Kong, and seemed to be having a great time. His e-mail is partially quoted below…

“I have landed safely in Hong Kong and am staying with Tina and Kelvin in the countryside outside Hong Kong. They have a lovely flat overlooking small plots of vegetables with green hills and mainland China in the distance.
Yesterday we took a ferry to Macau which used to be a Portuguese colony and is now a special territory of China as is Hong Kong.… Read the rest

Hello, here’s the latest news from Tisarana.

Ajahn Viradhammo Returns

Ajahn Viradhammo arrived back at the monastery yesterday, after a very successful pilgrimage in India. He will be at the monastery from November 17th through the 29th. From November 30th through December 5th, he will be leading a retreat in Peterborough. Following his Peteborough retreat, he will be at the monastery until December 11th, at which time he will leave for a trip to various monasteries around the world. He will return to Tisarana again in mid May, 2012. If you have the time, be sure to stop by and pay Ajahn a visit while he’s here.

Day of Mindfulness Schedule

There will not be any monks at the monastery from November 30th through December 4th. Therefore, the Day of Mindfulness on Saturday, December 4th will be cancelled. Ajahn Viradhammo will teach the Day of Mindfulness at the Ottawa Buddhist Society on Saturday, December 10th. Therefore, there will be no Day of Mindfulness at Tisarana that Saturday. However, a Day of Mindfulness will take place at Tisarana on Sunday, December 11th. This will be the last Day of Mindfulness conducted by Ajahn Tisarana before he leaves for his trip.

Bhantes Khemaratana and Jivananda Visit

Bhantes Khemaratana and Jivananda visited Tisarana this past Sunday.… Read the rest

Saturday, November 5th, 2011

Hello, here’s the latest news from Tisarana…

New Kitchen Volunteer
Our normal steward, Raymond O’Neill is away for hip surgery. His surgery is on the 8th, and we wish him a successful operation and a speedy recovery. With Raymond away, we have been joined by Rocky Drake, who has taken over as kitchen steward. Rocky has come all the way from Guelph, and we are grateful for his presence. Be sure to say hello the next time you are at Tisarana.

Bhante Rahula Visit
Bhante Rahula stopped by for a visit on Thursday. He is in town teaching a retreat at the Ottawa Buddhist Society. The last time he was at Tisarana, the property had just been purchased. Venerable Atulo took him on a tour to show him all the progress that has been made since that time. It was very nice of Bhante Rahula to take time out of his busy schedule to visit.

Ajahn Viradhammo in India
Ajahn’s India trip appears to be going well. He has already passed through the holy sites and is currently staying in the mountains. He writes, “Greetings from Sravasti. Stan and I are delighted to be in the land of the Buddha and in the place where he spent over 20 years teaching.… Read the rest

Hello, here’s the latest news from Tisarana.

Days of Mindfulness
Ajahn Kusalo and Ajahn Viradhammo will be away from the monastery from October 21st to November 17th. Days of Mindfulness will continue during this time. Venerable Atulo will time the meditations and play a recorded talk.

Ajahn Viradhammo in India
Ajahn Viradhammo has touched down in Delhi to start his India pilgrimage. He currently staying at a friend’s house. He will be there for a couple of days before setting out for the holy sites.

Reception Room
Lots of progress is being made on the new reception room. Drywall is up, and most of the siding is on the outside. Have a look when you come by.

Winter Steward
Come and stay at the monastery during the winter retreat. We are currently looking for kitchen stewards. Potential stewards must have stayed at Tisarana before, be willing to help with the cooking. Please contact Venerable Atulo for details. … Read the rest

Kathina:
This is the first year we will celebrate the end of the Vassa, the Asian monsoon season. Here in Canada it is a time when the sangha prepares to enter a new seasonal phase; winter. Kathina is a time of making offerings to the monastery with the traditional focus on the offering of cloth. For our first Kathina the cloth will take the form of a robe for each of the monastic residents. We hope to make this event a regular part of our annual calendar. WHERE: Maberly Community Hall WHEN: 15th October – For more details: www.tisarana.ca/includes/server.php?act=kathina

Reception Room:
Work on this building continues well with the roof going on as these words are written. Windows should arrive next week and this will have the building closed. The plan is still to be using this for winter. The exciting news is that a very generous donation has spurred us to try and get the covered walkway between the house and the reception room built as well.!

Aj Kusalo to DC:
Following on from a visit last year the interest has expanded into two childrens groups and two adult groups. There will also be time this trip to meet with various politicians – although there have so far been no invitations.… Read the rest

Hot on the Heels:
of our last working bee we have a working wasp – only in as much as it will have more sting than a bee. Am I on the edge of a ramble here? Nay, forsooth… COME THIS SUNDAY 28TH many good souls will be gathered as one at Tisarana, gloves on hands and heads on shoulders ready to sally forth. To go where no righteous body, or even unrighteous for that matter, has ever gone before. The future. Now I really am rambling. Needless to say, without further verbage, circumlocution, pleonasm, or even repetition, the next item will announce the details. Oh yay!

Working Day:
A.K.A working bee. All day. This Sunday – 28th August. We have enough work so that the weather is not an issue. Come rain or shine we will glow and effuse. There is work outdoors for the outdoorsy types; indoors for those with legal legs. Come at any time of the day. We will supply gloves of various sizes. Lunch of divers delights will manifest at 11.00. You will be most welcome; head on or off shoulders.

Many Other Works:
Much has been happening at Tisarana with documenting of it a work in progress (watch this space).… Read the rest