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News Updates, Page 8

Covid 19 / Coronavirus Update

Functioning guidelines with regard to COVID 19 / Coronavirus

In keeping with Health Canada guidelines detailed by the Public Health Agency of Canada, we request our community to follow guidelines below until further notice. We will update you when conditions change, but until you hear from us, please note the following:

Events:

All pubilc events at Tisarana have been cancelled until further notice.

  • All pujas will be restricted to the resident community
  • Saturday afternoon public meditation sessions will not recommence until further notice
  • All New Guest Orientation events have been cancelled for the time being
  • The Sala is not open to non-residents for meditation or gatherings

Overnight guests:

Until further notice we will not be open for overnight guests. If you have made a booking to stay with us after April 1, 2020, we will email you a letter of cancellation.

The booking form will not be available online until Health Canada lifts restrictions on public gatherings.

Dana & Food:

The kitchen is a high-risk area for the spread of infection and disease. We request that

  • All groceries and food be dropped off at the designated drop-off table, just outside the front entrace.
  • The kitchen area will be restricted for the use of residents only
  • Once you have dropped off your dana, it will be offered to the sangha by the residents
  • The Anumodana will be chanted daily but given the size of our hall, proper social distancing can not be practiced.
… Read the rest

New Bank account details

Starting March 1st, 2020, Tisarana Buddhist Monastery will start banking with TD Canada Trust instead of Scotia Bank. Please access the ‘Financial Contributions’ page on this website for details.

Most donations will not be affected by this. If you have set up a monthly automatic contribution to Tisarana, we have successfully moved these transactions from Scotia Bank to TD.

We request that those sending us wire transfers please make a note of our new account details. Please feel free to share this update with anyone who you think might need this information and might not have received this update.

Sincere gratitude and appreciation from the Sangha, Board and the Tisarana Community!… Read the rest

Update from Luang Por Viradhammo on his visit to Asia

Dear friends,

I’m back from Asia and thought I’d send you my New Year greetings and share news of the past few weeks before settling in to our winter retreat. With the beginning of a new year and a new decade, I wish you much peace, health and contentment for the times ahead. May silence, stillness and wisdom be our guides as we traverse the path of Dhamma to reach ultimate happiness and the unconditioned.

My entire visit was extremely fulfilling in many ways. Meeting Dhamma friends and mentors in Asia, travelling with friends from Canada and teaching retreats in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia were highly inspiring and uplifting. Observing the commitment, generosity and care of so many people was bearing witness to Dhamma manifesting in daily life. Friends in Asia have been so supportive of our Dhamma Hall project that their generosity has resulted in an advance to the start date. Stay tuned for an update on our website.

My first port of call was Tokyo in response to an invitation from a friend who worked at the Royal Thai Embassy there. Japanese woodworking is in a class of its own and in many ways, quite unparalleled. This old woodworker was in joinery heaven.… Read the rest

New Year’s Puja 2020

On New Year’s Eve at Tisarana we’re planning to mark the event by having an extended practice period which will go on until midnight.

7:00 PM – Puja: Evening chanting and group meditation
8:00 PM – Dhamma talk
9:00 – 11:15 – Open practice period (walking and sitting meditation)
11:15 PM – Last group sit of the evening
11:45 PM – Paritta chanting by the monastics to bless in the new year

All are welcome, please join us. … Read the rest

Consider Thunder Bay: Monastery Steward needed at Arrow River

Winter Retreat Server wanted at Arrow River

Ajahn Punnadhammo needs a steward to serve the winter retreat at Arrow River Forest Hermitage for the months of February and March 2020. If two months are difficult, the critical requirement is for at least the month of February.

Main duties would include cooking and serving the meals and some handy work / experience in maintenance would be an added bonus. Some driving may be needed intermittently.
Arrow River Hermitage allows one to live closely with nature and offers a Dhamma experience that is simplified and without distractions.

Given the nature of the hermitage and the weather, people accustomed to outdoor winter activities will find this an invigorating experience.

Anyone interested can contact Aj. Punnadhammo by emailing him at abbot@arrowriver.ca. Details of Arrow River Forest Hermitage can be found on their website: https://www.arrowriver.ca/… Read the rest

Annual General Meeting at Tisarana

Notice of the Annual General Meeting for the Year 2018
Date – Sunday, 17 November 2019.
Place – Tisarana Buddhist Monastery –
Time – 1:30 PM
The Directors of the Board of Tisarana Buddhist Monastery cordially invites all members of good standing to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled to be held on Sunday, November 17, 2019 at 1.30 PM. 
A special resolution to change the Bylaws will be made at the AGM to facilitate the monastery’s online banking and payment of bills that will reduce the required number of signatories from two to one.
Sincerely,
Tilak Gunawardhane
Secretary to the Board
November 1, 2019… Read the rest

Kathina 2019

On Sunday, 27 October, the Tisarana community will be celebrating this year’s Kathina ceremony starting at 10:30am. Doors open at 9:00 AM.

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 invited 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

Event cancelled: Saturday meditation on 26 Oct 2019

The Saturday Meditation for 26 Oct 2019 has been cancelled. We ordinarily have a 1:30PM event on Saturdays, which includes a guided meditation and Dhamma talk, open to the public. This particular Saturday, however, is a bit overbooked and so we’re obliged to cancel.

Please consider attending our Kathina celebration, which will be on the following day, 27 October.

The next Saturday Meditation will be on 02 November.… Read the rest

2019 Kathina Wish List

Our main priority this year is to collect funds for the New Dhamma Hall. If you’d like to contribute to this fund please visit the Financial Contributions page and mark your envelopes, PayPal or eTransfers – “Dhamma Hall Contribution”.

Otherwise, click this link – 2019 Kathina Wish List – for some recommendations for objects that would be useful to the monastic community. If you plan to offer an item please cross it out using strikethrough (example) so that others will know it is already being offered.

If you have any questions please contact Bee and Steve at magga4sb@gmail.com … Read the rest