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CANCELLATION – LPV’s 75th birthday celebrations, May 15th 2022 at Civitan Hall.

We regret to announce that our May 15th public gathering to celebrate Visakha Puja and Luang Por Viradhammo’s 75th birthday has been CANCELLED. 

Most of the residents at Tisarana have tested positive for Covid-19 and are self-isolating. Fortunately, the symptoms are generally proving to be quite mild. Nevertheless, we have decided it is prudent to cancel the gathering based on the several considerations: 

  1. Rising numbers in the GTA and Ottawa areas
  2. Health and safety of all attendees
  3. Risk of reinfection to residents.

We thank you for your patience and cooperation as we act in the best interests of our community and society.… Read the rest

Covid 19 protocols are back in effect.

Dear friends & supporters,

Unfortunately, some of our community members have tested +ve for Covid 19 this morning. The good news is that their symptoms are not too bad and as we’ve been told, this variant is more communicable than harmful.

In order to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our residents as well as our larger community, we have cancelled all overnight guest visits until further notice. Day visitors are requested to remain outdoors as we would like to restrict entry into the house.

We’d gratefully receive dana at the table outside the front door as we used to in the past. At the moment, we have only one resident who can enter the kitchen, cook and handle food for the residents.

Once everyone tests -ve and the required amount of time has passed, we will reopen to overnight visitors and restart the New Guest Orientations. Please note that the Orientation Weekend scheduled for May 6th has now been cancelled.

As always, we thank you for your patience, understanding, support and friendship.… Read the rest

2021 Kathina Announcement

This year’s monastic Rains Retreat, marking another ‘year in the robes’ for Bhikkhus at Tisarana Buddhist Monastery, will end on October 21st. Traditionally, what follows is a month-long period during which a ‘Kathina cloth’ may be offered by lay supporters. This has long been a beloved event in Buddhist cultures, one arranged in advance by the donors. On the day it is offered, some of this cloth is dyed and sewn by the resident Sangha, and presented to one of the monks before the following dawn.

For many reasons – both ancient and altogether contemporary – Kathina is a truly auspicious day of the annual monastic calendar, and one in which gratitude and blessings abound.

This year’s Kathina is being offered by the Royal Thai Embassy, Ottawa, on October 31st.

Covid protocols currently in place for outdoor public gatherings are restricted to 25 people. Therefore our formal Kathina ceremony on the 31st  will be restricted to the Embassy staff and their families. 

However, in what remains of the Kathina month (until Nov 21, 2021), groups of 25 people or less are invited to join the Tisarana community for the meal and to make offerings if they wish. Those seeking to do so are requested to please email the Tisarana Office in advance, to ensure that groups don’t exceed the maximum number.… Read the rest

New Dhamma Hall Site Clearing Ceremony, Sunday August 15th.

We are going to have a site clearing ceremony for the New Dhamma Hall on Sunday, August 15th starting at 1pm. An outline of the new Hall will be laid out on the ground which we will all circumambulate with social distancing, and then the Sangha will chant parittas so as to to bless the site and the trees that will have to be cut down to make room for the new Hall. Once finished, we can begin clearing the land to get ready for the start of construction this coming spring of 2022.

All are invited to this important ceremony for the New Dhamma Hall, which is coming about after many years of inspiring generosity and planning. Due to lingering Covid concerns there won’t be a shared meal before the ceremony but feel free to bring your own meal and enjoy the monastery grounds. See you then.… Read the rest

Kathina Wish List 2020

At the request of our caring supporters, here is a list of suggested items that would be useful for Tisarana that could be offered during the Kathina season this year. If you plan to offer an item please cross it out using strikethrough (example) so that it can be removed from the list.

2020 Kathina Wish List

As usual, our main priority is to build a New Dhamma Hall. If you would like to contribute towards this effort as part of a Kathina offering please visit the Financial Contributions page.

If you have any questions please contact office@tisarana.ca… Read the rest

Spring Work Bee #2 – July 7th

Join us for our second spring Work Bee on July 7th at 8:30 am to help prepare Tisarana for Luang Por Sumedho’s upcoming visit.

We are sprucing Tisarana up for Luang Por Sumedho’s arrival to Tisarana on the 11th with his attendant Ajahn Asoko. We’ll be planting trees, gardening, landscaping and doing grounds maintenance. The shared potluck meal will begin at 11:30 am, and after the meal we’ll continue working until 4:30 pm or later. Things to bring:

  • willing hands
  • possibly a dish for the meal
  • partial shade flowers that deer don’t like to eat

… Read the rest

Ajahn Candasiri’s Schedule

Ajahn Candasiri will be in Canada and the US for a few weeks and she’ll be giving some teachings in Ontario:

One of Tisarana’s longstanding friends in the Ajahn Chah tradition is the nun Ajahn Candasiri, who ordained as a Sīladhārā with Ajahn Sumedho in 1983. You can see a brief biography of her here.

The Ajahn in visiting North America this year and will spend a few days at Tisarana. We’ve scheduled her to give the Vesak Dhamma talk on 18 May.

Other scheduled public Dhamma talks by Ajahn Candasiri that we have heard about include:

… Read the rest