Ayya Sucitta Emerges from Retreat with Buddhist Insights and Ayya Suvijjana Returns from Retreat at Forest Refuge

[Friends of Dhammadharini]

Dear Dhamma friends,

We're writing to give you a "one third of the way through" our Dhammadharini Winter Retreat update, hoping this note finds all of you well, and joining in the practice together wherever you are, however you are happy and able to.

Our Venerable Ayya Tathaloka Theri is back from pilgrimage in Cambodia and recovering in the monastery's blissful meditative quiet, preparing for her upcoming silent secluded retreat time at our Aranya Bodhi Hermitage. A good new heater was recently successfully installed in her Kuti after three years of no heat (thank you kind donors and installers!), making winter retreat there possible.

Our Venerable Bhikkhuni Ayya Suvijjana returns to Dhammadharini from retreat at the Forest Refuge today, completing six full months of retreat practice on Sabbatical in 2019 (extending a little now into 2020). She's returning to more Winter Retreat going on with our Dhammadharini community at both Dhammadharini Monastery and Aranya Bodhi (ends March 31st). How awesome is that!

This last week we've also had news from Buddhist Insights' new Empty Cloud Monastery on the other side of the country in New Jersey: our Ayya Sucitta, together with Bhante Suddhaso (who some of you may remember from Abhayagiri), Ven Soma (who some may remember from her visit with us in 2019), and a small crowd of brave meditators, have emerged from 28 days intensive retreat "christening" the new monastery as a place of Buddhist path practice and Dhamma sharing.

Buddhist Insights

· January 22 · 

 

Our 28 day retreat is over! Blessings to these 13 beautiful people who stayed until the end to work on their Samādhi practice. ☺️🙏 May you all be well and happy! 

The awesome-to-behold old stone building and grounds were a former Christian monastery. 

Not long after emerging from intensive retreat, they held their first Empty Cloud Monastery Open House for the local Tri-State community, which looked well attended and very well received, per the write-up from the local paper. 

Buddhist Insights

· January 25 ·  

 

Thank you New Jersey for your warm welcome atEmpty Cloud 🥰 We are delighted to be in West Orange! 💝

Buddhist Insights

 

 

Ayya Sucitta shared her first talk with us at Empty Cloud Monastery 🙏 What a blessing to have senior Bhikkhuni in residence for three months. Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu! 🥰 — with Bhante Suddhaso and Ven Soma.

Blessings and greetings from afar to Venerable Ayya Sucitta, and to all at the new Empty Cloud Monastery! Retreats with Ven Canda, Sister Ocean and Ven Dhammadipa are coming up, and Ayya Sobhana will be going to teach with Buddhist Insights as part of her April East Coast Teaching Tour fresh from emerging from Dhammadharini Winter Retreat. If you have friends in New York or New Jersey -- let them know!

Upcoming Events at EMPTY CLOUD

WEEKEND RETREAT Stopping the World with Contentment VEN. CANDA Feb 7th-9th "The Buddha said, "There is no way to end suffering without reaching the end of the world." (AN 4.45) But how can we possibly reach the end of the world? Contentment helps us remain present to our experience as it unfolds, bringing the worlds of past and future to an end. Contentment settles the winds of wanting and douses the fires of ill will, the main hindrances to stillness and insight. As inner contentment deepens, the relentless search for pleasure in the sensual world gradually loses its meaning, and a taste of freedom becomes possible. More info / Registration: CLICK HERE 1-DAY RETREAT A day of Mindfulness SISTER OCEAN Feb 1st, 10am-5pm  Join us for a day of mindfulness at Empty Cloud with Sister Ocean. During the day we will be practicing walking and sitting meditation, mindful (vegan) eating, deep listening, right speech, and letting go. More info / Registration: CLICK HERE CLICK HERE for our Full Calendar of Events 5-DAY RETREAT Catching the Moon VEN. DHAMMADIPA Feb 26th-Mar 1st How do you experience mind, and what kind of meditation practice reveals it? Do you need to cultivate samatha/stillness or vipassana/insight? What is meant by verification or realization of the Dharma? Together with Ven. Dhammadipa, participants in this retreat will explore these questions through the lens of the teachings of 11th century Chan Master Tong’An Changcha and contemporary Soto Zen Master Sekkei Harada, investigating an ancient Buddhist poem that describes practice as a discovery of the unfathomable function. More info / Registration: CLICK HERE

            May the force of the Dhamma be with you!

--

Dhammadharini

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☸ our monastery

Dhammadharini Sonoma Mountain Bhikkhuni Monastery

6791 Sturtevant Dr, Penngrove CA

94951, USA

Email: dhammadhari...@gmail.com

Phone or text: 707.583.9522

 ☸ our hermitage 

Dhammadharini's Aranya Bodhi Awakening Forest Hermitage

Email: awakeni...@gmail.com

Mailing Address: PO Box 16, Jenner, CA 95450, USA

Skype phone voicemail or text: 707.340.4282