UPDATE > Vesak Season Teachings & Events w/ Special Visit of Venerable Bhikkhuni Teacher Dr Lieu Phap Viditadhamma Theri

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Apr 28, 2018, 12:18:14 AM4/28/18

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Dear friends,

Happy Vesak Eve!

Vesak Buddha Day Full Moon commemorates three great events: the Buddha's birth, great Awakening and final Nibbana, all of which are said to have occurred on the full moon of the Indian month of Vaisaka, in India called Buddha Purnima ("Buddha's Full Moon") and Buddha Jayanti ("Buddha's Birthday" or "Buddha's Victory Celebration Day").

We have some updates and further Vesak Season teaching events to share with you -

First, Ven Lieu Phap Viditadhamma Theri is on her way and will be arriving to join our bhikkhunis' community Vesak Eve (Saturday the 27th) at Dhammadharini Monastery for this Sunday the 28th's Vesak Celebration at the Monastery. She'll be joined by her bhikkhuni student Ven Bhikkhuni Santasukha from Texas. Welcome to join us at the monastery this Sunday!

Second, note, his year is unusual - it has two Vesak full moons, so Vesak events are extending from the full moon of April thru the full moon of May!

Further updates highlighted in green below:

Schedule of Ven Viditadhamma and Dhammadharini Bhikkhuni Teachers' Vesak Season Dhamma Teachings and Meditation Offerings
April 28th to May 30th

Ven Lieu Phap Viditadhamma Theri's Vesak Season Teaching Visit

- Apr 28 (Sat) Vesak Full Moon Eve / Vesak Preparations at Dhammadharini Monastery (volunteers welcome to join us at monastery for the joy of Vesak Eve preparations)

- Apr 29 (Sun) Vesak Full Moon Buddha Day Dhamma Talk with Ven Viditadhamma at Dhammadharini Monastery (program & flyer)

- May 1 (Tues) Petaluma Almsround and Tuesday Evening Dhamma Teaching with Ven Viditadhamma at Dhammadharini Monastery (info)

- May 2-5 (Wed-Fri) Ven Viditadhamma visit to Aranya Bodhi Hermitage on the Sonoma Coast

- May 5 (Sat evening) Ven Viditadhamma Dhamma Teaching in English at Santa Clara Buddhi Vihara (7-9pm)

- May 6 (Sun morning) Day of Mindfulness at Hayward Compassion Meditation Center with Ven Viditadhamma (10:30-11:30am Dhamma talk in Vietnamese with simultaneous English translation)

- May 6 (Sun afternoon) Ven Viditadhamma and Dhammadharini bhikkhunis Dhamma/meditation sharing for International Day of Vesak Celebration in Berkeley at Jodo Shin Shu Center (2-4pm, in English, all welcome)

- May 6 (Sun evening) Ven Viditadhamma's visit to Aloka Vihara Forest Monastery in Placerville (6th-9th, departure to TX on 9th)

Dhammadharini Bhikkhunis' Vesak Season Teaching | Bhikkhuni Ordination at Buddhi Vihara | International Bhikkhuni Forum

- May 12 (Sat daylong) Vesak Daylong Meditation Retreat at Dhammadharini Monastery led by Ven Sobhana Theri and Ven Suvijjana Bhikkhuni (info)

- May 12 (Sat) Bhikkhuni Ordination of Samaneri Cittananda and Samaneri Pabbajja of Rev Konin Cardenas at Santa Clara Buddhi Vihara (info)

- May 13 (Sun afternoon) Ven Tathaloka Theri sharing from "Her Journeys Abroad" at Dhammadharini Monastery (1-3pm, all welcome, info)

- May 15 (Tues evening) Ven Tathaloka Theri leading meditation and Dhamma talk at Dhammadharini Monastery (7-9pm, all welcome, info)

- May 23 (Wed) Ven Tathaloka Vesak Season sharing at Sati Saraniya Hermitage in Perth, Ontario, Canada (to be announced, info)

- May 26-27 (Sat, Sun) Ven Tathaloka Theri and Niyyanika Bhikkhuni at International Bhikkhuni Forum in Toronto, Canada (info)

- May 29 (Tues evening) Ven Tathaloka Vesak Full Moon Night Dhamma & meditation at Fremont Wat Buddhanusorn (7-9pm, all welcome, info)

- May 30 (Wed evening) Ven Tathaloka & Berget Jelane Vesak Celebration w/ San Jose Insight Meditation (7-9pm, all welcome, info)

Note: we will have three other North American Vietnamese monastic visitors with us around the April Vesak full moon: Ven Bhikkhunis Santasukha from TX and Ven Bhikkhuni Aggadhammagavesi and Sikkhamana Adhicitta of Canada. Chase has also returned to us and Sister Satima will return to us on May 1st. Tracy will still be with us, Anagarika Min's visit departed just before Vesak at the end of her visa waiver, and Miki will be newly incoming from Japan. Upasika Tinh Hanh will also be visiting together with Ven Viditadhamma and Bhikkhuni Santasukha.

*** Our monastic community in residence will be larger during this Vesak Season, up to ten monastics plus two to five monastic life aspirants, for a total of eleven to fourteen. Please send an email or phone/text to the monastery or check our Useful Things List if you'd like to know what things would be of helpful support during this time.

On Thu, Mar 22, 2018 at 8:21 PM, Dhammadharini Sangha <dhamma...@gmail.com> wrote:

Vesak Season begins on April 14th this year, on the new moon before the Vesak Full Moon.

Dear Venerables and Dhamma Friends,

Our Dhammadharini Sangha is delighted to welcome the Vesak Season visit of international senior bhikkhuni teacher and preceptor, Ven Dr Lieu Phap Viditadhamma Theri.

Preceptor and Teacher Ven Viditadhamma Theri

You may have seen Ven Viditadhamma Liệu Pháp's photo repeatedly in Dhammadharini mails on International Theravada Bhikkhuni Sangha News over the past ten years. This will be her first visit to our bhikkhunis' community in Northern California.

Ven Lieu Phap Viditadhamma is from Vietnam, in her 50s, fully bilingual in English and Vietnamese, and with a high level of Pāli-knowledge. She entered monastic life in 1991in Mahayana Buddhism, then transferred over to Theravada Buddhism after three years. As bhikkhuni ordination opportunities opened up for internationals in Sri Lanka, she ordained as a bhikkhuni there in 2002. She's lived in India and obtained her doctorate in Buddhist Studies there, as well as co-organizing the first Bhikkhuni Ordination in Vesali in modern times in 2012. You may have also seen her serving as Bhikkhuni Acarini for the first Bhikkhuni Ordinations in Southern Thailand's Songkla Province a few years ago, and she's been active in the founding and development of the ASEAN Bhikkhuni Association. She was appointed a bhikkhuni preceptor in 2016 in Sri Lanka. Most recently, Ven Viditadhamma Theri accepted the invitation to serve as the Bhikkhuni Preceptor (Pavattini-Upajjhaya) in the first Bhikkhuni Ordination at Santi Forest Monastery in Australia's Southern Highlands, in which our former long-term visitor Ven Santacari Bhikkhuni from Australia was ordained.

Preceptor Ven Viditadhamma Theri (l) with Bhikkhuni Candidates (r)
First Bhikkhuni Ordination in the Big Cave: courtesy of Santi Forest Monastery (link)

Ven Lieu Phap Viditadhamma is currently the abbess and preceptor of Suññatā Bhikkhunī Ārāma - Ni Viện Viên Không in Vietnam, and Deputy Head of the English Dharma Studies Department at Vietnam Buddhist University where she teacher courses on Pali-text Buddhism and Buddhism in English. She regularly offers weekend meditation retreats for adults as well as annual Dhamma summer camps for children.

Bhikkhunis' community of Suññatā Bhikkhunī Ārāma - Ni Viện Viên Không in Vietnam (courtesy Bhikkhuni Lieu Phap)

A couple of weeks ago, Ven Lieu Phap Viditadhamma revisited Australia's Santi Forest while Ven Ayya Tathaloka was there, resulting in her coming to visit us.

Visiting Santi Forest (courtesy Bhikkhuni Lieu Phap)

Ven Lieu Phap will be arriving in Southern California on April 23rd and to Northern California on April 27th, coming to Dhammadharini Monastery where she will offer our special guest keynote Vesak Buddha Day Dhamma Talk on Sunday April 29th. She will also join us for our Bhikkhunis' Almsround in Petaluma on Tuesday May 1st, and offer guest teaching for our weekly Tuesday evening Dhamma and Meditation group at Dhammadharini Monastery Tuesday from 7 to 8:30pm. More on her teachings and schedule while she's here in NorCal follow -

Schedule of Ven Lieu Phap Viditadhamma Theri's Teachings & Program
in Northern California April 27th to May 9th

- Apr 27 (Fri) Evening Arrival to Dhammadharini Monastery in Penngrove from Airport (*ride offering opportunity)
- Apr 28 (Sat) Vesak Full Moon Eve / Vesak Preparations at Dhammadharini Monastery
- Apr 29 (Sun) Vesak Full Moon Buddha Day Dhamma Talk at Dhammadharini Monastery (alms/Dana offering day)
- May 1 (Tues) Petaluma Almsround and Tuesday Evening Dhamma Teaching at Dhammadharini Monastery (alms/Dana offering day)
- May 2-5 (Wed-Fri) at Aranya Bodhi Hermitage on the Sonoma Coast
- May 5 (Sat) Aranya Bodhi -> Dhammadharini Monastery -> Santa Clara Buddhi Vihara (*ride offering opportunity)
- May 5 (Sat) Evening Dhamma Teaching in Vietnamese and English at Santa Clara Buddhi Vihara
- May 6 (Sun) Spirit Rock to Aloka Vihara Forest Monastery in Placerville with Aloka Vihara Ayyas (*ride offering opportunity)
- May 6-9 (Sun-Wed) at Aloka Vihara in Placerville in the Sierra Foothills
- May 9 (Wed) departure to Texas from Sacramento

Note: we will have two other Vietnamese-Canadian women monastic visitors arriving around April 12th (date tbd) who will also likely be with us during this time: Ven Bhikkhuni Aggadhammagavesi and Sikkhamana Adhicitta. Chase is also returning to us on March 24th and Sister Medhavi on May 1st. Tracy will still be with us, Anagarika Min's visit comes to an end just before Vesak, and Miki will be newly incoming.

*** Our residential monastic community will be a little larger during this Vesak Season, up to seven, eight or nine monastics plus two to four monastic life aspirants, for a total of ten to twelve. Please send an email or phone/text to the monastery if you'd like to know what things would be of helpful support during this time.

We are looking forward to this time rich in Buddha - Dhamma - Sangha!

Much Metta to All,
from our Dhammadharini Sangha

P.S. *For ride offering, please contact the monastery for details. This opportunity is for a woman driver or male driver with female companion.
- Apr 27 (Fri) Ride offering opportunity from Airport to Dhammadharini Monastery (contact monastery for time/location)
- May 5 (Sat) Ride offering opportunity from Dhammadharini Monastery to Buddhi Vihara (afternoon)
- May 6 (Sun) Ride offering opportunity from Burlingame to Spirit Rock (time to be confirmed)

P.P.S. In case of interest, Ven Viditadhamma Theri will be teaching and serving as preceptor for the 3rd Temporary Theravada Samaneri Noviciate Program in Malaysia June 12-24. She'll also be serving as one of the teachers and preceptors for the full Bhikkhuni Ordination in Bodhgaya, India late Jan /early Feb 2019.