Our Dhammadharini Bhikkhuni Sangha has completed their Vassa and Pavarana! - Welcome to Bhikkhuni Sangha Kathina Oct 17th

[Dhammadharini Sangha]

  

   

Dear Venerables, dear Dhamma friends,

We are happy to announce that our Dhammadharini Sangha has persevered in the practice and sharing of the Buddha's teaching during this highly unusual and challenging Vassa this year, with pandemic, multiple wildfires, evacuations, etc. This just past full moon at both Dhammadharini Monastery and Aranya Bodhi Hermitage, our bhikkhunis gathered to offer the traditional Pavarana (Invitation) to one another, and then on the next day to our Sri Lankan and Thai Venerable Bhikkhu Sangha here in Northern California, marking the completion of our Vassa. We would like to share these enormous merits and blessings with you! ~

Having completed the Vassa, our Bhikkhunis become eligible to receive the Kathina Civara Dana - the Offering of the Robe of Merit, a yearly Day of Giving dedicated to the monastic Sangha established by the Buddha since the very earliest days of the Sangha. Friends Manuka & Tharangee of the Jayakody Family together with friend Dunilka, guided by our Dana Coordinator Lal, have faithfully supported our Bhikkhunis' community through the entire Vassa, offering a fresh home cooked meal and supplies socially-distanced outside for both our monastery and hermitage once a week through the entirety. Now they are preparing to fulfill their dedication to lead up our lay community in offering the Kathina Sangha Dana on October 17th. Our Bhikkhunis' community is planning to gather all together at Dhammadharini Monastery to host a socially-distanced outdoor in-person gathering for our Kathina donors' offering (max 20 persons per COVID guidelines) combined with online Sangha Gathering. All are welcome to join in the online Gathering, sharing the merits and joys of this day from near and far.

At this auspicious juncture, our whole Dhammadharini Sangha would like to express our joy, deep gratitude, appreciation, and "Anumodana!" to all of our Dhamma friends and supporters, especially the members of our Dhammadharini Support Foundation and its newly-revived Inspiring Generosity Committee, and all those who are monthly supporters and time by time donors towards our monastery Lodgings Dana and Grocery Dana. We would also like to thank the Alliance for Bhikkhunis, the Cloud Mountain Nuns Initiative, and all those who have donated to them for their extra essential support during this difficult time. Our deep gratitude to all the Sangha members who have offered us so much encouragement and support via their generous sharing of their presence, Dhamma teachings, and blessings at our virtual International Bhikkhuni Sangha Gatherings during this time of COVID. We share a few personal words here from our sangha:

from Samanerin Kaccayana -

I'd like to share the blessings of this time back with all those who supported us over the Vassa. Even more than any material support, your kindness and faith inspires and encourages us to strive to be worthy of all that you offer. Anumodana! - with gratitude, Novice Kaccayana

from Anagarika Thavira -

We are living in extraordinary times right now, and in the midst of the incredible complexities of the world situation, I'm so grateful for the simplicity of this practice. Bringing myself back, again and again, to seeing clearly what truly leads to my peace and freedom, and what leads to suffering, and learning to choose freedom - even when all of my conditioning is pushing me in the other direction. May our practice here be an inspiration, for everyone, that this is truly possible. - with metta, An Thavira

from Ayya Sucitta -

As for my three month Vassa at Dhammadharini this year after returning from New Jersey, it brought me special joy of cooperating in community that developed harmonious and showed us infinitive possibilities for wholesome practice which leads to higher state quality of spiritual path as an ascetic who strive to get closer to the meaningful teachings of the Buddha.
I deeply grateful to our Sangha and supporters for their wonderful generosity and caring with kindness.
Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu, Anumodami !

from Ayya Suvijjana - 

We are grateful to be able to carry on the tradition that the Buddha established so long ago.  Vassa is the special time for the monastics to stay in one place giving a community of lay people the opportunity to offer support.  
 
Time in the forest is rare these days.  I was fortunate to have the first month of my silent retreat period uninterrupted at the Aranya Bodhi Forest Hermitage.  But I needed to leave my kuti, my cabin in the forest,  and go to the monastery in town for the last two weeks of retreat period due to an evacuation order.  I did well and was able to finish my silent retreat with the wonderful support that was offered there by those at the monastery. 
 
Those of us who had Aranya Bodhi as their vassa residence were able to keep our vassa dwelling by making the determination to return in six days and doing so at the prescribed time.  Then back to the monastery until we could return safely, all within the determined times.
 
The fires on top of the pandemic are an opportunity to challenge ourselves to look at things through the Buddha’s teaching.   It is easy to see the dukkha, the suffering, that these natural disasters bring and to see anicca, the impermanent nature of things.  The additional suffering comes with not seeing the anatta or non-self.   Nothing is really ours, yet we cling.   Things are really out of our control, but we wish to have things the way we think they should be.  When we rebel against natural conditions we suffer more.
Monastic life has helped me learn to be flexible.  It is the nature of things to change and for the unexpected to happen.  Our lives can end in a flash.   We understand that all the things we look to for comfort are not really ours and can vanish quickly too. 
We are so fortunate to have the Buddha’s teachings during this time.   These difficulties should urge us to really apply ourselves to these teachings and practice.
 
The monastics at both Aranyabodhi and Dhammadharini Monastery have been sending blessings and loving kindness to all beings that have been affected by the fires and pandemic.  This has been part of our daily practice during the vassa.   We will continue this and the inner work that the Buddha has laid out for us.
 
May all beings be released from every kind of suffering.
-with mega metta, Suvijjana Bhikkhuni

We would like to announce something special here -

Our Ayya Suvijjana, who has been with us since nearly the beginning of Dhammadharini, has completed ten years--ten Vassas--as a bhikkhuni, and has now graduated to being a bhikkhuni "theri". In the Thai forest tradition, she would now be called an "ajahn". Ayya Suvijjana Theri has been invited as a Dhammadhuta bhikkhuni to Embracing Simplicity Hermitage in North Carolina to help support the training of the four new bhikkhunis who are there and nearby at Heartwood Refuge. Having made a good heart and Dhamma connection with hermitage co-founders Ven. Pannavati and Ven. Pannadipa, she has kindly accepted their invitation. (She also looks forward to long hours and days of meditation in the forest at Embracing Simplicity Hermitage.) Oct 17th, our Kathina Day, will be the day that Ayya Suvijjana formally takes her leave (leave of absence) from our Dhammadharini community to travel to NC on the 18th. We will offer a special program with her on our Kathina Day for all who would like to express their gratitude and blessings as she embarks on this new stage of life, Dhamma cultivation, and Dhamma sharing in the Buddha's Noble Path.

More on our Oct 17th Kathina Day coming to you very soon - please save the date. We look forward to seeing you soon - in two weeks time - for the happy and joyful event of Kathina, celebrating the completion of this Vassa, and the existence of the treasures of the Sangha in our world.

With mega metta,
from our whole Dhammadharini Sangha

at Dhammadharini Monastery and Aranya Bodhi forest hermitage

P.S. We're happy to share these photos just in from last week's dual ordination of new Bhikkhuni Ayya Dhammadipa at Aloka Vihara Forest Monastery, where our Ven. Ayya Sobhana Theri served as a Bhikkhuni preceptor for the first time. Congratulations from all of us, Ven. Dhammadipa Bhikkhuni!

     

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