Join Us at a Daylong Meditation Retreat! - in person with Ayya Sobhanā - Sat Aug 26th at Wat Buddha Fremont
Friends of Dhammadharini
Dhammadharini Monastery
Love, Suffering, Death & Being with the Dhamma
Daylong Retreat at Wat Buddhanusorn
August 24, 2023, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Led by Venerable Sobhanā Therī
These days, our society and the natural world seem to be in a lot of trouble. Those who are not well established in the Dhamma can be overwhelmed, and even those who have practiced in line with the Dhamma for a long time can feel the disturbance. There is a skillful way to meet and overcome the inevitable problems and failures in life, to have compassion for our natural human reactions, and to transform each experience of suffering — dukkha — into an opportunity for wisdom and liberation — paññā vimutti. Ven. Bhikkhunī Sobhanā Therī will offer guided meditation and Dhamma discussion aimed at such healing and transformation.
Communal Meal
Please bring a vegetarian dish to offer to the monastics and share with the group.
What to Bring
Feel free to bring a meditation cushion or seat. A limited number of chair will be available.
Register Now
To attend in person please register with the retreat organizer Sampunna Shari Gent, at https://forms.gle/1Jg5QyYD77JTD6QE7
Register here to join online: https://www.dhammadharini.net/event-details/daylong-retreat-at-wat-buddhanusorn
Portions of the day will be live-streamed and available for viewing on Dhammadharini’s Youtube channel. [https://www.youtube.com/@DhammadhariniMonastery/streams]
Dana
This retreat is offered through the generosity of Wat Buddhanusorn and Dhammadharini Monastery, for voluntary donation (dana) only. The opportunity to offer dana to Wat Buddhanusorn and to Dhammadharini will be available.
Location
Wat Buddhanusorn, “temple for the dedication of the Buddha”, was founded in 1983 and in keeping with Thai Theravadan Buddhist traditional has always relied on donations and volunteer work for its support. The main objectives behind the founding of the temple community are for propagating the Buddha’s teachings and practice, to teach and promote Thai art, language, and culture to all those who are interested, and to serve as a pillar of the Thai community.
Many of the projects the monks and supporters are involved in focus on building and strengthening the Buddhist community in Fremont whether it be holding an open house or conducting meditation and dhamma classes. All are welcome to attend without discrimination and the congregation has begun to reflect the diversity of their community, something rather uncommon in Thai temples in the west.
36054 Niles Blvd. • Fremont, CA 94536
The Teacher
Venerable Sobhanā Therī
Ayya Sobhana trained with master Dhamma and meditation teacher Venerable Dr. Henepola Gunaratana Nāyaka Mahāthero (known as "Bhante G") since 1989. Her primary practice is the Eightfold Noble Path, that is, integration of meditation with ethical living and compassionate relationships for the sake of liberation. She “went forth” into monastic life as a Sāmanerī in 2003 at the Bhavana Society of West Virginia with Bhante Gunaratana as her teacher, and obtained full Bhikkhuni ordination at Dambulla, Sri Lanka in 2006, with the Most Venerables Sīrī Sumedhā Mahātherī and Sīri Sumangala Mahāthero as her bhikkhunī and bhikkhu preceptors. After nearly five years of monastic life and teacher training with Bhante Gunaratana, in 2010 Ayyā Sobhanā was invited to dwell at the new bhikkhunī hermitage, Aranya Bodhi, on California's Sonoma Coast, which she has played an important and leading role in developing. In 2016, Ayyā Sobhanā was appointed vice abbess of Dhammadharini, and in 2020 she was appointed a bhikkhunī preceptor. Ayyā teaches around the greater San Francisco Bay Area, and on both coasts of the US, offering retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Southern Dharma Retreat Center, and at Buddhist Insights of New York. She also offers regular meditation and Sutta teachings as well as retreats online hosted by Dhammadharini Monastery (see Dhammadharini Monastery on YouTube).