🙏🧡 Sharing Blessings ~ from Ayya T's 25th Bhikkhuni Anniversary and Sanghamitta Day 🙏🧡
6 views
Skip to first unread message
❧ Dhammadharini Monastery
Dec 11, 2022, 11:32:10 PM12/11/22
to dhamma...@googlegroups.com
Warm greetings dear Venerable Monastics and Dhamma Friends,
The Dhammadharini community wishes to share the blessings with all of you, with our sincere gratitude and appreciation for all those who joined in these two joyful recent events: The celebration of Ayya Tathaloka's 25th anniversary of Upasampada higher ordination, and our annual December Full Moon Sanghamitta Day. What a mudita-full time of celebration it has been for us, coming together with so many of you in person and online, to recognize these two special occasions.
Sharing the blessings ~
In this message, we're happy to share with you the recordings from these events.
Saturday December 3rd: Honoring Ayya Tathaloka's 25th Anniversary of Bhikkhuni Upasampada
On Saturday December 3rd, many friends braved cold and damp conditions (which Ayya T described as "Portland-like," reminding her of her home area) to join us at the monastery, in appreciation of the incredible benefit of Ayya Tathaloka's 25 years as a Bhikkhuni, and nearly 35 years in monastic life. We were delighted to be joined by Luang Por Pasanno, Tan Yasa, and Anagarika Justin from Abhayagiri, as well as Ayya Niyyanika from Aloka Vihara, and many other dear faithful, long time friends, together with new friends as well.
This event was just in-person, not broadcast online, so alas - no recording for us to share with you! However you may see photos from the event in our album here:
On Saturday evening, many friends from near and far joined us live for the Zoom event, including Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi, Ayya Santini Mahatheri from Indonesia, our longtime friend Ayya Sudhamma, Ayya Sobhana (coming to us from the Carolina Buddhist Vihara where she's been on retreat), Ajahn Nyaniko from Abhayagiri, and Ayya Sumangala from Ariya Vihara Malaysia. Many other friends shared video messages, which were played during the event - including Loung Por Maha Prasert from Wat Buddhanusorn, Sakyadhita International president emeritus Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Ajahn Brahmali, Ven. Bhikkhuni Dhammananda from Thailand (now celebrating her 20th anniversary as well), and too many others to name here.
As part of the online event, we screened a new short homegrown
biographical documentary about Ayya Tathaloka's life - some of you have
asked whether this will be shared publicly on our YouTube channel. It certainly
will be! However the documentary team wishes to make further artistic
improvements, and looks forward to sharing the final version more widely
when it is completed.
Here are the recordings from the event:
Mahatheri Felicitation: 25 years of Bhikkhuni Upasampada (30 minute documentary on Ayya Tathaloka's life & work)
If you're curious to know more about Ayya Tathaloka's Bhikkhuni ordination in 1997 during this groundbreaking time, see below for the link to a video presentation on that subject.
December Full Moon Sanghamitta Day
Dhammadharini Sanghamitta Full Moon Programs:
This year, Dhammadharini specially dedicated our regular weekly Sunday and Tuesday evening program times leading up to the full moon in honor of the Sanghamitta Therī, with recordings available here:
- Sanghamitta's Journey: Sunday Morning Meditation with Ayya Suvijjana Theri
- Sanghamitta Day Sunday Sutta Study with Ayya Suvijjana Theri
- Tuesday Evening Sanghamitta Day Full Moon program with Ayya Tathaloka Mahatheri
As part of Ayya Tathaloka's Tuesday program, two videos were shared, which you may watch here separately:
- Walking in the Footsteps of Great Theri Sanghamitta with Ayya Tathaloka Mahatheri
- Reenactment of Sanghamitta's Journey with the Bodhi Tree with Ayya Tathaloka Mahatheri as Sanghamitta Theri, Venerable Kaccayana as Mahinda Thero, a small Bodhi tree, and a kayak (this idea started off as a joke during the planning for Sanghamitta Day 2020, but turned out to be lovely!)
The United Theravada Bhikkhuni Sangha International (UTBSI)
Sanghamitta Full Moon Programs:
The United Theravada Bhikkhuni Sangha International (UTBSI), for which Ayya Tathaloka is serving as Coordinator of Bhikkhuni History/Herstory & Heritage, also held a two-day event in honor of the Sanghamitta Full Moon, titled "The Importance of Bhikkhuni Sangha Existence."
This event included many well-known speakers from around the world, and the recordings may be found on the UTBSI YouTube channel. The YouTube video descriptions include all of the details about the speakers on each day:
Ayya Tathaloka offered two presentations as part of the UTBSI program. The first was about the historically-significant 1997 ordination here in the US at International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles were she received Bhikkhuni Upasampada (of which this was the 25-year Anniversary) --
offering an important contribution to the public collective knowledge of the Theravada Bhikkhuni revival from the first-hand perspective of one of those bhikkhunis ordained. There are two versions of this presentation available:
Ayya Tathaloka also offered a short (4 min) presentation for UTBSI about the upcoming Mahapajapati Gotami Parinibbana Day coming up in February, and two exciting announcements related to Mahapajapati Gotami Theri, that we'll be hearing more about in February 2023:
We sincerely hope that you will find these programs educational and inspiring. For us here at Dhammadharini, these programs have been a wonderful opportunity to learn more about our founding teacher and preceptor, and to celebrate the joys and opportunities of women living a monastic life as established by the Buddha. What a beautiful thing to exist in our world!
We would also like to let you know, as an amazing bonus during this time, that our beloved and most venerable teacher and kalyanamitta Bhante G had his 95th birthday, and launched a new book, "Impermanence in Plain English," on December 8th, the Sanghamitta Full Moon day.
With metta,
Venerable Kaccayana Bhikkhuni and Samaneri Thavira
on behalf of the Dhammadharini Community
For more information about ways to participate and support the Dhammadharini community, see our website.
--
Dhammadharini Monastery
6791 Sturtevant Dr., Penngrove CA 94951
tel or text: +1 707.583.9522
email: dhammadhari...@gmail.com
more info on the web @ dhammadharini.net
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages