Kathina SeasonIt has been over a week prior but the delight and warmth of our kathina season celebration here at Bodhinyanarama lingers on. There were so many factors that added to the smooth running and joy of the day. The weather, lots of monks (16), a good number of lay friends (about 400), the support of the Thai embassy, the generosity of all involved – and the spirit of the event itself. This traditional time of alms giving to mark the end of the 3-month rains retreat is always a beautiful convergence of community energies. We are especially blessed to have such good relationships with all the local buddhist centers and cultural communities seeing a good number of the same people at each of our respective events. Thank you to all who participated. Anumodana. view photos
Weekend RetreatNovember: Friday 1st, 7pm – Sunday 3rd, 4:30pm. This is only a few days away and there are still a few beds available. Use the booking form to secure a place. Otherwise you can come during the day and return home in the evening if you wish; just join in quietly.
On WheelsThe aging population – baby boomers? – is as real in the monastery as anywhere. We have been giving much thought to general mobility around the property for quite some time, years in fact, especially for the monks; both resident and visiting. Work has started on a network of ramp access. This is mainly around the monks’ vihara with wheeled tracks planned to connect to all three levels. There will also be an extension up to Ajahn Kusalo’s kuti. It is possible that it might be feasible to connect to the other two lowest kutis but levels have not yet been determined. It takes a fair amount of survey to determine gradient, distance and finding an optimum line through the bush. We are still working on this phase and formation work should begin in a week or so. preliminary photos
New Year RetreatDecember 26th – January 3rd. Use the booking form to secure a place.
Web SiteWe are working on a new version of the monastery website. This is a volunteer undertaking so it may take a while – people have busy lives. Anyone with React experience could help.