Group Meditation:We will be practising together in the Dhamma Hall for the last week of vassa, 12-19th October. There will be walking and sitting meditation through the day (8.30-10.30; 2-5) with the usual morning and evening pujas. You are welcome to join for any part of this schedule.
Monks:Ajahn Ariyasilo will be coming to live at Bodhinyanarama for an indefinite period after Labour Weekend, arriving on the 29th October. He is unsure about our winter but will be here for several months. We look forward to having him with us, benefitting from his 28 years as a monk and hearing some of his Dhamma.
Lay Resident:Some of you may have met Natalie during your visits here. She has been a regular visitor for quite some time and has decided to live here as a long-term resident. All residents, monastics included, have certain duties we each see to. It will take some time for Natalie to settle and for us all to see what roles she might assume. We wish her welcome and hope that her stay is happy and fruitful.
Labour Weekend Retreat:Accommodation is almost full (waiting list for women, 2 spaces for men) but you are welcome to come for any part of the schedule: 8.30-10.30; 1.30-5.30 plus morning and evening pujas.
Office:The store-room over the kitchen is being converted into an office. It will take a while to establish with many of the business functions that take place in the office in the upper house being shifted to this new location. The idea is to provide an accessible public contact point and administration center and to dedicate the upperhouse office for more monastic business. All generally part of the re-zoning of the monastery.
Hermitage:Four new kuti sites are being considered at the top end of the property. See: News>Future Work will begin this year on establishing access with construction perhaps in a year or so. This is a long-term project and it will be good to take time and consider each step carefully.
Lay Kutis:With the rezoning of the monastery the triplex will no longer be available as guest accommodation. The plan is to build two new kutis on the east side of the stream – in the lay zone. Sites are still being explored but the hope is to have access established and the sites prepared this year and construction completed by next vassa. There are a couple of working bees being planned. Fund raising for this project has begun and will be a part of the alms offering at our Kathina-season celebration.
Kathina Season:The robe offering at Bodhinyanarama will on November 3rd. We are very happy that several monks of the Ajahn Chah lineage will be joining us to take part in the ceremony. Phra Ajahn Kalyano, the abbot of Bodhivana Monastery in Melbourne, will join us and will be bringing two monks with him. Phra Ajahn Ariyasilo, who spent the vassa at Vimutti in Auckland, and Phra Ajahn Chandako, the abbot of Vimutti, will also be with us along with monks from the Wellington region. More details later.