news

Happy New YearIt has been a while since the last update and now we are well into a new year. We hope that all is going well for you, current weather excepted, and that it is indeed proving to be a happy year. The first part of the year will be very busy at Bodhinyanarama

New Year RetreatAjahn Pasada has kindly offered to lead this retreat. Starting at 7pm on Monday 26th December and finishing on Tuesday 3rd January at 4pm. Many people have already booked so if you want accommodation please fill out the guest booking form. You are welcome to come through the day and join any part

KathinaVassa is well over now and the Kathina season has another week+ remaining. Our celebration last Sunday was a very inspiring reminder of the underlying depth and strength of our wider community. What a warm, joyful and hearty gathering we had. The main offering of cloth was made by our long-term lay stewards, Suan, Bruce

Kathina S.C.Kathina Season Celebration… October 16th, 9:45am. This occasion marks the end of the vassa and is the biggest alms giving ceremony of the year. Traditionally it is a time to be sure that monks have sufficient requisites before resuming wandering. These days, with monks more settled, it is directed more at the monastery generally

Vassa RetreatA combination of people’s continuing concerns with covid and the resident community’s ‘pulling back’ sees this year’s vassa as being very quiet. We are a week off half way now and several of the sangha have had, or are having their personal self-retreat. This is such a special time for us and we very

June Meditation RetreatFriday 24th June, 7pm – Sunday 26th, 4pm. “The Present Moment” – let’s make it a gift, a present! It is always being offered but, perhaps, not always fully received; much of the joy in this gift is not appreciated. Led by Ajahn Kusalo. There is still accommodation: booking formIf you have applied

Vesak A many layered celebration. Dhamma Gavesi had theirs on the 14th (Bhante Jinalankara is in Sri Lanka so, obviously :), did not join). Bodhinyanarama revelled on the 22nd (unfortunately overlapping Wat Thai) and ATBA, in Auckland, had their event on the 29th. There was also a gathering at Bodhinyanarama on the 28th for the

VesakOn Sunday the 22nd of May we will celebrate Vesak; focusing on the life of the Buddha. His birth, enlightenment and final passing took place on the full moon of the month of Vesak 2565 years ago. This day of celebration is an opportunity to bring forth a heart of gratitude and to reflect on

We have been busy/distracted in a kind of way so it has been a while since the last update. There is plenty that has been happening so this one is quite long. There are quite a few photos … but time is a bit preoccupied so it may take a few more days to edit

Happy New YearWe sincerely hope that all your days to come throughout this year are filled with calm, peace and all good things.The new year meditation retreat went extremely well with full attendance and several people coming through the day. New year’s eve was especially beautiful with clear skies and a good crowd; many extra

New Year EventsThe retreat (26th to 3rd) is oversubscribed but you are welcome to come and join in for the day. On NY Eve we will have our usual pre-midnight ceremonies. This year we will move the planting of our ‘aspirations’ under the wishing-tree up to the stupa where we will start that part of

Covid + more covidThe traffic light system is in place. We are trying to be clear about our responsibilities and be compliant. Our range of activities presents numerous variations, not always with an obvious way to proceed. For the next while most of our events will be considered as ‘non-pass-required’ with the continuing emphasis on

Covid ProtocolsThe vassa has ended and we have reviewed monastery covid protocols with a view to making Bodhinyanarama more accessible for you all – as of Tuesday 9th. There are quite a few details, with the main standard being “masks and 1m distancing.” Please have a look at the website to read full protocol details.

LockdownI sincerely hope that you are all faring well during the current phase of C19. This human life has many challenges and we learn, over time, to deal with them. This particular one is relatively new for all of us, old and young, and we are all in the learning stage; which can be especially

VassaThe full moon of Asalha is on Saturday 24th and it marks the beginning of the monastery’s three month winter retreat. We have a very solid group of people committed to being here for this time and to making the extra efforts with practice and study that this time traditonally encourages. The first week will

Level 2And it just won’t go away! But… it will change. For now we are on level 2 and must limit gatherings to 100 people and maintain 1m distancing. You are most welcome to come to the monastery but – be distance aware. Unfortunately we have to cancel the upcoming retreat; see below.Weekend RetreatIt was

Vesak CelebrationSunday, May 30th – 9:45am. To celebrate the birth, enlightenment and final passing of the Buddha. Come and join us on this auspicious occasion. We will be putting the (hopefully new) marquee up so there will be plenty of room. Precepts, rice pindapat, sharing of merit, shared meal, Dhamma talk, cirumambulation, blessings… etc. You

2021 RetreatsTwo weekends have been set for retreats:April 16-18 led by Venerable KusalacittoJune 25-27 led by Ajahn KusaloAn opportunity to establish, or extend, your meditation practice. Accommodation at the monastery is limited. Make a booking and put ‘retreat’ in the comments box. These are both ‘open’ retreats and, if you are not resident, you can

VesakTo honour the life of the Buddha! To bring a grateful focus to the blessings we receive as a result of his life. It is still a couple of months away but just to get the date into your calendar: Sunday, May 30th.Taupo TudongA couple of weeks ago Ajahns Kusalo, Thitasippo and Buddhisaro hitch-hiked and

New YearThe annual meditation retreat went very well with a good attendance. All our lay bed-spaces (22) were used and other spaces, like the library, added another 5 people. It was quite cosy. Several people came through the day – with little disturbance – so the overall feeling was very still and settled. Many thanks

Happy Present Moment“Tis the season to be jolly… ” and the year’s end (and xmas) is a traditional time for happiness. So… much happiness all round! And kindness and good-will to you – and all beings – always. All of us here at Bodhinyanarama wish you many blessings and all good things for the new

Dana RosterAunty Suan is preparing the meal-dana roster for next year. If you would like to offer dana at any specific time please contact her. This could be just for one day of the year, or twice a year, or monthly or weekly… there are any number of options available. Please make your interest known

Monks on TudongAjahns Sudhiro and Thitasippo are spending a couple of weeks wandering the South Island. As well as just ‘going walkabout’ they will be visiting the four Thai temples down that way. They also have support from Paul, Viphavadee and Kloy Jai and, all going well, they should be back in a week or

KathinaSunday, 11th October: 9:30am. Now at level one we are able to meet together. Yay! The vassa this year has been an excellent one with a large and well committed sangha. We very much appreciate all the support that you offered through this time. To mark the end of vassa and the start of the

Sunday ProgramSunday has traditionally been our main, regular day of events. The standard program (in the main hall) is:meditation at 10:00the meal offering at 10:30meditation 1:30 until 4:30pmevening puja (chanting, meditation, talk) at 6pmWe do occasionally experiment with different formats – trying to find what works best for you. As of the 23rd Aug. we

Samanera OrdinationSunday, July 19th, 1:00pm. After over a year with us as an anagarika Jet will take pappaja (going forth as a samanera); transitioning from white into the brown robe. This is a very auspicious event and of significance for the monastery as, while there have been a few anagarikas coming and going over the

July 5th CelebrationSunday, July 5th, 9:45am. This is the full moon of Asalha Puja, the beginning of the vassa. As this will be our first community gathering for 2020 there are so many other reasons to celebrate. It will be a delight to see you all.Annual General MeetingThis was held last Sunday and went very

The BIG CelebrationSunday, July 5th, 9:45am. We have been in isolation for quite some time and several of our regular celebration events have been cancelled. And now, there are at least SEVEN reasons to come together to celebrate… 1: Vesak (the main one),2: Songkran (Asian New Year), 3: Khao Pansa (entering the rains retreat), 4:

Vesak: rebrandedAs most of you have probably concluded we are NOT having a Vesak celebration on the 31st May. Unfortunately the government radically changed the assembly rules for level 2 so it is not feasible to think in terms of meeting together until we get to level 1. So… the current plan is to look

Vesak ThoughtsToday is the full moon of May – Vesakah Puja! – and we are sequestered here in our little monastic bubble; as you are in yours. Which way will the wind blow tomorrow? We are very much hoping that we will be in level 2 in the next week or so. According to level

Sri Lanka ImagesAjahn Kusalo has sifted photos from his Sri Lankan trip and you can view these here. There are plans to write a journal but – don’t hold your breath. What a superb time it was with a manageable range of challenges – and returning to NZ just before the lockdown. Yay!Bodhinyanarama & CaronaVisit

Ajahn Kusalo Tudong TalkAfter his trip in January to Thailand for Luang Por Chah’s memorial Ajahn Kusalo then travelled to Sri Lanka where he wandered for 6 weeks with two other monks walking from Polonnaruwa south for 3 weeks then various buses, trains, tuk-tuks, and such down to Situlpawa monastery in Yala National Park. Many

Luang Por SupotLuang Por arrived on Thursday and will be staying with us for three weeks. We have invited him to give a dhamma talk this coming Sunday evening, 29th; puja starts at 6pm. The talk will be in Thai with English translation. Do come and take this opportunity to hear teachings from a senior

Busy BodhinyanaramaThere always seems to be a busy ‘rush’ after vassa ends. Also the ‘Christmas is Coming!’ energy flows in as well. The long spell of dry weather has meant we have been especially busy outdoors. So… there hasn’t a news update for quite a while; no shortage of news just not enough time to

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

Kathina SCSunday, October 20th. We start at 9:45am with a short meditation, then some chanting, and the day’s programme unfolds from there. The weather forecast looks good for the day! We are pleased to have Ajahn Hasapannyo coming from Melbourne to join us for this occasion as well as our local sanghas. This year the

Saturday WorkshopWith the vassa almost over, and summer on the way!, we are getting back up to speed with our general activities. As usual, the first Saturday of every month, 1-5pm, we meet for meditation. There is a general introduction to begin, with increasing silence and space for practice as the afternoon progresses.Kathina SCAfter an

VassaOur annual winter retreat is well underway. We had a week of group meditation and this was well attended, both by residents and visitors just here for the day. This gets ‘the meditative ball rolling’ and the sangha has now started a cycle of self-retreats so there will be various monastics not visible at different

RetreatThe June retreat went very well. The new short-weekend format seems to be much appreciated; there are already bookings for November. We may experiment with over-booking because sickness, work, family and such meant cancellations which meant we could have accommodated more. Even so we were at least 30 on Saturday. Very nice.AGMOur meeting went very

RetreatFriday 28th to Sunday 30th June. Starts tomorrow; 7pm. With cancellations there is now some accommodation available. Use the booking form; specify ‘retreat’ in the comment box. booking form You are welcome to join the retreat during all or part of the day and return home in the evening.AGMSunday, 7th July, 1pm. All are welcome

AGM ooopsMy bad! It has been ‘discovered’ that the June meditation retreat and the advertised AGM date are on the same weekend… no can do. I think the complex committments of those coming for the retreat must take precedence. So… let’s have the AGM the following weekend – Sunday, 7th July, 1pm.This allows more time

VesakSunday, 26th May, 9:45. The marquee is up, the lanterns are hung and flags are at the ready. A few more items still need to be added and all we need then is for you to join us in celebrating the birth, enlightenment and final passing of the Buddha. This is probably the biggest event

VesakSunday, 26th May, 9:45am. Join us to celebrate the birth, enlightenment and final passing of the Buddha; probably the biggest event on the Buddhist calendar. We will honour the life of this great being, without who none of this would be possible; the monastery, the sangha… Buddhism. An opportunity for celebration, gratitude, dhamma, friendship… joy.

SongkranSunday 21st April. We will celebrate S.E. Asian New year this Sunday. Starting at about 9:45 the program will include a short meditation, group chanting, rice pindapat, Five Precepts, offering of requisites and – after lunch – Dhamma talk, Sangha paritta chanting and water blessing of laity and all our Buddha rupas (statues) – and

Peace DemonstrationThis Saturday, Wellington, Civic Square, 1pm until… everyone is peaceful? The sangha will meditate together (at least until 3pm) and you are all welcome to join us at any time in silent prayer, blessings, merit sharing, peaceful public coexistence, as support for all those who are suffering in the context of the Christchurch shooting.

Meditation WorkshopThis Saturday, 2nd March, 1-5pm. This is the second workshop this year and it will be led by Ajahn Vajiro who is with us until March 11th. This is a good opportunity to hear a fresh voice and new perspective on meditation with an opportunity to ask questions. Suitable for beginners and experienced meditators.

Ajahn VajiroAjahn was the abbot here at Bodhinyanarama back in 1994+ and is currently the abbot at Sumedharama Monastery in Portugal. He will be arriving here on Saturday 23rd and staying for about three weeks. He will be leading a good number of our regular teaching events; Sunday evening puja (24th, 3rd), meditation workshop (2nd).

Kathina PhotosIt has been a while since we had this event but the days have been well filled preparing for the stupa dedication. You may want to view photos from that day. Many thanks to Jiri, Tomasz and Euan for the photos. And many thanks to all of you for making that such a lovely

Stupa DedicationSunday, December 2nd. 9:45 start. Most information is on the website Dedication Detail page. A brief outline of that:Stupa: Offerings Bring something special, beautiful, personal, auspicious to place at the head of the Buddha.Stupa: Dhamma Our visiting ajahns will be offering dhamma. Starting Saturday 24th, 1pm: Ajahn Viradhammo + 6pm Sunday. Then Thursday 29th,

KathinaSunday, November 4th. 9:45 start. After a very harmonious and fruitful rains retreat the community will celebrate the end of the vassa. The Kathina tradition was established by the Buddha over 2500 years ago and is the largest alms-giving ceremony of the Buddhist year. The focus is on the offering of robe cloth to the

Labour W’end RetreatFriday, October 19th to Monday 22nd. “A matter of Life and Death.” It really is… Life is a matter of death and death a matter of life – and we are all doing it. How well? Bringing clarity to the mind through meditation allows us to develop a full and effective perspective. Please

VassaLast Sunday was the new moon which marked the half-way point of the vassa. We have been receiving very few residential guests so the monastery has been very quiet with almost no work projects. We are basically five monks plus our three long-term stewards and the atmosphere is extremely peaceful. Visitors continue to come regularly

Working BeeLast weekend was the King of Thailand’s birthday. The Embassy staff and others in the Thai community organized a working bee at the monastery to celebrate the occasion and to dedicate merits to his majesty. The stupa was the main focus but gardening and cleaning work also got done. It was a very happy

Buddha Rupa ArrivesAfter over a year of planning and coordinating the reclining marble buddha rupa from Thailand has arrived. Being less in weight (1.1 tonne) with more manageable dimensions than the moonstone transporting it up the hill from the carpark was comparatively easy. We had an excavator on site so it was a fairly easy

Working BeeThis Saturday, 16th June, after lunch ~ 12:30. The main focus will be clearing the Bhikkhu Vihara basement – known by some as ‘The Cardinals Palace.’ There are thoughts to better utilise this space. Currently it is full of ‘stuff’ that we would like to clear and shift down to the workshop. A secondary

VesakWe had a delightful gathering on Sunday. A combination of both Wat Thai and Wat Cambodia having their celebration on the same day, as well as a bitter wind from the south, meant there were less gathered than might be considered usual for such an occasion. The joy and warm hearts more than brought balance

VesakMay 27th… Vesak is one of the biggest Buddhist events of the year when we celebrate the birth, enlightenment and final passing of the Buddha. A time to express our gratitude to the Buddha and our appreciation of the Dhamma that he taught and the Sangha that he established. A time to confirm our connection

SongkranThere was a joyous gathering at Bodhinyanarama last Sunday to celebrate Songkran; S.E. Asian new year. There was an excellent turnout with good numbers representing all cultures. The absolutely perfect weather may have been a supporting factor. There are many factors at work within such an event – generosity, a love of Dhamma, an appreciation

South IslandBhikkhus Kusalo, Thanavaro and Phasuko travelled with Pat and Daniel for eleven days in the northern part of the South Island. From the ferry they headed west along highway 63 through Murchison to Westport then north to Kohaihai. This is the end of the road that meets the end of the Heaphy track and

Quiet MonasteryAnd how things change. As of Monday venerable Kusalacitto will be the only, thus senior, monk at Bodhinyanarama. See details next item. The schedule will remain more or less unchanged. It is a blessing that we have as many monks as we do and that venerable is willing to take the lead. Just so

M & M DayOn Sunday the 25th we will celebrate Magha Puja. Sometimes called “Sangha Day” it commemorates the spontaneous gathering of 1,250 arahants around the Buddha. We will also celebrate the final placement of the Moonstone at the stupa. This will include the internment of various sacred objects and relics under the stone. If

NY RetreatWe had 27 retreatants in residence with several people coming for the day. We had more than double that number on new year’s eve, meditating until midnight with a few simple rituals to farewell the old and welcome the new. The theme of ‘The End of the World’ was well explored; as a teaching,

New Year RetreatDec. 26 to Jan. 3rd. “The End of the World.” Not annihilation but cessation – transcendence. From where to what? That is the question; which can’t be conventionally answered, only directly experienced. Let’s do that! Accommodation is pretty tight but do apply if you want to join. Camping is an option. Otherwise you

Monthly ReminderMeditation is the study, training and understanding of the mind. “All phenomena are preceded by, ruled by and made by the mind.” Dhammapada #1. Two monthly events. 1st Saturday 2nd Dec. = meditation workshop; 1-5pm at the monastery. + 1st Monday 4th = city meditation; 6-7.30pm, Quaker House, Moncrief St.Venerable ThanavaroVenerable Thanavaro, born in

New Year RetreatDecember 26th to January 3rd – “The End of the World.” An exploration of experiential definitions of the world, its extent, our experience of it and its ending. The transition into the new year marks a point of change. You can make some changes. The retreat is semi-residential so do join for all

Kathina SeasonA joyous time of celebration. There were reciprocal visits between DhammaGavesi, Wat Dhammapradeep and Bodhinyanarama for our respective Kathina events. All were well attended, well organized and happy times. It is also nice to see the mutual support with many people attending not just their own cultural function. There are a few photos of

Awk PansaOctober 1st. A traditional S.E. Asian ceremony to mark the ending of vassa. A day of festivity as a preparatory approach to the Kathina season celebration. KATHINA SEASON CELEBRATIONOctober 15th. We will be celebrating the end of our vassa retreat on Sunday 15th. A joyful gathering to share in the virtue of Dhamma and

VassaWe celebrated the new moon on Monday. This marks the half-way point of the vassa. Ajahn Kusalo begins his self-retreat and the resident community generally maintains a quiet and meditative schedule. We all often reflect on the blessing of this opportunity; to be able to cultivate the Buddha’s teaching with such inspiring support from the

VassaWe are now nearly three weeks into our vassa, winter retreat. We are four monks and four lay stewards in residence and are flowing along nicely having just finished a week of group practice. There are still a few ongoing projects but nothing too demanding (see below). With no short-term overnight guests the energy in

Annual General MeetingYou are welcome to join us on Sunday July 2nd, 1:00pm for our AGM. This is a public meeting with only WTBA members able to vote. We will have the abbot’s, president’s and treasurer’s reports, elect a new committee, vote on a small change to the constitution (see text below) and generally review

VesakWe invite you to join us on Sunday May 7th, 9:45am, to honour and respect the many blessings that we have received from the Buddha. Vesak is the most significant event on the Buddhist calendar celebrating the life of Gotama the Buddha; his birth, enlightenment and final passing. A most worthy cause for celebration.All are

SongkranDespite all of the other viharas having an event on the same day we were delighted to welcome nearly 200 friends to share the new year celebration at Bodhinyanarama. The weather was gentle and sunny throughout proceedings. Literally – as the last monk had his hands blessed – the sky devas could hold back their

SongkranWe will celebrate S.E. Asian New year this Sunday, 16th April. Starting at about 9:45 the program will include short meditation, group chanting, rice pindapat, Five Precepts, offering of requisites and – after lunch – Dhamma talk, Sangha paritta chanting and water blessing of laity and all our Buddha rupas (statues). If you have a

Tent ThanksMany thanks to all those who offered the use of tents for the monks’ tudong. Unfortunately one of the monks was sick, our driver had a funeral and the weather was awful. We did the Palmerston part of the plan but got two flat tyres on the way back. view photos With all this

Stupa UpdateWe have had an excavation machine on site for the last few days and the new road and forecourt have been formed. The next step is to get the stone work done and the final levels set. Good progress has been made sourcing a granite moonstone in Sri Lanka. The UN has invited Ajahn

Upcoming EventsThe new year is warming up 🙂 with regular events back to normal.Saturday Workshop: 1st Saturday of the month – 4th Feb, Monastery, 1-5pmCity Meditation: 1st Monday – 6th Feb. Quaker House, 7 Moncrieff St, 6-8pmStupa ProgressNot a lot of work has been done on site but concept and planning details are firming up.

New YearHappy New Year.! May the days ahead bring you much happiness and joy with the blessings of the Triple Gem and the protection of the Dhamma. It has been quite busy here so this is the first update of the year. Our retreat went very well with good attendance. view photos New year’s eve