LP Tiradhammo and Venerable Pannya in Victoria May 2022
LP Tiradhammo and Ven Pannya attended the Grand Opening of the new Sala at Vimokkharam Forest Hermitage in Victoria. They also visited Ajahn Sudhammo at Nigrodharam Hermitage in Seymour. Photo Gallery: Victoria Visit May 2022
Meditation Retreat in Indonesia
Ajahn Khemavaro lead a 4-Day Meditation Retreat on Bangka Island in Indonesia from 6th to 9th May. Picture Gallery: Bangka Retreat
Upcoming Retreats
Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend Retreat with Ajahn Khemavaro Friday 10th to Monday 13th June 2022 Long Weekend Retreat Registration Fully Booked–Waiting List Open
Spiritual Indulgence Weekend Retreat with Ajahn Khemavaro Friday 8th to Sunday 10th July 2022 Weekend Retreat Registration
The Beauty of Simplicity and Silence Weekend Retreat with Ajahn Khemavaro Friday 7th to Sunday 9th October 2022 Weekend Retreat Registration
To register for upcoming retreats, please register at Eventbrite or click on link attached to that retreat.
Rains Retreat 2022 14th July to 11th October You are cordially invited to spend the Rains Retreat at the Wat. To serve and to deepen your practice. Minimum stay of one month and priority will be given to those who can commit for the entire three months.
To register for the Rains retreat, please complete the application form on the WBD website.
For more info regarding the monastery, visit our websitewww.wbd.org.au. For further enquiries, please email wbdretreats@gmail.com or call the office at 0409-389-887 between 9 – 12 noon.
Q: Does one have to practise and gain samadhi (concentration) before one can contemplate the Dhamma?
Ajahn Chah: We can say that’s correct from one point of view, but from the aspect of practice, panna has to come first. In conventional terms, it’s sila (virtue), samadhi (concentration), and then panna (wisdom), but if we are truly practising the Dhamma, then panna comes first. If panna is there from the beginning, it means that we know what is right and what is wrong; and we know the heart that is calm and the heart that is disturbed and agitated.
Talking from the scriptural basis, one has to say that the practice of restraint and composure will give rise to a sense of shame and fear of any form of wrong-doing that potentially may arise. Once one has established the fear of that which is wrong and on no longer acting or behaving wrongly, then that which is wrong will not be present within, this provides the conditions from which calm will arise in its place That calm forms a foundation from which samadhi will grow and develop over time.
When the heart is calm, that knowledge and understanding which arises from within that calm is called vipassana (clear seeing). This means that from moment to moment there is a knowing in accordance with the truth, and within this are contained different properties. If one was to set them down on paper they would be sila, samadhi and panna. Talking about them, one can bring them together and say that these three dhammas form one mass and are inseparable. But if one were to talk about them as different properties, then it would be correct to say sila, samadhi and panna.
However, if one was acting in an unwholesome way, it would be impossible for the heart to become calm. So it would be most accurate to see them as developing together, and it would be right to say that this is the way that the heart will become calm. Talking about the practice of samadhi; it involves preserving sila, which includes looking after the sphere of one’s bodily actions and speech, in order not to do anything which is unwholesome or would lead one to remorse or suffering. This provides the foundation for the practice of calm, and once one has a foundation in calm, this in turn provides a foundation which supports the arising of panna.
Excerpt from Recollections of Ajahn Chah: Chapter 8 Questions and Answers II To download, click here: Recollections of Ajahn Chah
Ajahn Khemavaro and Venerable Pannananda in Brisbane
Ajahn Khemavaro and Venerable Pannananda visited Brisbane from 15th to 23rd March. They went on alms round in Inala Plaza and offer teachings at the Tathagatha Meditation Centre. Picture Gallery
Songkran Celebration and Conservation Work at Kempsey Picture Gallery
Studying the Dhamma
In seeking to go beyond suffering by way of studying, if one doesn’t delve into one’s own body and mind, then I can see no end to it. The study of books can only serve as a guideline. It’s just something that can be memorized and used to boast that one knows a great deal, which is merely a vain display of kilesa. It’s not that the formal studying of books is always a bad thing, because sometimes it can provide one with some good ideas and perspectives. Sometimes reading can cause faith and the desire the practice to arise. Nevertheless, one must know how to read: having read something, don’t hold tightly to it. The Buddha instructs us not to be led by the authority of religious texts. Instead, we should reflect in a well-reasoned way in accordance with the principle of cause and effect, and trust in this. Excerpt from Introduction of The Autobiography of Ajahn Dtun PDF Format
New Book by LP Thiradhammo After more than five years of research, a new book has manifested. It is titled, ‘Beyond I-Making: A Contemplative Investigation of the Concept of Anatta and the Path to its Realization‘, various ebook versions are available for download:
In February, Ajahn Khemavaro attended the Buddha Rupa casting ceremony at Ajahn Dtun’s monastery in Chonburi, Thailand. He also visited LP Piak in Bangkok. Picture Gallery
Active Meditation (Weed Control) at Kempsey January 2022
A Bush Meditation Retreat and Biodiversity Conservation Workshop was held at Kempsey Hermitage in January 2022 Picture Gallery
Upcoming Retreats
Spiritual Indulgence March Weekend Retreat with Ajahn Khemavaro Friday 25th to Sunday 27th March 2022 Weekend Retreat Registration Fully Booked–Waiting List Open
The Wisdom of Stillness 4-Day Easter Retreat with Ajahn Khemavaro Friday 15th to Monday 18th April 2022 (*not Tues 19/4 as advertised on Eventbrite) Easter Retreat Registration Fully Booked–Waiting List Open
Vesak Weekend Retreat with Ajahn Khemavaro Friday 13th to Sunday 15th May 2022 Weekend Retreat Registration Fully Booked–Waiting List Open
To register for upcoming retreats, please register at Eventbrite or click on link attached to that retreat. Register early as space is limited due to COVID distancing requirements.
Rains Retreat 2022 14th July to 11th October You are cordially invited to spend the Rains Retreat at the Wat. To serve and to deepen your practice. Minimum stay of one month and priority will be given to those who can commit for the entire three months.
To register for the Rains retreat, please complete the application form on the WBD website.
For more info regarding the monastery, visit our websitewww.wbd.org.au. For further enquiries, please email wbdretreats@gmail.com or call the office at 0409-389-887 between 9 – 12 noon.
Visit to Amber Forest Hermitage (Enfield Range Rd. Cooplacurripa NSW) in February 2022 Buddha in the Bush Project
Excerpt from Introduction of Beyond I-Making: A Contemplative Investigation of the Concept of Anatta and the Path to its Realization By Ajahn Thiradhammo While researching the Pali Canon for my previous book, Working with the Five Hindrances, I occasionally came across an intriguingly cryptic phrase: ‘I-making, mine-making and the underlying disposition to conceit’ (ahaṅkāra-mamaṅkāra-mānānusaya). This phrase was intriguing because it suggests a completely new perspective to the universal inquiry into self and selflessness, and provides a glimpse into the unique realization which the Buddha was awakened. He designated this realization with the Pali term ‘anattā’, which is usually translated as ‘non-self’, ‘not-self’ or ‘no-self’. While the translation is literally correct, it unfortunately fails to convey the correct meaning of what the Buddha is saying. The Buddha did not deny self. What he denied was that self has any permanent, imperishable essence. The Buddha realized that self is essentially a constantly changing process, artificially created through the interaction of craving and ignorance. And, since it is ‘made-up’ by activities which we have some influence over, craving and ignorance can also be ‘unmade’ so that the deleterious effects of grasping self as permanent can come to cessation. Where the phrase ‘I-making, mine-making and the underlying disposition to conceit’ is mentioned, the emphasis is upon its cessation in the context of full awakening. The Buddha awoke to the realization that the cessation of ‘I-making, mine-making and the underlying disposition to conceit’ is ultimate well-being through complete liberation from the suffering which ‘I-making’ entails. All the Buddha’s teachings facilitate this realization, some indirectly (for example the practice of ‘selfless’ generosity) and some directly (for example, meditations on impermanence). This is, of course, exactly what the Buddha’s teaching excels in, giving us an extremely wide range of perspectives applicable to a variety of temperaments. The Buddha’s teaching guides us from the delusion of self-centredness to a liberating reality-centredness, and thus Buddhist spiritual practice is ultimately directed to liberation from the insidious ‘I-making’ process. In order for this experience to be realized, the Buddha provided many approaches. Therefore, through investigating the various contexts in which this phrase is used in the Pali Canon, it is possible to understand the processes leading to the cessation of I-making, mine-making and the underlying disposition to conceit, and the means to arrive at liberation.
Greetings from summerly Wat Buddha Dhamma, 10 Mile Hollow, Wisemans Ferry, NSW 2775, Australia.
Shrine in Hill Kuti
Another Rains Retreat has passed, extra peacefully this time since we were in lockdown for the whole three months. This year, eight monastics and five laity resided for the retreat. Similar to last year, Ajahn Khemavaro gave the weekly Saturday evening talks and I gave the weekly Sutta Class. The Sutta Class theme was ‘Beyond I-making’, following the outline of my forthcoming book. The video talks can be viewed at: WBD YouTube Channel
Fortunately, some lockdown restrictions were eased in time for the Robe-offering ceremony on November 7th.This was offered by the three Anagarikaas, of three different nationalities: Thai, Sri Lankan and Australian. The ceremony was thus multiethnic with the offering announcement in five languages, including Pali and Vietnamese.
Ajahn Sudhammo, unfortunately, was not able to attend the Robe-offering ceremony as he returned to Nigrodharama Monastery, near Seymour, Victoria as soon as the border was opened. He had been expecting to spend the Rains Retreat there but was locked out due to the resurging Covid pandemic. Then the initial lockdown kept being extended, eventually for 100 days! Nevertheless, his calm and steady presence here was much appreciated.
At the time of writing, Australia has just opened its borders to international travellers. However, due to the uncertainties still surrounding international travel, and my own inertia from staying here for several years, I am not planning any travels at present.
Gamiya Lilies in Blossom
One of the insights which has become clearer to me while working on my book is just how programmed human beings are by feeling. At its simplest, human beings’ whole life is directed to pursue and maintain pleasant feeling, and avoid or escape unpleasant feeling. The development of civilization is simply the development of more and easier ways to fulfil this fundamental human drive.
Then, if we investigate feeling, what we discover is that most people experience the most pleasant feeling when they can escape, forget or lose their everyday (painful) selves in some form or other. The worst method, of course, is in intoxication, since one not only loses one’s sense of self but also one’s self-control, and both physical and mental health also suffer. Slightly less deleterious is losing oneself in art, music, dance, theatre, movies and other forms of entertainment. While sometimes this can expand one’s sense of self it can also bring up very strong emotions which maybe cannot be properly processed. Much less deleterious is losing oneself in nature or some form of healthy sport (extreme sports perhaps excluded). This is usually a very calming, relaxing and refreshing experience allowing a releasing of one’s excessive focus on self. On a more positive note is losing oneself in spiritual exercises such as prayer, chanting, meditation, etc. (However, if this becomes too obsessive it can lead to fanaticism.) The only major problem with all these methods is that they are all only temporary – one eventually returns to one’s old self again, hopefully at least somewhat more healthy and/or wiser.
The Buddha, of course, had a very unique answer to this universal human dilemma – ultimately, there is no self from which to escape. The escape from self is actually an escape from unpleasant feeling embedded in specific experiences; and if dealt with skilfully, unpleasant experiences can be successfully resolved to give the complete ending of unpleasant feeling and a new experience of well-being.
Of course, while the theory is very straightforward, putting it into practice can be somewhat more challenging. The main thing to keep in mind is to apply a step-by-step approach, the pleasure of peace dawning in stages. The first step then is to clearly observe the nature of the unpleasant feeling which we are attempting to flee. This, of course, is the key step in unlocking the whole backlog of unresolved negativity and ignorance wrapped around suffering.
Purple Invasion
Fortunately, the Buddha provides us with a wide range of skilful means to deal more wisely with difficult issues. The most useful of all the skilful means is the development of friendliness or metta bhavana. While this practice is usually taught as a way of spreading universal well-being or kindness throughout the world, most practically it is first necessary to develop friendliness towards one’s own unpleasant experiences. Only when we are truly openly friendly towards our selves in all of its aspects can we really share well-being with others.
Thus, we start by developing friendliness towards our own aches and pains, our annoyances and irritations, our anger and frustrations, etc., etc. How friendly can you be to these experiences? This is, of course, a developing process. Can you really be openly friendly, welcoming and accepting of all the unpleasant aspects of your self?
At the very least, this practice allows us to come a bit closer to our unpleasant experiences, which we have turned into our enemies and then avoided, ignored or actively fled from for so long. With this new attitude you may notice that perceiving unpleasant experiences as enemies actually makes them more unpleasant! By fighting with unpleasant experiences your body becomes more painful through contraction and toxic chemicals in the blood, and the mind becomes more painful through the toxic effects of hostility, negativity, frustration, fear, etc. However, responding with kindness and friendliness changes the rules, and thus the results, of the game. Try it out.
Coming closer to unpleasant experience allows the possibility to see it more clearly. And often just the act of being more aware of the basic issue, takes away its sting (not to mention that it can even be pleasantly interesting). At other times, maintaining some consistency of awareness reveals its inconsistency – the issue is actually a fluctuating series of events, memories, emotional reactions, ideas, etc., etc. Where is this thing we are turning into a monster out of fear?
Sometimes, of course, there is some obvious issue which is causing us suffering. This can benefit from some deeper, contemplative investigation directed towards revealing its root cause. Thus, from a calm state of mind we investigate how it manifests in the body, as an emotion, as a state of mind. Can it be sensed as an image, a sound, a texture? When does it arise and cease? How does it arise and cease? Can we allow it to cease?
Gradually, our ignorance and fear of unpleasant experiences eases and we can more peacefully see them as unstable, impersonal processes, which are part and parcel of the on-going web of life. The compounded fear and hostility around unpleasant feelings gives way to a receptive and peaceful well-being.
Wishing you all good health, well-being and the peace of Liberation.
Rains Retreat 2022 14th July to 11th October You are cordially invited to spend the Rains Retreat at the Wat. To serve and to deepen your practice. Minimum stay of one month and priority will be given to those who can commit for the entire three months.
To register for upcoming retreats, please register at Eventbrite or click on link attached to that retreat. Register early as space is limited due to COVID distancing requirements. For further enquiries, please email wbdretreats@gmail.com or call the office at 0409-389-887 between 9 – 12 noon.
Following the NSW government COVID 19 Road Map, the monastery will be open to all visitors, vaccinated and unvaccinated, beginning Monday, 18th October.
Visitors will still be required to provide their name and mobile number for contact tracing. Masks are required for the kitchen, Dana Room, and Sala. Maximum occupancy of 20 for Dana Room and 30 for Sala. For overnight visitors, vaccination is strongly encouraged but not mandatory.
The Robes Offering Ceremony marks the end of the Rains Retreat. On this day we rejoice in having spent the past three months at the Wat dedicated to the cultivation peace and kindness. This is a rare opportunity to take part in an old and inspiring Buddhist ceremony and a chance to make new friends.
The core values that are celebrated during the Robes Offering Ceremony are those that make living together in harmony possible; qualities like kindness, compassion, patience and acceptance. In our sometimes chaotic and competitive world, it is important to remember that our own sense of well-being cannot be secure unless it is founded on acts of generosity and goodwill to others.
The ceremony will include taking the Three Refuges and Five Precepts, auspicious chanting and Dhamma talks by Luang Por Tiradhammo and Ajahn Khemavaro. After the ceremony there will be a monastery tour, where visitors can see some monks’ huts.
For further info, please call 0409 389-887 between 8-10 am and 11am -1 pm or email: wbdoffice@gmail.com.
During the Rains Retreat the community at WBD will focus on formal meditation practice, cultivating stillness, compassion, and wisdom. Due to the current NSW COVID restrictions, the monastery is closed to the public. Day visitors will be welcomed back once the restrictions are lifted (September?). We will not be able to accommodate overnight guests until early November.
Emails will be answered between 5-7 days. If it’s urgent please call the office at 0409-389-887 between 11 am and 12 noon. Thank you for your support.
Community List for Rains 2021 Monks LP Tiradhammo Ajahn Khemavaro Ajahn Sudhammo Venerable Panyannda
Layguests Anagarika Miles Annie Araliya Megan Krystian Yuliana Anders
