Category Archives: News
LP Piak to Visit in February
| Luang Por Piak to Visit Australia 26th February to 11th March 26th – 28th February Melbourne, VIC Saturday 1st March Visit Dhammacakka Forest Monastery in Forest Hill, QLD 2 – 4 pm For Directions: DFM Location Sunday 2nd March Dhamma Talk 6:30 – 8 pm Queensland Burmese Buddhist Association 159 Bagnall St. Ellen Grove QLD Friday 7th March Wat Buddha Dhamma Meal Time 10 am Dhamma Talk 7 pm Saturday 8th March Wat Buddha Dhamma Meal Time 10 am Q & A 7 pm Sunday 9th March Wat Buddha Dhamma Meal Time 10 am Dhamma Talk 7 pm Monday 10th March Wat Buddha Dhamma Meal Time 10 am Travel to Sydney The above schedule is subject to last minute changes depending on LP Piak’s health and energy. Please plan to arrive by 9:30 am for dana at 10. Any queries, please call the office at 0409-389-887 or email: wbdoffice@gmail.com. |
| About the Teacher: Luang Por (Venerable father) Piak is one of Thailand’s most respected teachers of Dhamma and meditation. Born in 1948, Luang Por Piak’s given name is Prasobchai but he was nicknamed ‘Piak’. As a child and young man Luang Por Piak did not have much interest in religion or meditation. It was when he was studying for his Masters in New York that Luang Por Piak began to develop an interest about the mind. The first time Piak began to develop an interest in his own mind was during the years in New York. On the subway, for example, while heading to work, he would find his mind naturally observing and converging on his breath. There he found both pleasure and peace. He also noticed that he was able to wake up in the morning at whatever time he wished simply by mentally determining the time the night before. Even if he’d spent most of the night at a party, he’d still wake up exactly at the predetermined time. These experiences made him curious about how the mind worked and led on to an interest in meditation. Venerable Piak then received full bhikkhu ordination from Luang Por Chah on July 3rd 1976, just before the beginning of the rains retreat that year. In 1981, when Venerable Piak had been ordained for five years, a piece of property was offered outside of Bangkok for a branch monastery. Luang Por Chah asked Venerable Piak to live there as the Abbot. It was unusual for a monk to be asked to take on so much responsibility at such a young age, but Venerable Piak had had quick progress in his Dhamma practice and was also native to that region. Initially surrounded by rice fields as far as one could see, within ten years his small monastery had been completely engulfed by Bangkok’s urban sprawl. Noise, heat and pollution notwithstanding, Luang Por Piak has remained a refuge of peace and soothing coolness within the heart of Thailand’s largest city. Although he never completed his masters degree, he quickly came to be recognized as one of the most respected masters of our time. Pictures of Luang Por’s Visit in 2024 Pictures of LP Piak’s visit in 2017 Pictures of LP Piak’s Visit in 2016 |
Robes Offering Ceremony
Sunday 27th October 2024
Arrival 9:00 – 10:00 am
Almsround & Lunch 10:00 – 12:00 pm
Ceremony 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Guided Tour 1:00 – 2:00 pm
The Robes Offering Ceremony marks the end of the Rains Retreat. On this occasion we rejoice in having spent the past three months at the Wat dedicated to the cultivation of peace and kindness. This is a rare opportunity to take part in an old and inspiring Buddhist ceremony and a chance to connect with other practitioners.
The core values that are celebrated during the Kathina are those that make living together in harmony possible; qualities like kindness, compassion, patience and acceptance. In our sometimes confusing 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: wbdretreats@gmail.com.
Robes will be available for offering at the monastery.
Community List for Rains 2024
Monks
LP Tiradhammo
Ajahn Khemavaro
Ajahn Bhuripanyo
Layguests
Luke
Annie
Tam
Rob
Rebecca
Kristine
Phil
Wisdom of Stillness
New Year Retreat
with Ajahn Khemavaro
Saturday 28th to Wednesday 1st January 2025
New Year Retreat Registration
For further enquiries, please email: wbdretreats@gmail.com or call the office at 0409-389-887 between 8 – 12 noon.
Recent Talks on YouTube:
Nourishing the Mind with Meditation
by Ajahn Dtun
True Happiness
by Ajahn Dtun
The Path to Arahantship
by Ajahn Dtun
Buddhism and Psychology
by Ajahn Tiradhammo
Letting Go Letting Be
by Ajahn Khemavaro
Freedom from Desire Not Freedom of Desire
by Ajahn Khemavaro
Doubts and other Demons
Q: What can I do about doubts? Some days I’m plagued with doubts about the practice or my own progress or the teacher.
A: Doubting is natural. Everyone starts with doubts. You can learn a great deal from them. What is important is that you don’t identify with your doubts. That is, don’t get caught up in them, letting your mind spin in endless circles. Instead, watch the whole process of doubting, of wondering. See who it is that doubts. See how doubts come and go. Then you will no longer be victimized by your doubts. You will step outside of them, and your mind will be quiet. You can see how all things come and go. Just let go of what you’re attached to. Let go of your doubts and simply watch. This is how to end doubting.
Q: These days, there seem to be so many teachers and so many different systems of meditation that it’s confusing. Which one should I follow?
A: It’s like going into town. One can approach from the north, from the southeast, from many roads. Often these systems just differ outwardly. Whether you walk one way or another, fast or slow, if you are mindful, it’s all the same. There’s one essential point that all good practice must eventually come to-not clinging. In the end, you must let go of all meditation systems. Nor can you cling to the teacher. If a system leads to relinquishment, to not clinging, then it is correct practice.
You may wish to travel, to visit other teachers and try other systems. Some of you have already done so. This is a natural desire. You will find out that a thousand questions asked and knowledge of many systems will not bring you to the truth. Eventually you will get bored. You will see that only by stopping and examining your own heart can you find out what the Buddha talked about. No need to go searching outside yourself. Eventually, you must return to face your own true nature. Right where you are is where you can understand the Dharma.
An excerpt from Still Forest Pool by Ajahn Chah
Wat Enews June 2024
Ajahn Tiradhammo in Borobudur
Ajahn Tiradhammo celebrated Vesak in Indonesia in May. He also visited Borobudur for two nights.
Luang Por Piak visited New South Wales and Queensland in April
It was with great pleasure that we hosted Lung Por Piak, Ajahn Sprite, and Ajahn Mudito from 3rd to 11th April. Luang Por gave teachings at WBD, Dhamma Home, and Dhammacakka Forest Monastery in Gatton, Queensland.
Photo Gallery: Luang Por Piak 2024
Ajahn Dtun in Sydney from 12th to 18th March…and a Monastery is Born
It is with much joy and gratitude that we announce Ajahn Dtun has accepted a piece of land on the Mid Coast of New South Wales to be a branch monastery of Wat Boonyawad. The new monastery will be called Wat Buddha Metta. The land is a 1,250 acres of forest just outside of Kempsey NSW. The majority of the property is under a Biodiversity Stewardship Agreement, which helps to conserve habitat for native species and ecosystems. Tan Ajahn said that he plans to bring 2-3 monks with him when he returns in April 2025 to spend the Rains at Wat Buddha Metta.
Photo Gallery: Ajahn Dtun 2024
Upcoming Retreats and Events
Rains Retreat 2024
21st July to 18th October
Monks
Luang Por Tiradhammo
Ajahn Khemavaro
Ajahn Chaiyaporn–TBC
Ajahn Bhuripannyo
Lay people
Anagarika Luke
Annie
Tam
Robes Offering Ceremony
Sunday 3rd November
Activities include: Shared Meal, Auspicious Chanting, and Dhamma Talk 10 – 3 pm.
New Year Retreat
Wisdom of Stillness
5-Day New Year Retreat with Ajahn Khemavaro
Saturday 28th December to Wednesday 1st Jan 2025
Dhamma Talks on YouTube
The World is an Internal Thing
by Luang Por Piak
The Path to Arahantship
by Ajahn Dtun
True Happiness
by Ajahn Dtun
Nourishing Your Mind with Meditation
by Ajahn Dtun
Buddhism and Psychology
by Ajahn Tiradhammo
Putting the Teachings into Practice
by Ajahn Tiradhammo
Growing in Goodness
by Ajahn Khemavaro
True Wisdom
by Ajahn Khemavaro
Intoxications of Youth and Good Health
The Buddha taught that the unenlightened relationship to the agreeable aspects of life such as youth and good health, may be best characterized as a kind of intoxication. We take the good things in life for granted, forget their impermanent nature, and as a result, act, speak and think in ways that cause suffering to ourselves and others.
For this reason the Buddha taught us to constantly remind ourselves:
1. I am subject to old age. I am not exempt from old age.
2. I am subject to illness. I am not exempt from illness.
3. I am subject to death. I am not exempt from death.
4. Sooner or later, I will be separated from everyone and everything dear and agreeable to me.
5. I am the owner of my kamma, heir to my kamma; I have kamma as my origin, kamma as my relative, kamma as my support. I will be the heir of whatever kamma that I do, good or bad.
The strength of resistance we feel towards these reflections is a measure of the strength of the intoxication. It is dwelling on the truth that makes us sober and clear minded.
Excerpt from: From Heart and Hand Vol II by Ajahn Jayasaro
For more teachings of Ajahn Jayasaro, please click here: Teachings by Jayasaro
Empty Space
People want to go to Nibbana but when you tell them that there is nothing there, they begin to have second thoughts. But there’s nothing there, nothing at all! Look at the roof and floor here. Think of the roof as a “becoming” and the floor as a “becoming” too. You can stand on the roof and you can stand on the floor, but in the empty space between the roof and the floor there is no place to stand. Where there is no becoming, that’s where there’s emptiness, and to put it bluntly, we say that Nibbana is this emptiness. People hear this and they back up a bit. They don’t want to go. They’re afraid that they won’t see their children or relatives.
That’s why whenever we bless the laity by saying, “May you have long life, beauty, happiness and strength,” they become very happy. But if you start talking about letting go and emptiness, they don’t want to hear about it. But have you ever seen a very old person with a beautiful complexion or a lot of strength or a lot vitality? No! But we say, “Long life, beauty, happiness and strength,” and they are all pleased. They’re attached to becoming, to the cycle of birth and death. They prefer to stand on the roof or on the floor. Few are they who dare to stand in the empty space between.
Excerpt from A Tree in a Forest–A Collection of Ajahn Chah’s Similes
For more teachings of Ajahn Chah, please click here: Teachings in English
LP Piak to Visit in April
| Luang Por Piak in Australia from 5th to 11th April Friday 5th April Dhamma Home 204 William St Yagoona Dhamma Talk 10 am Meal 11 am Saturday 6th April Wat Buddha Dhamma Meal Time 10 am Dhamma Talk 7 pm Sunday 7th April Wat Buddha Dhamma Meal Time 10 am Q & A 7 pm Tuesday 9th April Visit Dhammacakka Forest Monastery in Gatton, QLD Paritta Chanting 1 pm Wednesday 10th April Dana at Dan’s House Dhamma Talk 10 am Meal Time 11 am Thursday 11th April Leave for Thailand The above schedule is subject to last minute changes depending on LP Piak’s health and energy. Please plan to arrive by 9:30 am for dana at 10. Any queries, please call the office at 0409-389-887 or email: wbdoffice@gmail.com. |
| About the Teacher: Luang Por (Venerable father) Piak is one of Thailand’s most respected teachers of Dhamma and meditation. Born in 1948, Luang Por Piak’s given name is Prasobchai but he was nicknamed ‘Piak’. As a child and young man Luang Por Piak did not have much interest in religion or meditation. It was when he was studying for his Masters in New York that Luang Por Piak began to develop an interest about the mind. The first time Piak began to develop an interest in his own mind was during the years in New York. On the subway, for example, while heading to work, he would find his mind naturally observing and converging on his breath. There he found both pleasure and peace. He also noticed that he was able to wake up in the morning at whatever time he wished simply by mentally determining the time the night before. Even if he’d spent most of the night at a party, he’d still wake up exactly at the predetermined time. These experiences made him curious about how the mind worked and led on to an interest in meditation. Venerable Piak then received full bhikkhu ordination from Luang Por Chah on July 3rd 1976, just before the beginning of the rains retreat that year. In 1981, when Venerable Piak had been ordained for five years, a piece of property was offered outside of Bangkok for a branch monastery. Luang Por Chah asked Venerable Piak to live there as the abbot. It was unusual for a monk to be asked to take on so much responsibility at such a young age, but Venerable Piak had had quick progress in his Dhamma practice and was also native to that region. Initially surrounded by rice fields as far as one could see, within ten years his small monastery had been completely engulfed by Bangkok’s urban sprawl. Noise, heat and pollution notwithstanding, Luang Por Piak has remained a refuge of peace and soothing coolness within the heart of Thailand’s largest city. Although he never completed his masters degree, he quickly came to be recognized as one of the most respected masters of our time. Pictures of LP Piak’s visit to Australia in 2017 Pictures of LP Piak’s Visit to Australia in 2016 |
Ajahn Dtun to Visit Australia in March
Ajahn Dtun, who is considered to be one of the greatest living Meditation Masters in Thailand, will be visiting Australia from 4th to 24th March
13th and 14th March at Wat Buddha Dhamma
Daily Schedule
9:00 Dana Offering
9:30 Meal Time
10:30 Q & A
For further info, please call the office at 0409 389 887.
Dhamma Talk at Buddhist Library
Sunday 17th March
6 – 8 pm
90-92 Church St Camperdown NSW
For more info, please call Buddhist Library at: 02 9519 6054
or email: blmanager@buddhistlibrary.org.
Ajahn Dtun will be in Victoria from 4th to 11th and 19th to 24th March
He will be staying Nigrodharama Forest Monastery
595 Seymour-Pyalong Rd
Hilldene VIC 3660
Daily Schedule
8:30 Dana Offering
9:00 Meal Time
10:30 Q & A
For further info, please call the Nigrodharama Monastery at 0480 271 789.
The schedule is subject to last minute changes and alterations.
Masks are required for visitors.
Past Teachings of Ajahn Dtun in Australia and US
Ajahn Dtun at BSV
10-Day Retreat in Melbourne 2007
Talks at Wat Buddha Dhamma in 2015
Talks in Melbourne in 2015
Talks at BSV in 2016
Talks in 2019
Talks at Abhayagiri Monastery 2013
Picture Gallery: Boonyawad Kathina
English Talks from YouTube
Stages of Enlightenment and the Mind
What Defines a Good Human Being: From Harming to Helping Others
For additional teachings in Thai or books/CDs, click on the links below:
Website
YouTube Channel
Facebook
The Sacred Equation
At the heart of the Buddha’s teaching is the Noble Eightfold Path, which is divided into the threefold training of sīla, samādhi and paññā, moral virtue, concentration and wisdom. The combination of all three path factors is commonly known as the Middle Way, and it is this very combination which forms a sacred equation that ultimately results in peace, freedom from suffering, liberation and Nibbāna. The three factors are mutually supportive of each other: moral virtue is a foundation for concentration, concentration the foundation for wisdom, and wisdom is the tool that works for one’s deliverance. Removing any one factor from this sacred equation will prevent one from reaching the path that leads to true happiness, Nibbāna.
The main part of this teaching begins with a very simple question which Ajahn Dtun asked a group of laypeople whom he knew to be students of a teacher who emphasizes the practice of ‘watching the mind’. This practice focuses on watching the arising and ceasing of all the objects of the mind’s awareness, with the view that this is the most effective way to give rise to wisdom and thereby cleanse the mind of the mental defilements. Those practising this particular method tend to overlook or underrate the role that concentration plays in the development of wisdom. Over the last 15 years this practice of watching the mind, while by no means new or modern, has attracted a great deal of interest and become very popular in Thailand. However, this new-found popularity has created concern among the more traditional forest masters, who stress that believing that the practice of just watching the mind can free it from the mental defilements is a great mistake. On many occasions over many years, Ajahn Dtun patiently gives advice to steer these practitioners back to the correct path of practice of moral virtue, concentration and wisdom, the Middle Way as taught by the Buddha. He also explains to practitioners that in no way whatsoever can concentration be taken out of the equation.
It is hoped that by reading this teaching the reader will gain a clear view of the complete path of meditation practice, and understand that solely contemplating the mind is not sufficient to free it from the mental defilements. The assumption that the mental defilements arise within the mind, and so must be dealt with solely by contemplating the mind, is true but not altogether correct. It is true that mental defilements do arise within the mind and so must be let go of within the mind, but it is not correct to believe that one can start the work of cleansing the mind at this point. This practice, as Ajahn Dtun clearly shows, is for those already highly advanced on the path to liberation, as they push forward to reach the final stage of enlightenment.
Preface from The Sacred Equation by Ajahn Dtun
Rains Retreat 2023
2nd August to 30th October
During the Rains Retreat the community at WBD will focus on formal meditation practice, cultivating stillness, compassion, and wisdom. While people are welcome to visit the monastery during the day, we will not be able to accommodate overnight guests.
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
Monks
LP Tiradhammo
Ajahn Khemavaro
Bhante Siriratano
Ajahn Chaiyaporn
Venerable Bhuripannyo
Venerable Sammavaca
Venerable Caranadhammo
Nuns
Venerable Ajita
Layguests
Anagarika Annie
Bryce
Megan
Araliya
Luke
Lotus
Lionel
MarieW
Kathina Ceremony
Sunday 5th November 2023
Activities include: Shared Meal, Auspicious Chanting, and Dhamma Talk
10 – 3 pm
Reflection on Impermanence
All conditioned things are impermanent;
All conditioned things are dukkha;
Everything is void of self.
Life is not for sure;
Death is for sure;
It is inevitable that I’ll die
Death is the culmination of my life;
My life is uncertain;
My death is certain.
Indeed,
This body will soon
Be void of consciousness
And cast away.
It will lie on the ground
Just like a rotten log,
Completely void of use,
Truly conditioned things cannot last,
Their nature is to rise and fall,
Having arisen things must cease,
Their stilling is true happiness.
True and False Refuges
To many refuges they go–
To mountain slopes and forest glades,
To parkland shrines and sacred sites–
People overcome by fear.
Such a refuge is not secure,
Such a refuge is not supreme,
Such a refuge does not bring
Complete release from suffering.
Whoever goes to refuge
In the Triple Gem
Sees with right discernment
The Four Noble Truths;
Suffering and its origin
And that which lies beyond–
The Noble Eightfold Path
That leads the way to Suffering’s end.
Such a refuge is secure,
Such a refuge is supreme,
Such a refuge truly brings
Complete release from all suffering.
Dhammapada Verses #188-191
Wat Enews July 2023
Comings & Goings
Monks
LP Tiradhammo was in Canada visiting friends and families for six weeks. He returned on 20th July.
Ajahn Khemavaro, Bhante Siriratano, and Venerable Bhuripannyo visited Dhammacakka Forest Monastery in Queensland from 14th to 17th July.
Photo Gallery: Gatton 2023
Ajahn Khemavaro was in Vietnam from 21st to 30th June. He visited Huyen Khong Son Thuong Monastery in Hue, Buu Long Temple in Ho Chi Minh City, and Vien Khong Monastery in Ba Ria. Dan and Venerable Pannyananda also joined him for the trip.
Photo Gallery: Vietnam 2023
Ajahn Khemavaro was in Texas visiting families from 9th to 27th May. He led a 3-Day Meditation Workshop at Giac Dao Buddhist Meditation Centre, outside of Houston. Ajahn also visited Sitagu Buddha Vihara in Austin Texas.
Ajahn Khemavaro and a group of lay supporters visited Ajahn Santutthi in Perth from 26th April to 2nd May.
Bhantes Siriratano and Saccadhammo arrived from Indonesia 2nd May. Bhante Siri is planning to spend the Rains Retreat at the Wat and Bhante Sacca returned to Indonesia on 1st June.
Venerable Bhuripannyo came from South Adelaide on 2nd May for a six weeks visit. He plans to spend the Rains Retreat at WBD.
Ajahn Dtun at Seymour Forest Monastery 12th to 27th March
Ajahn Khemavaro and a large delegation of lay supporters from WBD participated in the Installation Buddha Relics in the main Buddha Statue at Seymour Forest Monastery.
Upcoming Retreats and Events
Rains Retreat 2023
1st August to 30th October
Monks
Luang Por Tiradhammo
Ajahn Khemavaro
Bhante Siriratano
Ajahn Chaiyaporn
Venerable Bhuripannyo
Venerable Caranadhammo
Venerable Sammavaca-TBC
Lay people
Annie
Megan
Bryce
Araliya
Lotus
Kathina Ceremony
Sunday 5th November
Activities include: Shared Meal, Auspicious Chanting, and Dhamma Talk 10 – 3 pm.
Wisdom of Stillness
4-Day New Year Retreat with Ajahn Khemavaro
Friday 29th December to Monday 1st Jan 2024
Activities
• Around 40 attended the 4-day Easter Retreat with Ajahn Khemavaro in April.
• The monks went on alms round in Cabramatta on 21st January, 19th April, and 10th June.
Current Building Projects
Laundry Shed finished in December 2022
New Workshop—To be by December 2023
New Dome Kuti installed July 2023
New Solar Batteries for Granny Flat
Increased power capacity for kitchen with additional solar batteries
Electricity upgrade for Yurt
Potential Building Projects for 2024
Roof repair and lighting reconnection for Dorm
Sink and toilet for Kyle House
Decking and roof renovation for Cynthia House
Decking, window, and roof restoration for Family House
Decking for Old Kitchen
Bathroom upgrade for Yurt
Recent Dhamma Talks on YouTube
Stages of Awakening
by Ajahn Dtun
Sutta Study #12 Nibbana: Liberation from Suffering and Samsara
by Ajahn Tiradhammo
The Way to Ultimate Happiness
by Ajahn Tiradhammo
Unique Moments
by Ajahn Jayasaro
Wisdom of Silence Retreat: Introduction Talk
by Ajahn Khemavaro
True Wisdom
by Ajahn Khemavaro
Intoxications of Youth and Good Health
The Buddha taught that the unenlightened relationship to the agreeable aspects of life such as youth and good health, may be best characterized as a kind of intoxication. We take the good things in life for granted, forget their impermanent nature, and as a result, act, speak and think in ways that cause suffering to ourselves and others.
For this reason the Buddha taught us to constantly remind ourselves:
1. I am subject to old age. I am not exempt from old age.
2. I am subject to illness. I am not exempt from illness.
3. I am subject to death. I am not exempt from death.
4. Sooner or later, I will be separated from everyone and everything dear and agreeable to me.
5. I am the owner of my kamma, heir to my kamma; I have kamma as my origin, kamma as my relative, kamma as my support. I will be the heir of whatever kamma that I do, good or bad.
The strength of resistance we feel towards these reflections is a measure of the strength of the intoxication. It is dwelling on the truth that makes us sober and clear minded.
Excerpt from: From Heart and Hand Vol II by Ajahn Jayasaro
For more teachings of Ajahn Jayasaro, please click here: Teachings by Jayasaro
Wat Enews February 2023
MONASTERY REPORT for Annual General Meeting in November
Comings & Goings
Monks
- Luang Por Tiradhammo will be visiting New Zealand 26 Oct – 16 Nov and to Thailand 13 Dec – 2 Feb
- Ajahn Khemavaro will be away the following dates:
2 – 9 November in Thailand
17 Nov to 7 Dec in USA
25 Jan to 5 Feb in Singapore and Thailand
- Ven Pannyananda left for Vietnam on 20 October.
- Ven Caranadhammo will be coming on 30 Dec and will stay for one year.
Long-term Lay Guests
- Megan is visiting her family in Melbourne for a few weeks in Dec
- Annie currently has no travel plan for 2023
- Yuliana is staying for a while and probably for a longer term
- David is planning to stay until Dec
Retreats
Regular retreats with Ajahn Khemavaro were held monthly from early 2022 until the commencement of Rains Retreat in July. The next retreat is the 4-day New Year Retreat (30 Dec–2 Jan) and the registration is open. 4—Day Easter Retreat is from 7th to 11th April (For further info, see below)
Completed Projects 2022
Bush toilet opposite the kitchen
Lay Open Sala
Laundry shed
Flooring repair for Granny Flat
Kempsey–New water tank, Meditation platform, drop toilet built.
Dhammacakka Forest Monastery – the first Vietnamese Theravada monastery in Australia
Land purchase finalized in July and first Robes Offering Ceremony in October 2022
Building Projects for 2022/2023
Road repair around the monastery after prolonged rain/flood
Electricity upgrade for Yurt
Roof repair and lighting reconnection for Dorm
Sink and toilet for Kyle House
Decking and roof renovation for Cynthia House
Decking, window and roof restoration for Family House
Decking for Old Kitchen
Bathroom upgrade for Yurt
Workshop near car park
LP Thiradhammo’s book has arrived.
Hard copies of LP Thiradhammo’s new book: Beyond I-Making, A Contemplative Investigation of the Concept of Anatta and the Path to its Realization, has arrived. If you would like a copy, please contact the office at wbdoffice@gmail.com.
Otherwise, a digital copy, is available here: Beyond I-Making
Picture Gallery: Robes Offering 2022
Picture Gallery: Robes Offering Queensland
Ajahn Khemavaro attended the Kathina Ceremony at Ajahn Dtun’s Monastery in Thailand. Picture Gallery: Boonyawad Kathina
Upcoming Retreats
Spiritual Indulgence
4–Day Easter Retreat
with Ajahn Khemavaro
Friday 7th to Monday 11th April 2023
Weekend Retreat Registration
To register for upcoming retreats, please register at Eventbrite or click on link attached to that retreat.
Rains Retreat 2023
1st August to 29th 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 website www.wbd.org.au. For further enquiries, please email wbdretreats@gmail.com or call the office at 0409-389-887 between 9 – 12 noon.
Recent Dhamma Talks on YouTube
How to Get to Wat Buddha Dhamma
Sutta Class Session #7
The Real Meaning of Kamma, Vipaka, and Rebirth
by Ajahn Tiradhammo
Sutta Class Session #8
Feelings & States of Mind
by Ajahn Tiradhammo
Using Calm & Insight to End Suffering
by Ajahn Tiradhammo
Enjoy the Simplicity
by Ajahn Khemavaro
Four Ways of Letting Go
by Ajahn Khemavaro
The Right Angle: Everybody Benefits, Nobody Loses
The entire world and everyone in it needs the Dhamma as a protection. We all survive and find comfort in life with the support of the knowledge and skills, mindfulness and wisdom, of countless others. Without their help we would all perish as soon as we left our mother’s womb. We’d have no food to eat, clothes to wear or house to live in. Our parents, whose faces we have never seen before, give us life and all the things we need to make us healthy and strong. For our clothes and living places, and all the various skills we learn, we are entirely–indebted to others. From the first moments in our mother’s womb, all of us have a debt of gratitude owed to innumerable other people–no need to mention our parents and all our teachers, to whom the sense of gratitude we should feel is incalculable.
Even people of one nation have much to be grateful for those living in another. This is something which, if you think about it, is not too hard to see. Knowing and acknowledging with gratitude the debt we have to others, and placing them above ourselves, is called katannuta. The effort to repay the debt is called katavedita. The ones who know what has been done for them are called katannu. And those who return the favor gratefully are called katavedi.
Katannu-katavedita: acknowledging the debt we owe to others and paying it back with acts of gratitude are spiritual qualities which protect the world from harm, help society to function, and lead to peace and happiness.
Excerpt from The Life and Teachings of Luang Por Liem Thitadhammo pg 135
For more teachings from Luang Por Liem, please click here: LP Liem Teachings
Robes Offering Ceremony
Sunday 16th October 2022
Arrival 9:00 – 10:00 am
Almsround & Lunch 10:00 – 12:00 pm
Ceremony 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Guided Tour 1:00 – 2:00 pm
The Robes Offering Ceremony marks the end of the Rains Retreat. On this occasion 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 connect with other practitioners.
The core values that are celebrated during the Kathina are those that make living together in harmony possible; qualities like kindness, compassion, patience and acceptance. In our sometimes confusing 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.
Robes will be available for offering at the monastery.
Community List for Rains 2022
Monks
LP Tiradhammo
Ajahn Khemavaro
Venerable Panyannda
Layguests
Megan
Annie
Tommy
Jackie
David
Yuliana
The Beauty of Simplicity and Silence
Weekend Retreat
with Ajahn Khemavaro
Friday 7th to Sunday 9th October 2022
Weekend Retreat Registration
Wisdom of Stillness
New Year Retreat
with Ajahn Khemavaro
Friday 30th to Monday 2nd January 2023
New Year Retreat Registration
Recent Talks on YouTube:
Sutta Class Rains Retreat 2022 Session #2
Three Cardinal Discourses of the Buddha
by Ajahn Tiradhammo
Sutta Class Rains Retreat 2022 #3
The Progressive Path to Freedom
by Ajahn Tiradhammo
The Life and Teachings of Ajahn Chah
by Ajahn Tiradhammo
Guided Meditation
by Ajahn Tiradhammo
Freedom from Desire Not Freedom of Desire
by Ajahn Khemavaro
Transcending Suffering Through Understanding
by Ajahn Khemavaro
Kathina 2019
For further enquiries, please email: wbdoffice@gmail.com or call the office at 0409-389-887 between 8 – 12 noon.
Doubts and Other Demons
Q: What can I do about doubts? Some days I’m plagued with doubts about the practice or my own progress or the teacher.
A: Doubting is natural. Everyone starts with doubts. You can learn a great deal from them. What is important is that you don’t identify with your doubts. That is, don’t get caught up in them, letting your mind spin in endless circles. Instead, watch the whole process of doubting, of wondering. See who it is that doubts. See how doubts come and go. Then you will no longer be victimized by your doubts. You will step outside of them, and your mind will be quiet. You can see how all things come and go. Just let go of what you’re attached to. Let go of your doubts and simply watch. This is how to end doubting.
Q: These days, there seem to be so many teachers and so many different systems of meditation that it’s confusing. Which one should I follow?
A: It’s like going into town. One can approach from the north, from the southeast, from many roads. Often these systems just differ outwardly. Whether you walk one way or another, fast or slow, if you are mindful, it’s all the same. There’s one essential point that all good practice must eventually come to-not clinging. In the end, you must let go of all meditation systems. Nor can you cling to the teacher. If a system leads to relinquishment, to not clinging, then it is correct practice.
You may wish to travel, to visit other teachers and try other systems. Some of you have already done so. This is a natural desire. You will find out that a thousand questions asked and knowledge of many systems will not bring you to the truth. Eventually you will get bored. You will see that only by stopping and examining your own heart can you find out what the Buddha talked about. No need to go searching outside yourself. Eventually, you must return to face your own true nature. Right where you are is where you can understand the Dharma.
An excerpt from Still Forest Pool by Ajahn Chah