Clear Mountain Monastery Project A Nightmare, A Butterfly, & the Disbanding That Reveals Nibbāna | Willa Thāniya & Eliza Day
Jan 8, 2026
Willa Thāniyā Reid, a senior teacher in the Thai Forest Tradition, and Eliza Day, a psychotherapist and Dharma teacher, share their transformative journeys toward contemplative life. They discuss dealing with heartbreak using devotional practices and the importance of keeping the heart open through metta. Their insights into the Sangha as an embodiment of awakening and the integration of Gestalt therapy with Buddhist practice provide practical guidance for navigating loss. Listen to their enchanting recollections of deva encounters and the teachings of the Mulaka Sutta that illuminate liberation.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
From Childhood Solace To Monastic Calling
- Willa traced her Dharma impulse to childhood chaos and an early solace in the Buddha's smiling presence.
- A chance sighting of Ajahn Braodomal in her twenties triggered her decisive move toward monastic life in Thailand and England.
A Temple Gaze That Lasted Decades
- Eliza remembered a childhood encounter in a Malaysian temple where a meditator's gaze gave her a wash of metta.
- That early intimacy later matured into scholarly study and meditation practice culminating in monastic ordination and a PhD inquiry into non-self.
Hold The Heart With Presence
- When suffering or heartbreak arises, hold your heart with presence and compassion rather than blame.
- Use daily cultivation (chanting, recollections, devotional practices) to keep a reference to the unconditioned amid turbulence.