Clear Mountain Monastery Project

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo suggests a 5-part taxonomy of the sukhas (happinesses & pleasures) taught by the Buddha: 1) pleasure like fire - kāma-sukha (sensual pleasures not to be pursued); 2) pleasures like fresh air - kusala/nekkhamma-sukha (wholesome/healthy pleasures to develop); 3) pleasures like space - vipassana/upasama-sukha (the pleasures of clear seeing to be made much of); 4) pleasures like water - jhāna/paviveka-sukha (the pleasures of absorption/jhāna meditation - a trainable, uncomplicated, blameless, profound mental ease); 5) pleasures like earth - magga-phala/sambodhi-sukha (the pleasures of the Paths & Fruitions of Enlightenment). See The Araṇa-vibhaṅga Sutta for more on how to define sukha and to cultivate it internally: https://suttacentral.net/mn139/en/nyanamoli?lang=en Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events! - Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom) - Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person) - Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online) See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Bhante Joe Atulo, curator of www.dhammavinayapatipada.com. Subjects touched upon include: the Sri Lankan Forest tradition - its history and present, the happiness of respect, Bhante Ñāṇadīpa, and other relevant topics. You can find more of Bhante Joe's teachings at www.dhammavinayapatipada.com or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@DhammaVinayaPatipada Bhante Joe's Biography: Born in London, Ontario in 1983, Bhante Joe’s interest in Buddhism began in high school after reading about the Four Noble Truths. He trained at the Toronto Zen Buddhist Temple before turning to Theravāda and joining Tisaraṇa Buddhist Monastery in 2008. Ordained as a bhikkhu in 2010, he trained in Canada and Thailand until 2015. After time in California and Toronto, he moved to Sri Lanka in 2019, where he now resides. Tune in with fellow practitioners every Wednesday evening from 6 - 6:45 pm or Saturday morning from 9:30 am - 11 am for a Dhamma Talk and Q&A with Ajahn Kovilo or Ajahn Nisabho. Saturday mornings begin with a thirty-minute meditation. Wednesday evening Q&A's are followed by a discussion on Zoom from 6:45 pm - 7:30 pm. See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this Q&A session, Ajahn Nisabho speaks about looking at flavors of energy spoke of in Taoist tradition, a speculative overlay of some Taoist principles onto the traditional four Buddhist foundations of mindfulness, the meaning of sankhara (mental formations) and viññana (sense consciousness) in the five aggregates of clinging, Buddhist sleep advice, metta (loving-kindness), khanti (patient endurance), and more. You can access more teachings from Jason Bartlett, the source of the speculative overlay of jing, qi, and shen onto the four foundations of mindfulness, at of http://www.luminousdharma.org/ . --- Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events! - Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom) - Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person) - Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online) See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Khemarato Bhikkhu, creator of The Open Buddhist University - https://buddhistuniversity.net/. Khemarato's Bio: Khemarato Bhikkhu is a former software engineer from Silicon Valley where he worked on AI systems at Google and Facebook. He ordained in the Dhammayut Tradition in Thailand in 2019 and has lived in a tent in the Thai jungle ever since. He is the creator of the digital resource "The Open Buddhist University" and is an occasional contributor to SuttaCentral. Tune in with fellow practitioners every Wednesday evening from 6 - 6:45 pm or Saturday morning from 9:30 am - 11 am for a Dhamma Talk and Q&A with Ajahn Kovilo or Ajahn Nisabho. Saturday mornings begin with a thirty-minute meditation. Wednesday evening Q&A's are followed by a discussion on Zoom from 6:45 pm - 7:30 pm. See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this Q&A session, Ajahn Nisabho speaks about the role of emptiness (suññata) in Buddhism, specifically referencing the image of an extinguished flame described in MN 72 ("To Vacchagotta on Fire" - https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN/MN72.html ), and elaborated on in Ajahn Thanissaro's "Mind Like Fire Unbound" (https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/likefire/index.html). Further questions delved into how to deal with fear arising in response to peace, translations of "metta", and how to work with our human failings. The session ended with an exercise where partners took time to repeatedly ask one another the question, "What's holding you bath from your Dhammic path right now?". -- Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events! - Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom) - Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person) - Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online) See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview their friends Jin Chuan Shi and Jin Wei Shi of the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association, Berkeley Buddhist Monastery, & Redwood Vihara. Discussion touches upon embodiment, loving-kindness, non-violent communication, and restorative practices. Find out more about Jin Chuan Shi, Jin Wei Shi, and the Redwood Vihara at https://www.redwoodvihara.org/ Biographies: Bhikshus Jin Chuan Shi and Jin Wei Shi both found their spiritual calling early in life and now serve as monastics in the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association. Jin Chuan, born in New Jersey and raised in Silicon Valley, discovered Buddhism while in high school, and committed to the Buddhist path when he met Ajahn Amaro at Stanford, where he was studying physics and religion. He eventually became a resident at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB) in 2005 and received full ordination in 2013. Jin Wei, originally from Poland, began meditating in 1999 and, after reading a translation of the Sixth Patriarch Sūtra, committed himself to Dharma service, eventually arriving at CTTB in 2013 and ordaining in 2017. Both hold M.A. degrees in Buddhist Classics from Dharma Realm Buddhist University, where Jin Chuan now serves as an assistant professor and chaplain. ------ Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events! - Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom) - Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person) - Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online) See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

Ajahn Kovilo offers transformative strategies for moments when practice feels stagnant. He introduces six psycho-physical gestures for liberation, emphasizing concepts like letting go and unhooking from attachments. The discussion highlights the delicate balance of cultivating joy while confronting discomfort in meditation. Additionally, the power of loving kindness and self-compassion is explored, shedding light on how these practices can enhance relationships and personal well-being amid life's challenges.

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Ayyā Sucittā about her path into the Theravāda, Koan practice, her encounters with nature, Natural Law, and other aspects of her teaching and path. To learn more or support Ayya Sucitta's hermitage, contact her steward, Jason Bartlett, at info@luminousdharma.org, Jason.c.bartlett@gmail.com, or through his website, luminousdharma.org, noting that dāna given should be given to Ayya Sucitta's project. Ayyā Sucittā's Biography: Ayyā Sucittā grew up in South Korea, studied and traveled in the United States and after a while, back in Korea, became a monastic in the Korean Mahayana tradition. That was 30 years ago. She attended one of the bhikkhunī universities in Korea. After her initial training she had a thirteen year retreat with a Satipaṭṭhāna focus. About twenty years into her monastic life she visited the UK and met Theravada bhikkhus in Oxford. She found a resonance with the Early Buddhist teachings and forms of practice. Ayyā was encouraged to learn some Paḷī and chanting, she also began reading all the Early Buddhist Suttas. They sponsored her to study in Myanmar for six months. After Myanmar, she attended Amaravati's Vassa and the Winter Retreat. In 2017 she came to California and formally transitioned to the Theravada with a Daḷhīkamma Ordination with Ayyā Tathālokā as preceptor and with the support of bhikkhunīs from several communities and the Sri Lankan bhikkhus in the Bay Area. After about three years, Ayyā returned to Korea to take care of some health issues. She is now strong and healthy and will be starting Dhammadhārinī branch in South Korea in summer of this year. To learn more or support Ayya Sucitta's hermitage, contact her steward, Jason Bartlett, at info@luminousdharma.org, Jason.c.bartlett@gmail.com, or through his website, luminousdharma.org, noting that dāna given should be given to Ayya Sucitta's project. ---- The link to the 6:45-7:30 pm Zoom session following the livestream may be found on the event listing at https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/events/wednesday/ Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events! - Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom) - Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person) - Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online) See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this talk, Ayyā Sucitta, visiting from South Korea, speaks about her path into Theravāda robes, her love of the early texts, and lessons learned from her pre-dawn pilgrimagse to a mountain stream during her thirteen years of retreat. Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events! - Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom) - Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person) - Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online) See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Guṇavīro Bhikkhu on the topic of "tudong" - wandering on faith. They speak about his learning in the Goenka tradition, advice for would-be wanderers, & experiences with hardship and blessing. Gunaviro Bhikkhu's Biography: Gunaviro Bhikkhu (Jeffrey Hancuff) is a Buddhist monk. He began practicing Buddhism in 2001, began monastic training in 2015, and received full ordination in 2018 with Luang Por Pasanno as his preceptor. Since 2022 he has been travelling independently, primarily in California, trying to follow the rules the Buddha laid down as closely as possible. Contact Gunaviro Bhikkhu at gunavirobhikkhu@gmail.com You can find out more at https://samanasevana.org/ or ema The link to the 6:45-7:30 pm Zoom session following the livestream may be found on the event listing at https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/events/wednesday/ Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events! - Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom) - Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person) - Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online) See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!