Clear Mountain Monastery Project

This is PART ONE of Clear Mountain's interview with Sam Harris. Watch PART TWO on Wednesday, Nov. 26th. 00:00:07 Introduction 00:01:50 Is it okay to choose what one takes from Buddhism? 00:12:25 Is Sam a Buddhist? What is Sam's relationship to faith in the Triple Gem? 00:30:03 Faith in the Sangha? Is there value in living a monastic life? 00:43:02 The advantages of monastic baldness and robes? 00:44:06 Belief in rebirth? What was Sam's past life relationship with Joseph Goldstein? 00:50:31 Does Sam know Bhante Analayo? 00:50:58 How should secular scientists relate to evidence suggestive of rebirth? 00:57:17 Agnosticism about psychic powers? 01:00:10 If you had the Buddha on your podcast, what would be your first question? 01:03:25 What Pāli Buddhist word deserves to be more widely known? 01:12:36 The meaning of "vedana"? 01:14:20 How has Sam kept his center while becoming famous? 01:21:29 Where does Nibbāna figure in the "Moral Landscape"? Rigpa? 01:30:19 The meaning of "Rapid Fire - Lightning Round" for Sam? 01:30:43 Sam's most treasured personal Buddhist imagery? A shrine? 01:32:42 How does Sam decompress after a 3-hour interview? 01:34:08 Would Sam take temporary ordination with Jordan Peterson? 01:34:33 Has Sam ever considered ordaining as a monk? 01:37:44 Sam appreciates Clear Mountain and monastics! In this interview, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with neuroscientist and author Sam Harris about the intersection of Secularism and Buddhism. To learn more about the Clear Mountain Monastery Project, visit: https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome! Sam Harris' Bio: Sam Harris is a neuroscientist, philosopher, author, and podcaster whose work explores the intersection of science, morality, religion, and contemplative practice. He holds a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA. He is the author of several New York Times bestsellers, including The End of Faith, The Moral Landscape, Free Will, Lying, and Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion. Sam hosts the Making Sense Podcast and is the creator of the Waking Up app, which offers a secular and scientific approach to meditation and the good life. With more than three decades of meditative practice - including a cumulative 2 years on silent retreat - he has studied under such teachers as Sayadaw U Pandita, Punjaji, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, and with his friend, Joseph Goldstein. 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)

In this talk, Ayya Ānandabodhī speaks about Bio Ayya Ānandabodhī was born and raised in Wales, UK. Ayya first encountered the Buddha’s teaching in her early teens while reading about the Four Noble Truths. This was life-changing and from that moment she experienced a deep confidence in the Buddha’s insight and a wish to understand his teachings more deeply. At the age of 24, Ayya began monastic training at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England under the guidance of Ajahn Sumedho. Seventeen years later she moved to the USA with a wish to create more opportunities for women monastics. In 2011 she took full Bhikkhunī Ordination, joining the worldwide revival of the Theravāda Bhikkhunī Order. Ayya Ānandabodhī loves to share the Dhamma. Ayya’s practice is guided by early Buddhist scriptures, living in community, and through nature’s pure and immediate Dhamma. To learn more, visit https://parayanavihara.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 interview, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with revered Buddhist monk and longtime yogi Bhante Yogavacara Rāhula of Lion of Wisdom Meditation Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland about his wild journey from the hippie trail into Buddhist monastic life. Topics discussed include details about his early hippie days, glimpses into his book "One Night's Shelter: From Home to Homelessness", portraits of his life with Bhante G. (Gunaratana), the story of his name, his finding Buddhism through meditation, his finding yoga to support meditation, insights from stillness, his connection with Brazil and the Himalayas, and much more! To learn the Meditation-Yoga mentioned in this interview, see the guided video here: https://www.lionwisdom.org/yoga-for-meditation-guided-practice/ To learn more about Bhante Y. Rāhula in general, visit: https://bhanterahula.blogspot.com/ or https://www.lionwisdom.org/. Bhante's Biography: Bhante Rahula was born in California and ordained as a novice Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka in 1975 and took higher ordination in 1979. He lived in Sri Lanka ten years studying the Dhamma and practicing vipassana meditation with different teachers and living alone in secluded hermitages. He also studied yoga with Swami Gitananda in South India. His teaching integrates the practice of yoga and meditation. From 1987 until 2010. Bhante Rahula had resided at the Bhavana Society Forest Monastery in West Virginia with Bhante H. Gunaratana. Currently he is the principal teacher at the Pannasiha Lion of Wisdom Meditation center in Gaithersburg, Maryland. - 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!

Clear Mountain Upāsakā Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GtgmYKj-XrBaqLDhTeHP32TZe4PpHkLHSajrZyrgVj8/edit?usp=sharing In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho describe the Upāsakā lay Buddhist form in 13 (optional but awesome) moves: Introduction to the Upāsaka form (1) Take Refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha (The Essential Foundation) (2) Keep the Five Precepts (3) Meditate at Least 4 Hours Each Week (4) Keep a Weekly Uposatha ("Observance Day") Emphasizing Practice (5) Engage in a Twice-Monthly Confession with a Fellow Upāsaka (6) Create a Prominent Buddhist Shrine in Your House (7) Wear White in Buddhist Spaces, at Buddhist Gatherings, or on Holy Days (8) Learn Basic Buddhist Chants & Ceremonies (9) Read Part of a Sutta Every Day (10) Every Day, Engage in At Least One Act of Generosity (11) Stay at a Monastery At Least 3 Nights Each Year (12) Celebrate One’s Commitment Annually! (13) Take It Up a Notch! (Advanced Practices) --- 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 scholar and practitioner Dr. Sarah Shaw about Buddhism in academia in general and about breathing mindfulness in particular. Dr. Shaw's biography: Dr. Sarah Shaw is a faculty member and tutor at the University of Oxford, a fellow of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, and a visiting contemplative mentor at Brown University. She has taught and published numerous works on the history and practices of Buddhism, including "The Art of Listening: A Guide to the Early Teachings of Buddhism", "Mindfulness: Where It Comes From and What It Means", and "Breathing Mindfulness: Discovering the Riches at the Heart of the Buddhist Path". 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 speaks at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto (his mother's home congregation) about his own history being raised in the Unitarian Church and its effect on the trajectory of his life. Topics explored include Henry David Thoreau's essay "Life Without Principle", the intersection of Buddhism and Unitarian Universalism, how a Unitarian might begin to understand the Buddha's teaching, and much more! Join Other Clear Mountain 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, Ajahn Sādaro, visiting from Melbourne, Australia, speaks about the benefits and risks of using Large Language Models (LLMs) for Dhamma guidance. We may use these tools with wisdom, but knowing their limitations is essential. Bio Ajahn Sādaro ordained in the forest tradition in Thailand in 2005. After practicing throughout SE Asia, he returned to Australia in 2015 and now currently resides at the Buddhist Society of Victoria’s Buddhaloka vihara in Melbourne. To find our more, visit https://www.bsv.net.au/ajahn-sadaro/ --- 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 Q&A session, Ajahn Nisabho speaks about how he personally cultivates compassion (karuṇā), means of counteracting smartphone and internet addiction, the upāsakā form and wearing white in Buddhist spaces, the protective power of loving-kindness (mettā), stories of demons, devas, and elephants, how to practice seclusion and renunciation, and lay practice for Stream Entry (sotāpanna). --- The link to the 7:00-7:45 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 – 7:45 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, Ajahn Nisabho speaks about the relationship between dukkha (suffering, or stress) and time. Invoking the Christian concepts of chronos (choronological time) and kairos (sacred time), and orienting by the Buddha's description of a liberated state outside of time, we can navigate towards a greater spaciousness. Of special import is the ability to notice and dismantle the "clock" of Dependent Origination's (paticca-samuppada), whose twelve links lead to suffering. The twelve links of Dependent Origination may be found here: https://suttacentral.net/sn12.1/en/bodhi?lang=en&reference=none&highlight=false Rob Burbea's talk, "Time and the Emptiness of Time" may be found here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/11929/ ----- 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 interview, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Prof. R. Bogdan Staszewski about the intersection between Buddhist thought and quantum mechanics, focusing on the observer effect and the primacy of consciousness in shaping reality. Two other lectures by Prof. Bogdan on the subject: - "Is Consciousness in the Universe or Is the Universe in Consciousness?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_ld5TdXRX0 - "Can Quantum Physicists and Buddhists Agree on Consciousness? (Part Two)": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxlqH4_hRXA Bio Professor R. Bogdan Staszewski is a leading researcher at University College Dublin, where he works on making wireless communication, the Internet of Things, and even quantum computing more efficient and practical. Bogdan has co-authored six books, over 350 publications, and holds more than 200 U.S. patents. Previously at Texas Instruments and Delft University of Technology, he has co-founded several start-ups, including Equal1 Labs, which is building the first single-chip quantum computer. To learn more, visit. https://www.bogdanst.com/ --- 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!