Ajahn Dtun to Visit Australia in March

Kathina Ceremony at Boonyawad Monastery
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Kathina Ceremony at Boonyawad Monastery, Thailand

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

WBD Dhamma Talks on YouTube


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. 

Kempsey Hermitage

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

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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

Dhammacakka Forest Monastery, January 2023

MONASTERY REPORT for Annual General Meeting in November
 
Comings & Goings
          Monks

  1. Luang Por Tiradhammo will be visiting New Zealand 26 Oct – 16 Nov and to Thailand 13 Dec – 2 Feb 
  2. 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

  1. Ven Pannyananda left for Vietnam on 20 October. 
  2. Ven Caranadhammo will be coming on 30 Dec and will stay for one year.  

Long-term Lay Guests

  1. Megan is visiting her family in Melbourne for a few weeks in Dec
  2. Annie currently has no travel plan for 2023
  3. Yuliana is staying for a while and probably for a longer term
  4. 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

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Kathina Ceremony at Wat Buddha Dhamma

Picture Gallery:  Robes Offering 2022

Robes Offering at Dhammacakka Forest Monastery, Queensland

Picture Gallery:  Robes Offering Queensland

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Ajahn Dtun at Kathina Ceremony, Boonyawad Monastery Thailand

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.auFor 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

Rains Retreat 2022

Sala in the Afternoon

14th July to 10th 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 for Rains 20212
Monks
LP Tiradhammo
Ajahn Khemavaro
Venerable Panyannda

Layguests
Megan
Annie
Tommy
Yuliana
Graeme
Serena
Marie

For new talks on YouTube, click below:
WBD Dhamma Talks

Auspicious Chantings at Dhammacakka Forest Monastery

Picture Gallery
Vesak 2021

First Visit to New Monastery in Queensland


A Road Trip North and … a Monastery is Born
Road Trip Gallery

Robes Offering Ceremony
Sunday 16th October 2022
Activities include: Shared Meal, Auspicious Chanting, and Dhamma Talk
10 – 3 pm. For further enquiries, please email: wbdoffice@gmail.com or call the office at 0409-389-887 between 11 – 12 noon.

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 Tiradhammo’s July Blog

Greetings from winterly Wat Buddha Dhamma, 10 Mile Hollow, Wisemans Ferry, NSW 2775, Australia;

Here in the southern hemisphere we are experiencing Winter, which is also the time of the traditional Buddhist ‘Rainy Season’. Fortunately, at Wat Buddha Dhamma winter is not too extreme, with most mornings around 3 – 5C and sunny afternoons in the upper teens. Ironically, it is also the dry season.

This year we may only have a small Sangha due to some health issues and a serious delay in receiving a requested visa.

I have been reminded that it has been nearly 6 months since my last Blog update. I will not claim it as an excuse, but part of the reason was that not much has happened in the last 6 months – ‘nothing to write home about’, as the saying goes. The other part of my delay is that, for the early half of that time, I have been quite preoccupied with applying the finishing touches to my book. Now, with the final comments from my diligent proofreaders, Theresa and Grant, the enduring patience of Sharon for layout and Melinda for production of the ebook, it is now ready for reading. Copies can be downloaded at: www.wbd.org.au/news/book

In March, we were once again ‘flooded in’ with both the ferry down and the northern route along the river under water for ten days. Ari, one of our long term lay women, was eager to leave for a flight to Sri Lanka. The only option, other than walk 10 km over the hills, was to hire a helicopter for an airlift out. This was doubly helpful as it allowed some fresh vegetables to be flown in and Yuliana as a replacement cook to join us in our maroonment! Shortly after, several of us were obliged to have a picnic lunch in the park next to the ferry dock and had to clear debris off the picnic tables before eating. Various forms of debris, including an old mattress, clothing and driftwood indicated that the area was about two meters under water at some point. We are happy to live nearly 100 meters above the river level!

And … just as I am uploading this blog, we are once again ‘flooded in’. No big problems for us. The weekend retreat has had to be cancelled, some of the tracks are more washed out and the low lying bridge to the old garden has once again washed away – this time 100 meters downstream. One of our guests is marooned here while another guest, who hiked in from Wisemans Ferry five days ago, decided to hike out over the hills to Mangrove Mountain – 4 ½ hours in the rain!

                                                    The bridge to nowhere.

With the lifting of the Covid restrictions it is now possible to travel. I thus stirred myself from inertia and three of us took a road trip to Victoria. The main reason was to attend the Grand Opening of the Dhamma Sala at Vimokharama Monastery in the Dandenong ranges, east of Melbourne. This project has been in progress for the last eight years and Ajahn Hasapanyo and his disciples have done a superb job of re-establishing the site as an ongoing monastery after the original house was burned down.

Our trip to Victoria also allowed us to visit Ajahn Sudhammo at the new monastery, Nigrodharama, just north of Melbourne. Unfortunately, he was not able to extend his visa before it expired and has now returned to Thailand to re-apply for a return whenever it is granted. Ajahn Bom, another monk from Ajahn Dtun’s monastery in Thailand, is keeping the place warm over the southern winter.

On the return journey we followed the coastal route which involved an overnight stop at a camp ground where we were able to view the sunrise over the Tasman Sea. Australia is such a huge country – continent actually – that it really requires many days to appreciate the natural beauty and diversity of the landscape. It takes more than a few hours to absorb the effects of majestic rocky headlands pounded by the crashing surf or the endless expanse of pristine, sun-drenched beaches.

Ajahn Khemavaro has made good use of the opportunity to travel with visits to Thailand, Indonesia and USA, as well as several trips to various Buddha in the Bush properties. After a retreat in Brisbane, much interest was expressed in establishing a local Vietnamese Theravada monastery. With much enthusiasm and energy, a 360 acre property was located one hour west of Brisbane and the down payment was quickly raised. Dhammachakka Forest Monastery will be the first Vietnamese Theravada monastery in Australia, although still in the early stages of development.

One of the teachings of Ajahn Chah which I have been reflecting upon recently was triggered off by a discussion I had with one of our recent guests. This is the teaching that Dukkha (unsatisfactoriness or suffering) is our teacher. The more I contemplate this simple teaching the more profound it becomes. If I had only heard this teaching when I was young it would have saved me so much (unneccessary) suffering!

Most of us, unfortunately, waste so much time and energy denying, avoiding or trying to escape from suffering. If we could just transform this energy into studying suffering we would not only save a lot of wasted effort, but learn some valuable lessons in the process.

Of course, Ajahn Chah was giving this teaching within the context of the Buddha’s teaching on the Four Noble Truths. These truths tell us that suffering is a fundamental reality of life and this experience has a definite cause which can be brought to an end through a detailed practice of spiritual development.

I think the main reason why most people do not try to study suffering is that they do not know that there is a path of practice to transcend suffering – the Eightfold Path. Without a way out, suffering seems like a very unpleasant deadend. And, while not exactly easy, by studying suffering we can gradually learn to free ourselves from this self-created condition.

The tools are now within our hands. 

Wishing you all good health, well-being and the peace of Liberation.

                                  Australia Rock — can you see the outline of Australia?

Wat Enews June 2022

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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 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

Ajahn Chah’s Teachings:  Meditation is a Way of Life 
by Ajahn Tiradhammo

The Art of Letting Go 
by Ajahn Tiradhammo

The Action of No Action 
by Ajahn Tiradhammo

The Path of Practice 
by Ajahn Khemavaro

What is True Happiness?
by Ajahn Khemavaro

Q & A with Ajahn Chah

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

For more teachings from Ajahn Chah, please click here:  Ajahn Chah Teachings

Wat Enews May 2022

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

Wat Enews March 2022

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:
 
PDF format (~ 5.23 MB)
epub format (~ 1.02 MB)
mobi format (~ 3.57 MB)

For more of LP Thiradhammo’s teachings, click here:  LP Tiradhammo’s Blog

Buddha Statues Casting Ceremony in Thailand

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

Queen’s Birthday
Long Weekend Retreat
with Ajahn Khemavaro
Friday 10th to Monday 13th June 2022
Long Weekend Retreat Registration 

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 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

The Benefits of Positive Intention
by Ajahn Tiradhammo

Sutta Discussion: #11 Liberation and the End of “I-Making”
by Ajahn Tiradhammo

New Year Retreat–Five Spiritual Powers
by Ajahn Khemavaro

New Year’s Eve Q & A 
by Ajahn Khemavaro

Picture Gallery:

Robes Offering Ceremony 2021

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.