Beginnings matter; how we plant this spring’s seed determines the shade of oak that will touch our children’s hands. This June, Clear Mountain will hold its first formal and formative event: a robe offering ceremony. Traditionally, Kathina and Robe Offering Ceremonies (ผ้าป่า “Pah Bah” in Thai) are the primary events organized by the lay community in support of monasteries, and this year’s “Finding a Home” ceremony is being held to gather support for the purchase of land and buildings for the future monastery (not, as the name might imply, chiefly to offer cloth). Clear Mountain’s search for land has begun, and to acquire property and build the necessary infrastructure will require the community to come together in support.
The occasion is blessed by the presence of Luang Por Pasanno, founder of Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery, Ayyā Anandabodhi, founder of Āloka Vihāra Forest Monastery, as well as Ayyā Santussikā and Ayyā Cittānandā, founders of Karuna Buddhist Vihāra. With these venerable guests, the “four-fold assembly” of monks, nuns, laywomen, and laymen come together in celebration and support of Clear Mountain’s aspiration. The ceremony, scheduled on June 17th, happens to fall on the birthday of Luang Por Chah, the teacher of our teachers.
The ceremony will be preceded by several days of events, which include a Thursday evening Dhamma Talk and Q&A with Luang Por Pasanno and Friday evening Dhamma Talk and Q&A with Luang Por Pasanno, Ayya Santussikā & Ayya Cittānandā, co-hosted by Clear Mountain Monastery and Seattle Insight Meditation Society (SIMS), a symbol of a growing friendship. Other, informal events with the visiting monastics, such as meal offerings, will be announced on Clear Mountain’s WhatsApp, Discord, or Mitta Meetups pages.
Beginnings matter; the monastery will echo the shape of our faith now. Join us in articulating, in our first ceremony, all our hearts hold for coming years, and for what refuge might be.
May all beings be well!
The Main Event! Sat. June 17 – “Finding a Home” Robe Offering Ceremony
Join the Clear Mountain community from 9:30 am – 2 pm on Sat. June 17th, in celebrating the past two years of a growing community, gathering support for the next phase of the monastery, and welcoming Luang Por Pasanno, founder of Abhayagiri Buddhist monastery, Ayyā Anandabodhi, founder of Āloka Vihāra Forest Monastery, as well as Ayyā Santussikā and Ayyā Cittānandā, founders of Karuna Buddhist Vihara! Click here to learn more.
Thurs. June 15 – Dhamma Talk and Q&A with Luang Por Pasanno (In-Person & Online)
Join the Clear Mountain community in welcoming Luang Por Pasanno, co-founder of Abhayagiri Buddhist monastery, for an evening Dhamma teaching and Q&A. The event represents our first chance to greet and hear the wisdom of one of the root teachers of the Thai Forest Tradition in the West, and a guiding light of the current project. Ayyā Santussikā and Ayyā Cittānandā, founders of Karuna Buddhist Vihara, who are just come from a nearby retreat, will also be visiting, and (if not too tired from their travels) may be able to answer questions as well. Click here to learn more.
Fri. June 16 – Dhamma Talk and Q&A with Luang Por Pasanno, Ayya Santussikā & Ayya Cittānandā (In-Person & Online)
Join us for a Dhamma talk followed by questions & answers with Luang Por Pasanno, Ajahn Kovilo, Ayya Santussikā, Ajahn Nisabho, and Ayya Cittānandā at University Friends Meeting, on Friday evening, June 16th, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. The event, co-hosted by Seattle Insight Meditation Society (SIMS) and Clear Mountain, represents a growing friendship. Click here to learn more.
June 24th & 25th – The Seven Factors of Awakening: A Weekend Retreat with Ajahn Kovilo & Ajahn Nisabho (In-person in Twisp, WA)
Join Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho for two days of meditation and teachings, 9 am – 5 pm on Saturday, June 24th, and Sunday, June 25th, at the Twisp Valley Grange in Twisp, WA (344 W 2nd Ave, Twisp, WA).
Beginning with mindfulness and ending with equipoise, the Seven Factors of Awakening, or bojjhaṅgā, represent aids to the bright and balanced mind. Relying on more than a decade of practice in the Thai Forest tradition, Ajahn Nisabho describes how to cultivate these qualities in formal practice and daily life, emphasizing breath meditation as a basis.
To register, email Sarah Conover [email protected]. Click here to learn more.
June 30 & July 1: One With the Breath, Fun With the Breath: A Retreat with Ajahn Kovilo & Ajahn Nisabho
Mindfulness of breathing is perhaps the most popular form of meditation practiced in America. The mass-market form of breath meditation commonly taught on mindfulness apps and in yoga studios, however, often describes it as a rote technique, missing the ethic of play and pleasure the practice can entail. On this retreat, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho will guide practitioners through key elements of the Ānāpānassati Sutta, the Buddha’s most comprehensive instructions on the practice, focusing on how to bring the breath, and our meditations, alive with a sense of fun, pleasure, and peace. And, if all that sounds too complicated … don’t worry, all we will be doing is breathing! This retreat is suitable for all experience levels. Click here to learn more.
Introducing “Mitta Meetups”: Peer-Organized Gatherings for the Local Clear Mountain Community
Mitta Meetups are informal, in-person (sorry non-Seattleites!), gatherings of practice, discussion, and giving, self-organized by members of the Clear Mountain community. The Buddha repeatedly emphasized having kalyāṇa-mitta, or “spiritual (kalyāṇa) friends (mitta)”, as being foundational to the Path. Coming together with other practitioners to share a meal, meditate, and discuss Dhamma allows us to support one another in practice and weave a fabric of community. Click here to learn more.