Clear Mountain Monastery Project

In this short session, Ajahn Kovilo introduces the concept of a "vihāra-dhamma," a tool for sustaining the heart, asking: What is your "Vihāra Dhamma"? Your way to home? Your abiding principle? Also highlighted is the Sutta on the Highest Blessings (https://www.abhayagiri.org/reflections/131-mangala-sutta) as a wise checklist for evaluating one's 2025 and for planning into one's 2026. The Maṅgala Sutta's 38 "Highest Blessings": (1) Avoiding those of foolish ways (2) Associating with the wise (3) Honoring those worthy of honor (4) Living in places of suitable kinds (5) With the fruits of past good deeds (6) Guided by the rightful way (7) Accomplished in learning (8) Accomplished in craftsman’s skills (9) With discipline, highly trained (10) Speech that is true and pleasant to hear (11) Providing for mother’s support (12) Providing for father’s support (13) Cherishing family (14) Ways of work that harm no being (15) Generosity (16) A righteous life (17) Offering help to relatives and kin (18) Acting in ways that leave no blame (19) Steadfast in restraint (20) Shunning evil ways (21) Avoiding intoxicants that dull the mind (22) Heedfulness in all things that arise (23) Respectfulness (24) Being of humble ways (25) Contentment (26) Gratitude (27) Hearing the Dhamma frequently taught (28) Patience (29) Willingness to accept one’s faults (30) Seeing venerated seekers of the truth (31) Sharing often the words of Dhamma (32) Ardency (33) Commitment to the Holy Life (34) Seeing for oneself the Noble Truths (35) The realization of Nibbana (36) A mind that remains unshaken when involved in worldly tasks (37) Beyond all sorrow (Sorrowlessness) (38) Spotless and secure (Stainlessness) 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!

https://www.friendsofclearmountain.org/land/ 00:00 - Beginning 2:00 - Thai Forest Tradition (Roots) 4:46 - Clear Mountain's goals 7:10 - Clear Mountain's phased plan 13:31 - Introducing Friends of Clear Mountain Board 18:35 - The story of Clear Mountain 29:00 - Searching for land 33:25 - Potential land in North Bend! 38:05 - Team, Due Diligence process, and steps going forward 45:25 - How you can help 48:10 - Fundraising goals and how to contribute In this exciting video, Ajahn Kovilo, Ajahn Nisabho, and the Friends of Clear Mountain Board (Kim Tull-Esterbrook (Jotikārā), Steve Wilhelm, Alison Thomas, and Nicole Jarosinski) reveal a momentous milestone in the creation of Clear Mountain Monastery: following a multi-year search, the project has signed a preliminary purachase-of-sale agreement on approximately 90 acres of land near North Bend, Washington! The next three months of due diligence testing and community support will determine if the land can indeed become a home for Clear Mountain Monastery. ---- 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, Ajahn Nisabho speaks about the power of developing the four brahmavihārā (divine abodes), of mettā (loving-kindness), karuṇā (compassion), muditā (rejoicing), and upekkhā (equipoise). By constantly invoking these skillful emotions, we create a breadth of heart which can hold all beings and lead to liberation. ---- 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 Joseph Goldstein about his perspectives on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness as taught in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (https://suttacentral.net/mn10/en/sujato?lang=en&) and elaborated upon in his book "Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening." The conversation touches on Joseph's personal relationships with his teachers and peers Anagarika Munindra and Bhante Analayo, the meaning of "ardency" (ātāpi); the daily life practice of clear comprehension; the experience of "not clinging to anything in the world"; how to relate to "digging for the water" of practice; breathing mindfulness; walking meditation; intuitive practice with the elements; the similarities and differences between knowing mind as mind and Dzogchen; whether Nibbāna is a state of awareness; how to relate to such inquiries; and much more! Joseph's Biography: Joseph Goldstein has been leading insight and lovingkindness meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. He is a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society, the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and the Forest Refuge, a center for long-term meditation practice. He is the author of: - Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening; - One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism; - The Experience of Insight, among other books. To learn more about Joseph, visit: https://www.dharma.org/teacher/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) See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome! #Mindfulness #JosephGoldstein #Awareness #Meditation #PresentMoment #SelfAwareness #MentalHealth #MindfulLiving #Buddhism

In this talk, Ayya Suvijjana and Ayya Niyyanika speak about the 4 aspects of sati-sampajañña, or mindfulness and clear comprehension, outlined in the commentarial teachings. By considering actions in terms of purpose, suitability, domain, and non-confusion, we can see reality more clearly, and let go of ignorance. To learn more about Ayya Suvijjānā & Ayya Niyyānika, visit www.passaddhivihara.org. Ayya Suvijjānā's Bio: Ayyā Suvijjānā started with Zen meditation in 1976. After discovering Vipassana in 1998, she visited Abhayagiri where she became a disciple of Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno, eventually becoming a monastic student of Ayya Tathālokā in 2006. Taking full ordination in 2010, she helped establish Dhammadharini before traveling and teaching since 2020. Ayyā Niyyānika's Bio: Ayyā Niyyānika is a fully ordained Buddhist monastic in the Theravada tradition. Ayya uses they/them pronouns. They received their initial monastic training within the Dhammadharini community from 2014 through 2019 and then was with the Aloka Vihara community for three years. The past year and a bit have been a time of travel, integration, and deepening in practice. They visited a variety of monastic and lay communities in the West and in Asia, taking time for retreat and study as well as community involvement. ------ 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 Venerable Chandaratana about Ven. Matara Srī Ñāṇārāma Maha Thero, the way of practice at Na Uyana and Nissarana Vanaya Forest Monasteries, the practice of the 4 Foundations of Mindfulness, finding joy in meditation, the benefits of memorizing Pāḷi, and more. Learn more about Ven. Chandaratana at https://www.nissarana.lk/ Ven. Chandaratana's Biography: Venerable Panadure Chandaratana Thero ordained as a Buddhist monk at Na Uyana Forest Monastery in 2008 under the guidance of the Most Venerable Na Uyane Ariyadhamma Mahā Thero. Over the next six years, he engaged in rigorous training in both Samatha and Vipassanā meditation under revered teachers including Most Venerable A. Ariyananda Mahā Thero and Venerable S. Ñāṇasiri Thero. He spent several years teaching and practicing abroad before returning to Sri Lanka and taking up residence at Nissarana Vanaya Forest Monastery in 2015, where he has been practicing under the Most Venerable U. Dhammajiva Mahā Thero and serving as the deputy Abbot since 2017. Combining a background in information technology with decades of deep practice, he inspires meditators around the world through his rare fusion of contemplative depth, modern knowledge, and compassionate service. Learn more at https://www.nissarana.lk/ --- 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 session, Ajahn Kovilo speaks about several Buddhist triads: - 1) radical introversion; 2) radical extroversion; and 3) the Middle Way - 1) interoception; 2) proprioception/kinesthesia; 3) exteroception - 1) Buddha; 2) Dhamma; and 3) Saṅgha.d And proposes a "Nine Breath Challenge" - taking one minute to recite the 3-fold refuge: Breaths #1-3) "Bud-dhaṃ sara-ṇaṃ gacchā-mi." OR "To-Buddha for-peace I-return." Breaths #4-6) "Dham-maṃ sara-ṇaṃ gacchā-mi." OR "To-Dhamma for-peace I-return." Breaths #7-9) "Saṅ-ghaṃ sara-ṇaṃ gacchā-mi." OR "To-Saṅgha for-peace I-return." 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 Zen meditation teacher and founder of Awakening Dharma, Stephen Mugen Snyder, Roshi. Subjects discussed include the Pau Auk meditation system, techniques for deepening jhāna, and the concepts of Cessation, Awakening, and the Deathless across Zen and Theravāda traditions. To learn more about Mugen Roshi, visit https://awakeningdharma.org/. Bio Stephen Mugen Snyder, Roshi began practicing daily meditation in 1976. Since then, he has studied Buddhism extensively—investigating and engaging in Zen, Tibetan, Theravada, and Western non-dual traditions. He was authorized to teach in the Theravada Buddhist tradition in 2007 and the Zen Buddhist schools of Soto and Rinzai in 2022. Mugen is a senior student of Roshi Mark Sando Mininberg and a transmitted teacher in the White Plum Asanga—the body of teachers in the Maezumi-roshi lineage. Mugen is the author of five books, including "Liberating the Self", "Demystifying Awakening", and "Buddha’s Heart". He also co-authored "Practicing the Jhānas." To learn more, visit https://awakeningdharma.org/. ---- 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 session, Ven. Thubten Chodron, founder of Sravasti Abbey, visits Clear Mountain's Saturday gathering and shares insights into the self-centered mind and how not to fall for its tricks. Sharing insights from nearly 50 years in robes, she speaks about how we can learn to consider others' wellbeing as of equal importance to our own, and cultivate a heart as broad as the world. Also included: a very good story about a horse in Tibet and giving up anger! For more information about Venerable Chodron, visit: https://thubtenchodron.org/ Thubten Chodron's Bio Venerable Thubten Chodron is an author, teacher, and the founder and abbess of Sravasti Abbey, a pioneering Tibetan Buddhist training monastery for Western nuns and monks in the US. She graduated from UCLA and did graduate work in education at USC. Ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun in 1977, she has studied extensively with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhap Serkong Rinpoche, and other Tibetan lamas. She received full ordination as a bhikshuni in 1986. Venerable Chodron teaches worldwide and is known for her warm, practical, and humorous explanations of how to apply Buddhist teachings in daily life. She is also involved in prison outreach and interfaith dialogue. She has published many books on Buddhist philosophy and meditation and assisted His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the writing and publication of The Library of Wisdom and Compassion, a ten-volume series of teachings on the Buddhist path. Visit thubtenchodron.org for a media library of her teachings, and sravastiabbey.org to learn more about Sravasti Abbey. ----- 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!

This is PART TWO of Clear Mountain's interview with Sam Harris. Watch PART ONE here: https://youtu.be/cYamzDDJR8w?si=v5O0YrlBS0zT7g9r 00:00:07 Introduction 00:01:30 The Details of Sam's spiritual biography & the paradox of meaning? 00:19:49 Who else was on the trip with Sam to see Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche? 00:26:22 What preliminaries enabled the Dzogchen pointing out instruction to be effective? 00:49:20 The moment of pointing out? A guided meditation. In this interview, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with neuroscientist and author Sam Harris about the early part of his spiritual journey and its crucial turning point toward the centerless center. 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, Bhante Sumitta, joining Clear Mountain on a special occasion with 13 other monastics, speaks about the power of mettā, or loving-kindness, in developing the 11 benefits described by the Buddha in the Mettā Sutta (AN 11.15 - https://suttacentral.net/an11.15/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=plain&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin). Apart from helping one feel confident in any group, the practice can help one find forgiveness, and even approach death with serenity. Bio Bhante Sumitta is the founder of “Dhamma USA”, a community-based charity organization to launch his community care and spiritual care activities. Bhante is actively engaged in social welfare and spiritual care activities in California and other states by conducting Dhamma Talks, Sutta Discussions, Meditations and Pali Language Classes apart from helping many under privileged families and children in Sri Lanka. Dhamma USA is also helping children education projects in India. Bhante Sumitta is currently a PhD Research scholar at the University of the West and is pursuing his research thesis on “Philosophy of Arahanta Ideal as Depicted in Mahaniddesa”. At his school, University of the West, Bhante Sumitta started “UWest Pali Society” to promote Pali studies and Buddhist Art & Culture. A weeklong Budart Exhibition was co-organized by Bhante Sumitta along with Budart. He works as an Adjunct Faculty at the University of the West in several Departments teaching Ethics in Buddhist Ministry; Fundamentals of Buddhism; Introduction to Buddhist Psychology and more. He works as a prison care volunteer for Engaged Buddhist Alliance in Southern California apart from teaching at Home Boys Industries in Los Angeles from time to time. Prior to arriving at United States, venerable has been working at the Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka as a Senior Lecturer in English. He has completed 2 Bachelor Degrees and 3 Master Degrees prior to pursuing his doctoral Degree at the University of the West. To learn more, visit https://www.dhammausa.org/ ---- To join via Zoom on Saturdays, visit Clear Mountain Monastery's website and click on the link for the Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/events/saturday/) To participate in the Saturday chanting, use the pdf found here: https://cdn.amaravati.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/30/Chanting-Book-Vol-1-Web.pdf 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!

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!