TBC is happy to announce that Ayyā Medhānandī and Ayyā Anuruddhā will be joining us in-person Sunday morning on May 25th, following the two-day retreat at Quaker House on the Friday and Saturday. They will be offering a Dhamma talk and afterwards there will be an opportunity to share lunch together.
Ayyā Medhānandī is the guiding teacher and founder of Sati Saraniya Hermitage, the first Theravāda bhikkhuni monastery in Canada. She ordained as a samaneri mendicant nun in 1988 in Myanmar with Venerable Sayadaw U Pandita and in 2007, she fulfilled her long-held wish for bhikkhuni ordination in Taiwan. All the spiritual tests of her life have ignited an unrelenting faith in the Buddha’s path, for in the very depths of pain, a heart of resilience is known through forgiveness, patience and unshakeable compassion.
Ayyā Anuruddhā, originally from the UK, is a core member of the Sati Saraniya Bhikkhuni Sangha. Having served as a veterinarian and high school biology teacher, she came to the Dhamma seeking to restore the heart’s true radiance. She began her training in 2014 with Ayya Medhanandi and after three years, she received bhikkhuni ordination with Ayya Tathaloka as preceptor in California. She has been praised for her skill in guiding yogis with compassionate humour and lively medical and scientific insights.
More information about the two-day retreat at Quaker House is available here.
Teaching at TBC
Date: Sunday, May 25th, 2025
Schedule: (Please note we are starting at 9:30 am, rather than our usual 10:00 am start time)
Doors open at 9:00 am
9:30 am – 10:15 am – Opening chants, Meditation
10:15 am – 10:45 am – Dhamma talk
10:45 am – 11:15 am – Q & A
11:15 am – 11:30am – Closing Chants, Blessings, Sharing of Merits
Zoom/Hybrid session concludes at 11:30
11:30 am – 1:00 pm – Lunch (private room)
Ayyas depart to Sati Saraniya Hermitage
If you are staying for lunch, please bring your own lunch or purchase one from a take-out restaurant nearby.
Venue: Carrot Commons Building, 348 Danforth Avenue, Room 212, Toronto, Ontario. The entrance to the building is on Danforth Avenue, west of the door to the Book City bookstore. The Chester subway is right around the corner to the east on Chester Avenue.
Accessibility: There is a stairlift that goes up the side of the stairs. Unfortunately, there is no elevator. Washrooms are available on the second floor.
Cost: by donation.
Registration: The session will be offered in-person and online. Because there is a limit on the number of people the room can accommodate, we are asking people who would like to attend in-person to register ahead of time. If you are joining online there is no need to register.
Ayyā Medhānandī & Ayyā Anuruddhā’s Visit to TBC
Attending Online:
If you are unable to join in-person, we are happy to provide an online option using Zoom. To join our Zoom Meeting, click on this link:
TBC Online Zoom Session
If prompted, use this password: 883290
If you haven’t done so already, you may be prompted to install the Zoom application. When the application is finished installing, you will join an online room where our session takes place. You can then click on join with audio and camera.
Zoom telephone numbers for Canada, if connecting by phone:
(Meeting ID: 741 749 355, Password: 883290)+1 204 272 7920
+1 438 809 7799
+1 587 328 1099
+1 647 374 4685
+1 647 558 0588
+1 778 907 2071
We’re looking forward to seeing you there!