Dear Friends,

Due to the on going Covid-19 pandemic, we have decided to temporarily cancel our in-person Sunday meditation meetings until further notice.

We hope that you will join us in our online sessions in the meantime, and continue to meditate on your own.  More information about our online sessions is available here.

To support your practice, there are various Dhamma talks on our Resources page.

Metta,

TBC Board

We’ve added two new writings by Buddhist teachers on Climate Change on our Resources page:

Buddha-Nature, Human Nature: A book by Ajahn Sucitto about our environment and the effects that Buddhism has had and can have upon it.
A Task for Mindfulness: Facing Climate Change:  A paper by Bhikkhu Anālayo presenting a Buddhist perspective on Climate Change

Ajahn Sucitto’s book is available in other formats on the Forest Sangha website.

The Theravada Buddhist Community has found a new meeting place in the Peregrine Room at the St. George Hotel, located at 280 Bloor St. West in downtown Toronto.

Our first meditation session at our new location will be on Sunday, August 25, 2019, at 10:15 a.m.

The Peregrine Room is located on the main floor. From the main doors, go past the Front Desk and follow the corridor past the restaurant. At the end of the corridor the Peregrine Room is on the left and the washrooms are on the right. The room is wheelchair accessible.

We feel very fortunate to have secured a wonderful new location so close to the St. George Subway station. There also is plenty of parking in the area including on Huron St.

We look forward to seeing you at our new location!

The December Dhamma Talk from Venerable Khemako on the topic of “Understanding Anicca by Observing the Four Elements” is now available as a YouTube video from our Resources page or directly from YouTube.

Beginning this Sunday, January 13, our Sunday morning sessions will start at 10:15 and run until 12:00 noon.

Venerable Khemako’s talks recorded during his November, 2018 visit to TBC are now available on our Resources page. These include:

Friday evening talk

Title: The Buddha’s alternative

Venerable Khemako discusses Dukkha in everyday life and how the typical worldy way of responding to it is inherently unsatisfactory. He then explains how the mind gets entangled in the 5 Khandas in its desire for happiness, but that the result is a kind of mirage. There is a description of the Buddha’s alternative to this grasping – a path that allows one to see how the mind creates its own suffering.

Saturday morning

Title: Questions and Answers

Venerable Khemako answers questions on the following topics: how to develop peace through receptivity and curiosity; How to combine the peacefulness of meditation practice with the busyness of life; How to face recurrent fears; Explaining anatta / not self; the usefulness of the 8-fold path to train the mind

Saturday afternoon

Title: How to best use our precious life

Venerable Khemako reflects on the rarity of being born human and being able to practice and reflect on the dhamma. He also discusses how to prioritize practice in everyday life. He then explains the way meditation can help in the development of insight.

Sunday morning

Title: Samsara and politics

Venerable Khemako discusses how desire for becoming leads to forming an identity, which leads to opinions, including political opinions. The metaphor he provides regarding political opinions in the human realm are that they are like sunspots. Sunspots necessarily have both positive and negative ions – you cannot have one without the other. In the same way, polarization of political opinions and movements are by their nature unsettled, incomplete, and dynamic. He also makes the point that our opinions are due to causes and conditions, and therefore not a fixed part of one’s identity. The solution to the mind’s tendency to reify political opinions is to cultivate wise reflection through the 8-fold path.

Our current meeting place, The Centre on Dupont Street, has been sold and we’ve had to look for a new location for our Sunday morning sessions. We’re very fortunate to have found a wonderful new spot close by on Prince Arthur Avenue near Bloor and St. George.

Starting in December, we’ll be meeting at the Xiaolan Health Centre at 88 Prince Arthur Avenue.

Ajahn Viradhammo’s talks recorded during his April, 2018 visit to TBC and SIMT are now available on our Resources page.

Below is an excerpt from the announcement on Tisarana Buddhist Monastery’s website:

There is something auspicious in the air. And you can be part of it.

As Tisarana grows, the need for a larger sala (hall) has become apparent. The present sala can hold only 50 people in close quarters. The envisioned new dhamma hall is planned to replace the current (Kusala) sala and will comfortably hold 150 people, with extra space available in a conjoined foyer for large events.

Hedges, gates, trees, paths and courtyards will help to define the new geometry of the landscape in which the dhamma hall and the proposed buildings will sit. These will also serve to shield cars from view, create a clear sense of entry, guide day visitors to the main entrances – and walking paths beyond – and create defined areas for outdoor activities.

The construction of the dhamma hall will be a major project for the monastery. Currently in the planning phase, it is expected to take three to four years to complete.

DONATE
To view the full announcement, visit sala.tisarana.ca