Events and News

Upcoming Events

2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM)

This year’s AGM will be held at our regular meeting place in the Carrot Commons, on Sunday, September 29, at 12:15 pm. We’ll have a short break at the end of the morning’s session to pick up a quick lunch...

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ORGANISED BY AMBEDKAR MISSION BUDDHIST COMMUNITY AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATION BY VEN. AMARASIRI

Friday, May 24 – 7PM to 8:30 PM; Saturday, May 25

328 PASSMORE AVE UNIT # 20
SCARBOROUGH, ONTARIO M1V 5J5

PHONE: Nithya (416)-948-7342 Usha Heer (416)-871-9843 Suriayani (416)-878-1253

Venerable Amarasiri

Ven. Amarasiri

Amarasiri Bhikkhu was born and raised in Chennai, India. His education and career led him to live in many parts of the world. Ven. Amarasiri moved to Toronto in 2009 and attended a Vipassana retreat in the Goenka Tradition where he was inspired by the teachings and practice of Theravada Buddhism. On his very first visit to Tisarana, his interaction with Luang Por Viradhammo impacted Ven. Amarasiri to commit to the Theravadin Monastic life. He subsequently took Anagarika precepts in November 2016, Samanera Precepts in September 2017 and was accepted into the Bhikkhu
Sangha in September 2018 with Luang Por Viradhammo as Preceptor.


Program Schedule:
Theme: The Buddha’s Enlightenment
Dates: Friday, May 24 – 7PM to 8:30 PM; Saturday, May 25 – Day of Mindfulness/ Visakha Puja


Schedule – May 24
Opening chants
Guided Meditation
Dhamma Talk followed by Q&A
Closing chants


Schedule – May 25
8:30 – 9:15 AM – Opening Chants, Observing 5 Precepts, Short Talk
9:15 – 10 AM – Guided Meditation
10 – 10:15 AM – Break
10:15 – 11 AM – Silent Meditation
11 AM – 1 PM – Lunch Break
1 – 1:45 PM – Chanting followed by meditation
1:45 – 2 PM – Break
2 – 3 PM – Dhamma Talk followed by Q&A
3-PM – Closing Chants
7 – 8:30 PM – Visakha Puja
8:30 PM – Dinner


Register for this event: https://forms.gle/vMrYPsQDhAjsX3Dp8

The Theravada Buddhist Community would like to invite you to a Half Day of Mindfulness with Ajahn Pavaro on Sunday, August 27, 2023. The retreat will be available online using the Zoom platform.

Ajahn Pavaro

Ajahn Pavaro early formative monastic training began in 2001 with Ajahn Sona at Sitavana Forest Monastery in British Columbia. He spent his seventh year as a Bhikkhu with his preceptor, Luang Por Pasanno, and the Sangha at Abhayagiri Monastery. In 2010 he moved to Thailand and spent close to 10 years with Ajahn Achalo at Anandagiri Monastery in Petchabun. He benefited from periods of practice at Wat Pah Nanachat and from opportunities to receive teachings from leading elders of the Wat Non Pah Pong Sangha, including Luang Por Liem and Tan Ajahn Anan. In June 2020 Ajahn Pavaro was welcomed to Tisarana, where he now resides.

To join our Zoom Meeting, click on this link:

TBC Online Zoom Session

Meeting ID: 741 749 355
Password: 883290

Check-In on Zoom 9 – 9:15 am EDT

Zoom telephone numbers for the Toronto area, if connecting by phone:
+1 647 374 4685
+1 647 558 0588

If dialing in from another area, you can find your local Zoom number here: Zoom Dial-in Numbers

The Half Day of Mindfulness will include meditation, mindfulness instructions and Buddhist reflections.

Registration is not required. If you would like to donate to the Tisarana Buddhist Monastery for this event, please use the TBC donation page and include a message that the donation is for Ajahn Pavaro’s Half Day of Mindfulness retreat. 100% of all donations will be passed on to Tisarana.

The chants for the Days of Mindfulness will be displayed on the Zoom screen during the opening and closing chants. However, you can print the chants ahead of time if you prefer. They are available at this link.

We look forward to you joining us on August 27th.  Please note that this half day retreat will start at 9:15 am EDT and finish at 12 pm.

Schedule

Sunday, August 27, 2023 EDT

Time ETActivity
9 amZoom check in
9:15 amMeeting starts with Opening Chants
9:20 am30 minute guided meditation by Ajahn Pavaro
9:50 amDhamma Talk followed by questions and answers
10:45 amAjahn Pavaro departs; 5 minute break
10:50One hour meditation
11:50 amClosing Chants, discussion about the Dhamma Talk; announcements
12 pmMeeting ends

Dear Friends,

This fall the Theravada Buddhist Community (TBC) invites you to join a six week virtual study program by Tan Amarasiri, a resident bhikkhu at Tisarana Buddhist Monastery.

The theme of the program is “Great lives inspiring right practice”. It will be held weekly, on Thursdays, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., starting September 21st and ending October 26th, 2023.

The idea is to come together weekly, discuss and understand key aspects of the lives of some of the Buddha’s disciples to encourage right understanding, resulting in right application. Each session will be a blend of instruction and discussion, followed by a period for questions and answers.

We ask the interested to commit to all six weeks (barring unforeseen circumstances) and register in advance.

Program Details

Week 1 (September 21) – Sariputta, the embodiment of right understanding

Week 2 (September 28) – Mahamoggallana, the embodiment of right unification

Week 3 (October 5) – Ananda, the embodiment of devotion and service

Week 4 (October 12) – Khema, the embodiment of renunciation and discernment

Week 5 (October 19) – Visaka, the embodiment of generosity

Week 6 (October 26) – Anathapindika, the embodiment of right livelihood

Tan Amarasiri

Amarasiri Bhikkhu was born and raised in Chennai, India. His education and career led him to live in many parts of the world. Venerable Amarasiri moved to Toronto in 2009 and attended a Vipassana retreat in the Goenka Tradition where he was inspired by the teachings and practice of Theravada Buddhism. On his very first visit to Tisarana, his interaction with Luang Por Viradhammo impacted Ven. Amarasiri to commit to the Theravadin Monastic life. He subsequently took Anagarika precepts in November 2016, Samanera Precepts in September 2017 and was accepted into the Bhikkhu Sangha in September 2018 with Luang Por Viradhammo as Preceptor.

Fees

In keeping with the Thai Forest Tradition, there is no cost for this program.

Dana

Participants are welcome to offer dana to the Tisarana Dhamma Hall. Donations can be made here. Choose Tisarana Dhamma Hall Fund when making the donation. 100% of the donations will be transferred to Tisarana.

Registration

To register, click here. Registrations close on Monday, September 11th. We hope you can join us.

TBC member Nithya is facilitating the program, please email her at nithyarcaleb@gmail.com for clarifications.

Thanks,

Nithya

Dear Friends,

The Theravada Buddhist Community is pleased to announce that on Sunday, July 23rd at 10:00am Luang Por Viradhammo will be joining us during our weekly meditation session to offer a dhamma talk and, if time permits, followed by a short question and answers period.

If you have questions about Dhamma or your practice for Luang Por Viradhammo, please use the Contact Us form at the bottom of this page to submit them. Luang Por will try to address as many questions as possible during his talk.

Luang Por Viradhammo

Ajahn Viradhammo is the founder and abbot of Tisarana Buddhist Monastery in Perth, Ontario. He took bhikkhu (monastic) ordination in Thailand in 1974 at Wat Pah Pong with Ajahn Chah. He was on of the first residents at Wat Pah Nanachat, the international monastery in northeast Thailand. In 1977, he was asked by Ajahn Chah to join Ajahn Sumedho at the Hampstead Vihara in London. Later, he was involved in the establishment of both the Chithurst and Harnham monasteries in the UK. In 1985, he moved to New Zealand, where he lived for 10 years, setting up Bodhinyanarama monastery. In 1995, he went to the UK to assist Ajahn Sumedho at Amaravati and stayed for four years before returning to New Zealand, where he lived until 2002. He then returned to Ottawa where he cared for his mother for nine years. He is now a full time resident at Tisarana Buddhist Monastery.

This session is available on Zoom at our regular Sunday morning Zoom link: Sunday Morning Zoom

Looking forward to seeing you there.

TBC

We are canceling today’s social because of the thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon. Stay tuned for the next social later in the summer on August 26!

Everyone is welcome to attend our community social on July 15th at Christie Pitts Park between 12 noon and 2pm.  Someone will be at the entrance to the park right across from the Christie/Bloor subway exit to direct people to our location.

This is an opportunity to meet up with fellow members.  build community, welcome new members and strengthen our Sangha. 

There will be another social on August 26th, same time and place.  Please join us if you can on one or both of those dates and bring your lunch, beverage and a portable seat if you have one.

What's New

Announcements, web site updates, and general news of interest to TBC members

Please join us for two days of mindfulness with Ayyā Medhānāndi and Ayyā Nimmalā at Friends House in Toronto and online via Zoom.

More details to follow.

In-Person

We meet every Sunday at 10:00 am at the Carrot Commons building, located at 348 Danforth Ave in Toronto, and would love to have you join us. We are in Room 212, located on the second floor. The entrance to the building is on Danforth Ave., just beside the door to the Book City bookstore. The Chester subway station is right around the corner.

For those with difficulty managing stairs, there is a stairlift that goes up the side of the stairs that can be used. Unfortunately there isn’t an elevator. Washrooms are available on the second floor.

For more information on our Sunday sessions, see our Visiting TBC page.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

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 happy to let everyone know that we have a new location for our Sunday morning meetings. Starting Sunday, October 22, 2023, we’ll be gathering together at the Carrot Commons building, located at 348 Danforth Ave in Toronto. We will be in Room 212, located on the second floor. The entrance to the building is on Danforth Ave., just beside the door to the Book City bookstore. The Chester subway station is right around the corner.

For those with difficulty managing stairs, there is a stairlift that goes up the side of the stairs that can be used. Unfortunately there isn’t an elevator. Washrooms are available on the second floor.

If you are unable to join in-person, we are providing an online option via Zoom.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

We invite all who are able to join our Sunday meetings in-person at our new location at the Carrot Commons in Toronto. If you’re unable to join in-person, we are continuing to provide an online option via Zoom.

Sessions will start at 10:00 am, but please arrive or connect a few minutes ahead of time to be ready when we start.

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.

We hope to see you this Sunday.

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

On October 17, 2021 there was a celebratory gathering on Zoom to honour the 10-year anniversary of three Bhikkhunis, Ayya Anandabodhi, Ayya Nimmala and Ayya Santacitta. They will each have the honorary title of ‘Thera’, meaning ‘elder’, to honour their 10 years in robes.

TBC is very proud of Ayya Nimmala who trained at Sati Saraniya Hermitage in Perth, Ontario but then moved to Vancouver to care for her aging parents. She is the first Canadian bhikkhuni to be ordained in North America.

The video is very long. Some of the highlights include:

  • Slide show of 2011 ordination – 0:43
  • Talk by Ayya Medhanandi – 1:26:50
  • Talk by Ayya Anandabodhi – 1:34
  • Talk by Ayya Santacitta – 1:41:10
  • Talk by Ayya Nimmala – 1:47
  • Pali Chanting honouring the first Bhikkhunis – 2:09

This year’s AGM will be held on Sunday, November 14, at 12 o’clock following the morning session. We will be using the same Zoom link as the morning session.

Here’s the agenda for the meeting and the material for the agenda items. More items will be added as they become available.

If you have any questions about any of these items, we encourage you to ask them ahead of time to help focus the discussion during the meeting. You can leave your questions or comments for the Steering Committee in the Contact Us form at the bottom of this page.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to complete the survey! We’re very happy with the number of people who responded and greatly appreciate the thoughtfulness you put into your responses.

The survey ran from May 2 to May 14, 2021 and was completed by 31 respondents, with a good representation of new and old members of TBC. People were notified of the survey at a Community Meeting on May 2, through Sunday announcements, a website announcement, and direct email to 54 recipients. A copy of the survey can be found here.

The purpose of the survey was to get a better understanding of the will of the TBC community with respect to how decisions get made at TBC, and how the Steering Committee can best support this. In particular, we asked about the division of decision-making responsibilities between the whole community at AGM’s or community meetings, the Steering Committee, and the individuals Leads and Volunteers who provide our programs.

The Steering Committee is using this information to put together a Proposed Governance Model for TBC. The TBC community will have an opportunity to review the proposal and vote on it at the next AGM this Fall.

Overall Decision-Making Model

A strong majority of respondents indicated that their preferred overall model is:

The Steering Committee makes decisions to implement the direction of AGM and Community Meetings

The next most common response was by those who chose the “Other” option and suggested that it should be a combination of the Steering Committee and the Leads that make decisions for TBC.

What Types of Decisions Should Each Level Make?

A series of questions were asked to help identify what types of decisions should be made by the AGM/Community Meetings, the Steering Committee, or by the Leads. There was a range of responses but most common answers fell into these areas:

Type of Decisions to be made by AGM/Community Meetings

  • Decisions affecting the Strategic Direction of TBC, such as:
    • Mission Statement
    • Membership
    • Charitable Status
  • Approving Annual Budgets
  • Changing the start time of our Sunday Sessions
  • Having social events

Type of Decisions to be made by Steering Committee

  • Decisions about TBC programs, such as:
    • for Sunday sessions
      • Choosing a meeting location
      • Selecting Sunday Facilitators
      • Deciding about remote access
    • for Days of Mindfulness:
      • Choosing a location for Days of Mindfulness
      • Deciding about fees for Days of Mindfulness
      • Deciding about collaborating with other groups
  • Decisions about whether to offer new initiatives, such as:
    • Supporting diversity and inclusivity
    • Offering meditation instruction
    • Providing activities to welcome new members
    • Offering a monthly newsletter
  • Approving financial expenditures for activities

Type of Decisions to be made by Leads/Volunteers

  • For Sunday sessions:
    • Choosing the chants used
    • Selecting the dhamma teachers
  • For Days of Mindfulness:
    • Selecting teachers
    • Setting the length of the sessions
  • For Communications:
    • providing social media updates
    • making email announcements

Other Questions

  • Number of Community Meetings – Most respondents said that would like an annual AGM and 1-3 Community Meetings during the year if needed
  • Consultation with the Community – Most respondents said that they were happy with the level of consultation they are currently receiving about TBC decisions
  • Other Comments:
    • 3 comments stressed the importance of supporting and empowering individual volunteers and leads
    • 3 comments said there’s a need to balance the work load and protect people from burnout
    • 2 comments spoke about the need to recognize the legal responsibilities and authority of the Board of Directors
    • 2 comments stressed the need for accountability of the leadership to the community
    • many other individual comments and suggestions were made as well and are being considered as we move forward

Video recordings of dhamma talks from recent Days of Mindfulness with Monastics are now available for viewing on the website:

As well, here are recent recordings of teachings from Monastics at our Sunday sessions

The Theravada Buddhist Community would like to invite you to

a Day of Mindfulness on Sunday, May 16, 2021

with Ajahn Punnadhammo.

Ajahn Punnadhammo lives and teaches at Arrow River Forest Hermitage and meditation centre near Thunder Bay. He has been studying and practising Buddhism since 1979.

Ajahn Punnadhammo began his studies under Kema Ananda, the founder and first teacher at Arrow River. After this, he went to Thailand and was ordained in the forest tradition of Ajahn Chah in 1990. Between 1990 and 1995 he was based at Wat Pah Nanachat, Thailand. In 1995 he returned to Canada to assume the management of Arrow River Forest Hermitage. Ajahn Punnadhammo is a skilled and popular meditation teacher who leads retreats and shares dhamma on his YouTube channel.

Please join the Zoom meeting around 8:45 AM EDT


Next

To join our Zoom Meeting, click on this link: 

TBC Online Zoom Session

Password: 883290
Meeting ID: 741 749 355

Zoom telephone numbers for Canada, if connecting by phone:

+1 204 272 7920

+1 438 809 7799

+1 587 328 1099

+1 647 374 4685

+1 647 558 0588

+1 778 907 2071


Next

If you would like to make a donation to the Arrow River Forest Hermitage for this event, please use the TBC donation page and include a message that the donation is for Ajahn Punnadhammo’s Day of Mindfulness. 100% of all donations will be given to the Hermitage.
 
No registration is required.  This day includes meditation, mindfulness instruction and Dhamma talks. The chants we’ll be using during the session will be displayed on the Zoom screen at the appropriate times.
 
We look forward to you joining us on Sunday, May 16, 2021.
 
 

Day of Mindfulness With Ajahn Punnadhammo

Sunday, May 16, 2021

8:45 AM – 8:55 EDT. Zoom Check-In

8:55 – 9:00. Announcements and Introduction of Ajahn Punnadhammo
9:00 – 9:15. Opening Chants and Greetings
9:15 – 9:45. Meditation
9:45 – 10:15. Reflections on a Buddhist Sutta or Teaching
10:15 – 11:00. Meditation

11:00 – 12:40 PM. Lunch Break (Zoom will remain open)

12:40 – 12:45. Announcements
12:45 – 1:30. Meditation
1:30 – 2:15. Dhamma Talk
2:15 – 3:00. Questions and Answers
3:00 – 3:45. Meditation
3:45 – 3:55. Sharing of Merit and Closing Chants

TBC is reviewing how we make decisions in our community and is looking for input from current and past members.

Every year people at TBC make decisions about how we want our group to operate.  We have Annual General Meetings and periodic Community Meetings.  Those involved in running an activity make decisions about it, and some activities have Leads to help manage them.  Last year a Steering Committee was established at the AGM to help guide our group between AGM’s.

The purpose of this survey is to get input from TBC participants about how you would like to see decisions made in our community, and to help clarify how the Steering Committee can support this.  We will use this information to put together a decision-making model that will be presented for review and approval at a future Community Meeting.

If you’ve attended TBC in the past or are attending now, we would be grateful if you could spend 5 to 10 minutes completing the linked survey below.

Thanks from the TBC Steering Committee!

To complete the survey, click this link:

TBC Decision-Making Survey

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Where We Meet

Carrot Common
348 Danforth Avenue, Toronto
Room 212

The entrance door is on Danforth Avenue, just to the left of Book City.