Events and News
Upcoming Events
2024 Monastic Visit Schedule – Days of Mindfulness and Sunday Talks
Date Sunday Meeting Day of Mindfulness Details Jan 7 Ayya Anuruddha 10am – 11am Feb 11 Jim Bedard 10am – 12pm Mar 31 Ayya Ahimsa 10am – 11am Apr 21 Randall Baker 10am – 12pm May...
Read More
TBC is happy to announce that Ajahn Kusalo will be visiting Toronto in early June and will be joining us in-person Sunday morning on June 9. He will be offering a dhamma talk and afterwards there will be an opportunity to share lunch together.
Ajahn Kusalo was born in 1952 and grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. A chequered pattern of study and work, mostly in the building industry, eventually resulted in qualification as a Quantity Surveyor. However, a general disinterest in worldly gain led to many years of wandering throughout Australasia. Around 1980 he met Ajahn Jagaro in Perth, Australia and joined retreats led by Ajahn Sumedho who visited there for two consecutive years.
Because he was still married, with one son, it was not until 1990 that he was able to join Ajahn Viradhammo in Bodhinyanarama Monastery, Wellington, New Zealand. He took bhikkhu ordination in 1992 and remained there until 1994 when there was an invitation to join Ajahn Sumedho in England. Six years at Amaravati Monastery led to a couple of years in Wales which was a precursor to two years of wandering around Europe. Part of this time was a three-week trip to Canada that eventually resulted in his living there for eight years from 2004 to 2012, the last five of those being spent developing Tisarana Buddhist Monastery near Perth, Ontario
In 2011 a short visit to New Zealand resulted in Ajahn Kusalo moving back to his home monastery in 2012 where he successfully served as abbot until 2024. He is now retired and travelling throughout Asia, England, Ontario and the U.S.A.
Teaching at TBC
Date: Sunday, June 9, 2024
Time: Teaching, 10 am to 11:45, followed by lunch from 12 to 2 pm. 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.
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!
Ajahn Kusalo will also be visiting Satipanna and the Toronto Mindfulness Community during his visit to Toronto. More information is available on their websites.
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
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 ET | Activity |
| 9 am | Zoom check in |
| 9:15 am | Meeting starts with Opening Chants |
| 9:20 am | 30 minute guided meditation by Ajahn Pavaro |
| 9:50 am | Dhamma Talk followed by questions and answers |
| 10:45 am | Ajahn Pavaro departs; 5 minute break |
| 10:50 | One hour meditation |
| 11:50 am | Closing Chants, discussion about the Dhamma Talk; announcements |
| 12 pm | Meeting 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
What's New
Announcements, web site updates, and general news of interest to TBC members
Video recordings of dhamma talks from recent Days of Mindfulness with Ajahn Viradhammo are now available for viewing on the website:
As well, here are recent recordings of teachings from Monastics at our Sunday sessions
- Ayya Medhanandi – May 24, 2020
- Venerable Khemako – July 26, 2020
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!
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