Rains Retreat Schedule 'Vassa' at Dhammagiri 22/07 to 17/10

For 3 months, from the full moon of July to the full moon in October, the monks settle down for a period of intensified meditation practice. This year, that's from Sun 22 July until Wed 17 October 2024.

We are not allowed to travel during this time (except in certain emergencies), and all energy is devoted to cultivate bhāvanā. Here at Dhammagiri, we stop all external projects like building & maintenance work, during this time.

We're keeping Noble Silence ('Ariyo Tuṇhī-Bhāvo') as much as possible, as it is one of the most important supportive conditions to develop samatha meditation.

We still continue all our regular sessions:

• Every day after the meal

• Every Saturday morning 07.30 am Chanting, Refuge & Precepts

• Every Sunday afternoon 03.00 pm Chanting, Meditation, Reflection

• Sunday closest to Full Moon One Day Retreat 8.30 am to 5.00 pm

• However, we do keep the Dhammadiscussion after the meal short (about 30 min max), to minimize the need to talk for the senior monk, and allow him to get back to his kuti early to refocus his mind on internal silence.

• We do the sessions mostly in Q&A form, rather than delivering a formal "sermon". Please don't feel shy to ask questions, or else the session may be quite short ;-)

The Rains Retreat period is also traditionally used by the lay community to enhance their level of practice; e.g. by offfering dana more regularly, or by finally sorting out any possible weaknesses in one's observance of precepts, or by attending meditation teachings at the monastery.

You may even like to make a specific resolution for these three months:

• For instance, you may determine to sit every day at least half an hour in formal meditation.

• Or you may consider joining our small group who observes 8 or 5 precepts every Saturday morning 7.30 am, and then meditates quietly in the Dhammahall.

• Or perhaps you like to brush up on your chanting practice, maybe even committing some chants to memory - chanting books (both Vol 1 & 2) are available at Dhammagiri for free distribution.

Anumodanā for your generous support, providing us monks with such excellent conditions for practice;

and blessings to you all for smooth and diligent cultivation of bhāvanā during the rains retreat 🧘‍♂️😊🧘‍♀️😇

By the way, this is an AI image, generated by our website hosting service via the prompt:

'Quiet Meditation in Australian Bush'.

It's disturbing how good AI has got recently.

To distinguish what's real and what's artificial on the internet is becoming virtually impossible.

Good reminder to us all to reflect on a verse from the first Sutta in Suttanipāta, Uragasutta, Sn Verse No9:

"...sabbaṃ vitathāṃ idan'ti natvā loke,

So bhikkhu jahāti orapāraṃ

Urago jiṇṇam iva'ttacaṃ purāṇaṃ."

"...having recognized the world as unreal,

that monk lets go of the whole universe,

like a snake sloughs off it's worn out skin."