2022 Photo Gallery
Rain of Guests, Flood of Dharma – May
It was a beautiful week at the Abbey, with a wave of greenery sweeping the region! With the new weather, we’ve started to clean-up our forest again. Meanwhile, we’re being showered with precious Dharma teachings from in-house and off-site teachers. Guests keep trickling in, who kindly help us to carry out the activities of awakening.
Awakening the Kind Heart Retreat – April
Venerable Sangye Khadro led a beautiful weekend retreat on a loving-kindness, the first retreat of the season. Guests and monastics reflected on the kindness they had received throughout their lives and related their experiences to each other. Here’s a glimpse into the retreat.
Abbey Life – April
April life at the Abbey has been meaningful and chock-full of merit-making. Yvonne arrived from Singapore for a long visit, and we welcomed other guests for short stays. Offering service activities are in full swing, along with retreats, Offering Service Saturdays, and Sharing the Dharma Days. Now that we are open again, friends are even coming up just for lunch. All are vaccinated and boosted (our requirement for visiting) and everyone needs to call before they come.
Kathina Day – April
Kathina is a celebrated day that goes all the way back to the time of the Buddha, when the lay community offers much-needed requisites to the sangha. This year, our friends in Singapore and Malaysia presented the Robe of Merit on behalf of our friends in Ukraine. Read more about this day of mutual generosity and gratitude here: https://sravastiabbey.org/kathina-in-person-online-april-10/
First Sharing the Dharma Day – April
As soon as our winter retreat ended we opened the doors for Sharing Dharma Day, inviting in-person guests for the first time in a long time. What a joyful occasion! After a guided meditaiton with Ven. Jigme, Ven. Chodron gave a practical teaching on preparing our minds to work with conflict (watch it here). The vegetarian potluck lunch was scrumptious, followed by a Green Tara meditation practice. It was a joy to close the day by thanking the volunteers who supported the Abbey throughout the winter retreat. We’re happy to be open again!
Winter Retreat Ends- April
Our three-month winter meditation retreat ended, as it usually does, with a time of sharing and a Dorje Khadro fire puja to purify all negativities. Meditators from both the Medicine Buddha retreat and the Vajrasattva retreat groups had fruitful insights to share. Then we piled into the kitchen to create a scorpion of black sesame seeds, an offering to Dorje Khadro in the fire puja. By this merit may the poisons of ignorance, anger, and craving be purified. May this merit nourish the seeds for all beings to be fully awakened.
Ending Varsa – March
Varsa, the annual monastic retreat that emphasizes community harmony, ends with a ceremony called Pravarana. One of the four main ceremonies that monastic communities are required to hold each year, Pravarana offers a chance to invite feedback about our behavior. The ceremony restores our precepts, promotes harmony, and strengthens our community’s commitment to the Dharma. Although Varsa is complete, our overlapping Medicine Buddha retreat continues for two more weeks.
Ending Varsa – March
Varsa, the annual monastic retreat that emphasizes community harmony, ends with a ceremony called Pravarana. One of the four main ceremonies that monastic communities are required to hold each year, Pravarana offers a chance to invite feedback about our behavior. The ceremony restores our precepts, promotes harmony, and strengthens our community’s commitment to the Dharma. Although Varsa is complete, our overlapping Medicine Buddha retreat continues for two more weeks.
Change, Even in Retreat – March
While each day of retreat looks very similar, there are many opportunities to appreciate impermanence. We’ve celebrated Losar—Tibetan New Year—received the long-awaited Buddha Hall building permit, and changed which half of the community is supporting the retreat. As the end of retreat nears, so does spring.
One-Month Retreat Ends – February
Six Abbey guests ended their one-month Medicine Buddha retreat with the powerful Dorje Khadro fire puja to help purify any mistakes during their time in retreat. They also thanked Venerable Chodron for this rare and amazing opportunity. Meanwhile, the Abbey community’s retreat goes on as we practice meditation, offer service, get exercise, and receive wise teachings from Geshe Thabkhe.
A New Year, A New Anagarika – February
Lunar New Year, Feb. 1, was an auspicious day at the Abbey. Two men took the eight anagarika (monastic trainee) precepts for life – Gyatso in person and Renato in Mexico via Zoom. Two lay people also took refuge and the five lay precepts. The Malaysian Butterworth Lay Buddhist Society sponsored a delicious celebratory lunch prepared by Kuni’s Thai Cuisine. We rejoice in all the merit created by so many beings on this day!
On Vacation with Medicine Buddha and Vajrasattva – January
The Abbey community is now totally immersed in the winter retreat, with some guests joining us as well. Seven retreatants are focusing on the Vajrasattva purification practice while the rest are meditating on Medicine Buddha. Half of the community is in full retreat and the other half is offering service and meditating three times a day; we will switch halfway through so everyone can have six weeks of full retreat.
Getting Ready for Winter Retreat – January
We are offering lots of service around the Abbey to prepare for our upcoming three-month winter retreat. Shoveling has become a daily routine due to lots of snow, giving us many opportunities for physical exercise and cultivating joyous effort. We also hosted our annual Vajrasattva purification retreat over the New Year weekend that attracted nearly 200 online participants.
Learn from books by Ven. Thubten Chodron.
Ven. Thubten Chodron
Endorsed by
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Find a library of Ven. Chodron’s teachings on ThubtenChodron.org
Sravasti Abbey
692 Country Lane
Newport WA 99156 USA
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509-447-5549