Clear Mountain Monastery Project

00:00:00 THAI - Luang Por Jandee on Three Types of Drunkenness00:15:46 ENGLISH TRANSLATION00:32:40 Q1 - Practicing Right View as a layperson00:33:31 THAI - Right View00:34:36 ENGLISH TRANSLATION00:36:08 THAI - Luang Por Chah on Right View00:36:44 ENGLISH TRANSLATION00:37:48 Q2 - Cultivating good health vs. getting drunk on health00:39:06 THAI - Good Health00:41:03 ENGLISH TRANSLATION00:42:38 Q3 - A surprising teaching from Luang Por Chah00:43:31 THAI - Surprising Teaching00:45:35 ENGLISH TRANSLATION00:48:41 Q4 - Finding encouragement during monastic suffering00:49:43 THAI - Answer on Monastic Suffering00:51:32 ENGLISH TRANSLATION00:54:32 THAI - Final Summary and Inspiration01:03:54 ENGLISH TRANSLATION01:09:54 THAI - Concluding Remarks01:12:39 ENGLISH TRANSLATION01:14:27 THAI - Closing BlessingIn this talk, Luang Por Jundee, one of the most senior disciples of Luang Por Chah, expands on two original poems speaking to the brevity of life and need to be heedful. To see things with Right View, we must understand their nature to arise and pass away, and understand ourselves as subject to the same forces. As it becomes accustomed to these truths of nature, the heart may find peace. Also, it will learn, in the words of Luang Por Chah, to see ducks and ducks, chickens and chickens, and the papaya salad of practice as irresistible. Luang Por Jundee's talk was followed by a Dhamma teaching from Luang Por Damrong Sucitto, another of Ajahn Chah's most senior disciples, on finding truth in one's own breath and practice.BioLuang Por Jundee (หลวงพ่อจันดี กันตสาโร)Luang Por Jundee Kantasāro, direct disciple of Luang Por Chah and monk for almost 50 years, is the abbot of Wat Pah Ampawan (วัดป่าอัมพวัน) in Chonburi, Thailand.Luang Por Damrong Sucitto (หลวงพ่อดำรงค์ สุจิตโต - พระครูภาวนาสารคุณ)Luang Por Damrong Sucitto (Phra Khru Bhāvanāsāraguṇa), direct disciple of Luang Por Chah and monk for over 50 years, is abbot of Wat Pah Pluem Phatthana (วัดป่าปลื้มพัฒนา) in Buriram, Thailand. ----Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this Q&A session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho discuss seclusion of body (kāya-viveka) and seclusion of mind (citta-viveka), how to apply the fourth establishment of mindfulness (mindfulness of dhammas) in meditation, ways of dealing with aversion, skillful means of nonviolent communication, and the benefits of retreat versus stays at monasteries.-----Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:45 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this talk—given on July 4th, 2026—Ajahn Kovilo speaks about dependence (nissaya, paccaya), interdependence (aññāmaññapaccaya), and independence (anissita) in their various Theravāda Buddhist contexts.Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with Kaira Jewel Lingo, teacher, author, and former nun whose work integrates the traditions of Zen and Vipassana with a focus on social, racial, and environmental justice (http://www.kairajewel.com/).00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:38 Discussion on the dichotomy of softness and directness in teaching00:02:35 Personal history: Growing up in spiritual and international communities00:03:05 Key moments leading to Buddhist faith and ordination00:07:41 The search for spiritual community after leaving childhood home00:08:22 First encounter with Plum Village and Thich Nhat Hanh00:09:53 Early inspirations from Catholic nuns in Kenya00:10:33 Specific resonances of Buddhist teachings compared to Christianity00:12:37 Transition from yoga and meditation to practical Buddhism00:13:54 Mindfulness as a common language for international community00:14:05 Impact of reading Old Path White Clouds and learning about Thich Nhat Hanh00:16:38 The practice of curiosity and mindfulness in daily activities00:20:09 Building trust through shared practice in diverse groups00:22:32 Overview of the Five Mindfulness Trainings and gatha practice00:24:44 A portrait of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's life and work00:26:12 The origin and application of Engaged Buddhism00:28:12 Thich Nhat Hanh's commitment to peace and nonviolence despite exile00:30:10 Foundations of the Plum Village lineage and core sutras00:31:44 Interfaith respect and the unification of spiritual traditions00:33:40 Adapting mindfulness for secular contexts and specific groups00:36:48 Advice on finding and building community in a modern age00:40:20 Creating a sangha in families and local groups00:41:51 Deep dive into the Five Mindfulness Trainings as a North Star00:45:19 Why Thich Nhat Hanh reframed precepts as Mindfulness Trainings00:48:29 Navigating ethical dilemmas and nourishing compassion00:52:49 Addressing race, privilege, and inclusion in Buddhist spaces00:56:46 Understanding privilege as part of the spiritual path01:01:18 The path of downward mobility and perspective of monastics01:01:47 Sharing daily gatas for waking, mirrors, and sweeping01:03:32 Reflecting on the end of the day and diligence in practice01:04:11 Closing remarks and future connectionsKaira Jewel Lingo's Biography:Kaira Jewel Lingo is a senior Dharma teacher in the Plum Village Zen lineage and a Vipassana teacher, and a member of the Plum Village North American Dharma Teachers Council of Elders. Her work continues the Engaged Buddhism developed by Thich Nhat Hanh, drawing inspiration from her parents’ lives of service and her father’s work with Martin Luther King, Jr. After living as an ordained nun for 15 years in Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastic community, Kaira Jewel now teaches internationally in the Zen and Vipassana traditions, as well as in secular mindfulness contexts. Her teaching focuses on the intersection of racial, climate, and social justice, with particular care for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities, as well as activists, artists, educators, families, and youth. Based in New York, she offers spiritual mentoring and is faculty in a Buddhist Eco-Chaplaincy training, and one of the guiding teachers of One Earth Sangha. She is the author of We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons in Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption, and co-author of Healing Our Way Home: Black Buddhist Teachings on Ancestors, Joy, and Liberation. More information about Kaira's teachings and events can be found at http://www.kairajewel.com/Mindfulness Training Gathas: https://mindfulgatha.wordpress.com/gathas/Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this interview, Ahahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with early Google engineer and author Chade-Meng Tan (https://chademeng.com/). He is also the founder of Buddhism.net (https://buddhism.net/).00:01:21 Meng's early life and path to Buddhism00:06:21 Integrating Buddhist inspiration into Google00:16:15 Scaling transformation and transcendence in society00:23:15 The accessibility of joy and its training methods00:32:42 Inspiring spiritual depth in world and business leaders00:40:21 Meditation strategies for computer programmers00:45:27 Corporate management principles for monastic delegation00:49:22 Managing digital devices and mental distractions00:55:03 Skillful leadership, resilience, and systemic recoveryChade-Meng's Biography:Chade-Meng Tan (Meng) is an award-winning engineer, international bestselling author, movie producer and philanthropist. He is Co-founder of Buddhism.net (https://buddhism.net/) and Co-chair of One Billion Acts of Peace (https://chademeng.com/about/bio/billionacts.org), which has been nominated by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and seven other Nobel Laureates for the Nobel Peace Prize. He was also Executive Producer of the movie Walk With Me (https://walkwithmefilm.com/), and Adjunct Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in the National University of Singapore. He co-founded the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI, pronounced “silly”). He retired from Google as its Jolly Good Fellow at the age of 45. Meng led the creation of a groundbreaking mindfulness-based emotional intelligence course at Google called Search Inside Yourself, which was also the title of Meng's first New York Time's bestselling book. Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo speaks about bringing loving-awareness and creativity to one's practice of the Five Subjects for Frequent Recollection:1) "I am of the nature to age. I have not gone beyond aging."2) "I am of the nature to sicken. I have not gone beyond sickness."3) "I am of the nature to die. I have not gone beyond dying."4) "All that is mine, beloved and pleasing, will become otherwise, will become separated from me."5) "I am the owner of my kamma, heir to my kamma, born of my kamma, related through my kamma, abide supported by my kamma. Whatever kamma I shall do, for good or for ill, of that, I will be the heir."Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this series of five talks given on June 20 for Clear Mountain's fourth annual Almsgiving Ceremony, we hear from 5 monastics:00:00:00 - Ayya Niyyānika on how practice begins now, rather than when the monastery is finished;00:02:45 - Ajahn Pandit on the story of Anaruddha, and the relentlessness of worldly life;00:09:38 Ajahn Cunda on the wisdom of finishing work internally every day;00:13:43 Bhante Rāhula on the joy of seeing the four Buddhist communities gathered together;00:19:15 Maechee Paññāsiri on how a monastery is a mirror for our own minds.Ayya Niyyānika's:Ayya Niyyānika trained for eight years in California bhikkhunī communities before traveling throughout the West and Asia to deepen their understanding of renunciation, Saṅgha, and global Buddhist practice. Now part of Passaddhi Vihara in the Pacific Northwest, they center their monastic practice on embodiment rooted in kindness and wise compassion.Ajahn Pandit's:Ajahn Pandit is a British monk and founder of the Little Bangkok Sangha. Ordained in Thailand in 1996, he holds degrees in psychology and Buddhist Studies from Mahā Chulalongkorn University.Ajahn Cunda:Raised in Chicago, Ajahn Cunda moved to California and ordained as a bhikkhu at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in 2008, training there for over eight years under Luang Por Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. After practicing widely at various international forest monasteries across Canada, Australia, England, and Italy, he returned to Abhayagiri in 2022 and will begin a one-year retreat at Birken Monastery in this July.Bhante Rāhula:Born in Mexico, Bhante Rāhula ordained in Myanmar under Sayadaw Dr. Nandamālābhivaṃsa and spent over two decades in Asia studying scripture and meditation under prominent masters, including a course at Harvard University in 2019. He now runs the Mexican Buddhist Center (Paññābhūmi) to spread the Buddha's teachings in the region while actively leading addiction recovery and youth prevention programs.Maechee Paññāsiri:Born and raised in Shanghai, Maechee Paññāsirī worked as a writer, creative director, and yoga teacher before fulfilling a lifelong spiritual quest by ordaining in Thailand under Ven. Ajahn Jayasāro in 2020. She currently resides at a nuns' hermitage near Khao Yai, Thailand, where she practices in the Ajahn Chah forest tradition and teaches Clear Mountain community members via Zoom.Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Steve James, meditation teacher & host of the Guru Viking Podcast (https://www.guruviking.com/).00:00:00 Introduction and Welcome00:01:32 Formative faith moments and vocation00:06:18 Life on an English canal boat00:08:40 The rhythm of travel and interviewing00:10:59 Interviewing the same guest over time00:14:20 Most moving and luminous conversations00:17:21 Handling negative reactivity in conversation00:22:24 Balancing internal and external awareness00:23:50 Advice for engaging with teachers and mentors00:29:50 Finding beauty in people on different paths00:34:45 Questions that bring out conversational depth00:41:06 Personal frameworks for organizing experience00:48:15 Belief alignments and the "pie chart" of faith00:55:30 Personal relationship to the Buddha00:59:44 Navigating dual vs. non-dual teachingsSteve James' Biography:Steve James is an international educator specializing in somatic practices, meditation, and contemplative inquiry. Through public workshops and private consultancy, he facilitates deep explorations into mystic traditions and relational dynamics. He is the creator of the Movement Koan Method and the host of the Guru Viking Podcast, a platform through which he interviews a wide range of Buddhist and non-Buddhist spiritual teachers and adepts, and through which we first came to know of Steve. To learn more about Steve, visit https://www.guruviking.com/ or tune in to his YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GuruVikingTune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this talk given on June 20 on the occasion of Clear Mountain's fourth annual Almsgiving Ceremony, Ajahn Sudanto—abbot of The Pacific Hermitage in White Salmon, WA—speaks about moving past the initial "romantic phase" of spiritual life into a resilient commitment. Celebrating Clear Mountain Monastery's new land, he warns that longing for flawless conditions is a delusion, reminding us that true practice requires anchoring faith with determination, rising above liking and disliking to weather the inevitable ups and downs of the journey. For more information about Ajahn Sudanto and the Pacific Hermitage, visit: https://pacifichermitage.org/Ajahn Sudanto's bio:Born in Portland, Oregon in 1968, Ajahn Sudanto discovered Buddhism while earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Oregon, sparking an open-ended spiritual journey through India and Southeast Asia. He eventually traveled to Thailand for intensive study and meditation at Wat Pah Nanachat, where he took full ordination as a bhikkhu in 1994 under Ajahn Pasanno. After five years of training within the Ajahn Chah forest tradition, he relocated to California to live and train with the emerging sangha at Abhayagiri Monastery. Following a successful summer retreat in the Columbia River Gorge in 2007, the Abhayagiri community tasked him with leading the establishment of the Pacific Hermitage in White Salmon, Washington, in 2010. Later, he took a year-long sabbatical spanning 2021 and early 2022, which he spent residing at Abhayagiri and Birken Forest Monastery in British Columbia before returning to his teaching duties.Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this talk given on June 20 on the occasion of Clear Mountain's fourth annual Almsgiving Ceremony, Ayya Ānandabodhi—abbess of Pārāyana Vihara in Port Townsend, WA—speaks about the joy of spiritual community, the danger of letting an untethered mind wander into modern-day 'hell realms,' and how to anchor ourselves in the present moment through the dual foundations of ethical living (sīla) and somatic awareness of the breath. For more information about Ayya Ānandabodhī or Pārāyana Vihara, visit: https://parayanavihara.org/Ayya Ānandabodhī's bio:Ayya Ānandabodhī was born and raised in Wales, UK. Ayya first encountered the Buddha’s teaching in her early teens while reading about the Four Noble Truths. This was life-changing and from that moment she experienced a deep confidence in the Buddha’s insight and a wish to understand his teachings more deeply. At the age of 24, Ayya began monastic training at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England under the guidance of Ajahn Sumedho. Seventeen years later she moved to the USA with a wish to create more opportunities for women monastics. In 2011 she took full Bhikkhunī Ordination, joining the worldwide revival of the Theravāda Bhikkhunī Order. Ayya Ānandabodhī loves to share the Dhamma. Ayya’s practice is guided by early Buddhist scriptures, living in community, and through nature’s pure and immediate Dhamma.Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!