Clear Mountain Monastery Project

Confessions of a Buddhist Scholar: Esotericism, Alchemy, & the Limits of Academia | Sarah Shaw Q&A

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview scholar and practitioner Dr. Sarah Shaw about Buddhism in academia in general and about breathing mindfulness in particular.Dr. Shaw's biography:Dr. Sarah Shaw is a faculty member and tutor at the University of Oxford, a fellow of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, and a visiting contemplative mentor at Brown University. She has taught and published numerous works on the history and practices of Buddhism, including "The Art of Listening: A Guide to the Early Teachings of Buddhism", "Mindfulness: Where It Comes From and What It Means", and "Breathing Mindfulness: Discovering the Riches at the Heart of the Buddhist Path".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!

Buddhism: Unitarianism Without the You – A UU Dharma Bum Biopic | Ajahn Kovilo

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo speaks at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto (his mother's home congregation) about his own history being raised in the Unitarian Church and its effect on the trajectory of his life. Topics explored include Henry David Thoreau's essay "Life Without Principle", the intersection of Buddhism and Unitarian Universalism, how a Unitarian might begin to understand the Buddha's teaching, and much more!Join Other Clear Mountain 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!

An Arahant & Chat-GPT Discuss Nibbāna... Risks & Possibilities of AI Dhamma | Ajahn Sādaro

In this talk, Ajahn Sādaro, visiting from Melbourne, Australia, speaks about the benefits and risks of using Large Language Models (LLMs) for Dhamma guidance. We may use these tools with wisdom, but knowing their limitations is essential.BioAjahn Sādaro ordained in the forest tradition in Thailand in 2005. After practicing throughout SE Asia, he returned to Australia in 2015 and now currently resides at the Buddhist Society of Victoria’s Buddhaloka vihara in Melbourne. To find our more, visit https://www.bsv.net.au/ajahn-sadaro/---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!

Devas, Māras, & Elephant Stories, Lay Stream Entry, & Wearing White in Buddhism | Ajahn Nisabho Q&A

In this Q&A session, Ajahn Nisabho speaks about how he personally cultivates compassion (karuṇā), means of counteracting smartphone and internet addiction, the upāsakā form and wearing white in Buddhist spaces, the protective power of loving-kindness (mettā), stories of demons, devas, and elephants, how to practice seclusion and renunciation, and lay practice for Stream Entry (sotāpanna).---The link to the 7:00-7:45 pm Zoom session following the livestream may be found on the event listing at https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/events/wednesday/. 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!

Breaking the Clock: Dependent Origination & the Timeless Citta | Ajahn Nisabho

In this talk, Ajahn Nisabho speaks about the relationship between dukkha (suffering, or stress) and time. Invoking the Christian concepts of chronos (choronological time) and kairos (sacred time), and orienting by the Buddha's description of a liberated state outside of time, we can navigate towards a greater spaciousness. Of special import is the ability to notice and dismantle the "clock" of Dependent Origination's (paticca-samuppada), whose twelve links lead to suffering.The twelve links of Dependent Origination may be found here: https://suttacentral.net/sn12.1/en/bodhi?lang=en&reference=none&highlight=falseRob Burbea's talk, "Time and the Emptiness of Time" may be found here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/11929/-----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!

Beyond Matter: The Observer Effect, Timelessness, & the Primacy of Consciousness | Bogdan Staszewski

In this interview, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Prof. R. Bogdan Staszewski about the intersection between Buddhist thought and quantum mechanics, focusing on the observer effect and the primacy of consciousness in shaping reality.Two other lectures by Prof. Bogdan on the subject: - "Is Consciousness in the Universe or Is the Universe in Consciousness?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_ld5TdXRX0- "Can Quantum Physicists and Buddhists Agree on Consciousness? (Part Two)": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxlqH4_hRXABioProfessor R. Bogdan Staszewski is a leading researcher at University College Dublin, where he works on making wireless communication, the Internet of Things, and even quantum computing more efficient and practical. Bogdan has co-authored six books, over 350 publications, and holds more than 200 U.S. patents. Previously at Texas Instruments and Delft University of Technology, he has co-founded several start-ups, including Equal1 Labs, which is building the first single-chip quantum computer. To learn more, visit. https://www.bogdanst.com/---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!

Bhikkhunis, Butlers, & Card-Carrying Sotāpannas: A Non-PC Tour of Dhamma Diversity | Ajahn Munissara

In this talk, Ajahn Munissara describes the power of diversity in Dhamma communities and teachers, particularly in elevating female articulations which have been absent for so much of Buddhist history. She speaks about the fragility of unawakened views, the power of remaining open to other articulations of truth, the history of the bhikkhuni order, and also the Dhamma of butlers!BioMunissara Bhikkhuni was born to Thai parents in Manila, Philippines, in 1978. After living in the Philippines, Bangladesh, and the United States, she returned to Thailand in 2003. She went forth as a samaneri in July 2009 at Nirodharam Bhikkhuni Arama in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and took bhikkhuni ordination in March 2012 at Dhammasara Nuns Monastery in Perth, Australia, where she currently resides.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!

Monk Life: ”Less Dreadful Than I Would’ve Thought” | Ajahn Narindo Q&A

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Ajahn Narindo about lessons learned from the various phases of a modern monastic life. Biography of Ajahn Narindo:Ajahn Narindo was born in 1981 in the Netherlands, where he studied and worked in marketing and law. In his twenties he encountered Buddhism, began practicing the precepts, and eventually turned toward monastic life. In 2012 he received full ordination at Amaravati Monastery in the UK. Since that time, he has practiced and trained at monasteries in Thailand, America, and Portugal - where he is currently spending the Rains Retreat. Through meditation he discovered a peace far deeper than consumerist pursuits, and chose to dedicate his life to this path of practice.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!

(A)Political Buddhism: True But Not Right, Right But Not True | Ayya Santussika

In this talk, Ayya Santussika, visiting with Ayya Cittananda from Karuna Buddhist Vihara (https://www.karunabv.org/) addresses the unease many feel with about the current state of the world, emphasizing how Dhamma practice and non-hatred can provide refuge.Ayya Santussika Bhikkhuni: Born in Illinois in 1954, Ayya Santussika began exploring meditation in the late seventies. She received BS and MS degrees in computer science while being a single mother. After working as a software designer and developer for fifteen years in the Bay Area, she trained as an interfaith minister and received a Masters of Divinity degree in 2002. She visited monasteries in the US, Europe, and Asia, learning from master teachers mostly in the Ajahn Chah lineage. In 2012, she received full ordination as a bhikkhuni and founded Karuna Buddhist Vihara, a neighborhood Theravada Buddhist monastery for bhikkhunis. Find out more at https://www.karunabv.org/Ayya Cittananda Bhikkhuni: Ayya Cittananda was inspired to follow the Buddhist path in 2005 after a college philosophy class. After completing a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing and working as a registered nurse in Texas, she lived as a monastic at a small Pure Land/Chan monastery in Florida. She spent time practicing at monasteries in England and Scotland, and at Aloka Vihara in Placerville, California. She took Anagarika precepts at KBV in March of 2015, Samaneri ordination in April of 2016, and Bhikkhuni ordination in May of 2018 at Buddhi Vihara in Santa Clara, California.---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!

Empty Space Alight: A Compassionate Theravāda Search for the Nature of Awareness | Guy Armstrong Q&A

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview renowned meditation teacher Guy Armstrong about his time as a monk with Ajahn Buddhadasa, the relationship between sense consciousness (viññana) and a deeper awareness, the Mahāyāna concept of Buddha nature, emptiness, and remaining grounded in the modern world.Guy's Biography:Guy Armstrong has been leading insight meditation retreats since 1984 in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. His training included living as a monk for a year in the Thai forest lineage. Guy is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council and a guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society.The link to the 7:00-7:45 pm Zoom session following the livestream may be found on the event listing at https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/events/wednesday/. 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!