Chie’s Story & Aspirations

Dear Dhamma Friend,

You might be pleased to know that I have formally requested anagarika training from Venerable Canda, and she accepted! I intend to complete the preliminary training as Anagarika for part of this year and the next, and if all goes with the current flow of things, go on to samaneri training for some time and in a beautiful culmination of those training years,  I will be able to ask for the full bhikkhuni ordination. Upon requesting full ordination as ordination and if accepted by the Sangha at that time, I would be able to start journeying as a junior bhikkhuni; a gradual training from 8-precepts all the way to observing 311 precepts.

Whilst the present moment is often alluded to as being timeless, on a very apparent level the experience of samsara through the body has a clear beginning and middle and that means that the concept of time is pervasive and holds us. There is a time to train as a layperson, to sit and walk retreats, to support the Sangha (the Bhikkhuni Sangha and the Bhikkhu Sangha), and to delve deeper into the monastic aspirations, that time is now for me – a gift truly given.

Making anagarika robes!

I envision that my life in training will consist of more comprehensive studies of the suttas, not with the intention of being a scholar, or to win the Buddhist pub quiz, or to best others in philosophising about ancient languages and doctrines, but to have the standard knowledge base which will support my practice, and perhaps one day in the far distant future gives me some ability to share the teachings. I pre-empt that the life in training means opportunities to serve the Dhamma and Sangha more intimately, gone are the wonderful days of bringing dana to the monastery, but coming will be the days of folding a monastic’s or long-termers’ laundry (others’ and my own), setting up the dhamma hall for sutta discussions, building relationships with renunciates by living amidst them – and over time having increasing involvement in duties of varying complexity.

What about the meditation, cultivation of right mindfulness and right stillness? In line with Ajahn Brahm’s approach – he who introduced me to Buddhism in 2014 through a dhamma talk in my late teens – I mean to practice and do practice meditation but never forget that the practice ripens more from how the mind is applied when we are in our various postures and modes of being whilst off the cushion. I am looking forward to loads of kindful service, building and sustaining seemingly ordinary qualities such as sharing, listening, learning, having good manners, supporting those in need, and advocating for those less privileged, marginalised or underrepresented from the perspective of a trainee-monastic. I smile at the potential future of sitting the the rains retreat with the well-established and wise, but out of faith and my own sensibilities also see that those 3 months in silence will flow in a way which is closely influenced by the other 9 months before the rains retreat, and the years bygone.

Special and honorable mentions to all of you who are the Anukampa community, the current opportunities within the Anukampa project are due to years of work by the community. On a personal level I would like to express gratitude to individuals in the community I have interacted with, heard or seen, for they have been examples of wholesome qualities and allowed me to see the dhamma in action – the community are supporters of the Bhikkhuni Sangha but also my teachers and will continue to be.

Even more special and even more honorable mentions to the teacher Venerable Canda, who began the project and can be given credit for the way it is, but also on a personal level is an older practitioner than myself, an experienced female alms mendicant, a monastic to respect, a role model to follow the example of, a female to approach in a way I cannot approach monks, a marginalised individual to relate to, a person to be open to as a human.

Salutations to my family, being Afro-British I grew up in a cultural context which is community-oriented, I was brought up in a notably ethical family which is non-religious in many ways but lives with Christian undertones. We have experienced emotional and psychological divides which widened as I spent more of my time in secluded Buddhist spaces – to them at the time it seemed that I was separating from our family and our values. I am blessed to say that I and my family have grown and keep on, they have helped me more than they can imagine by listening, seeing more clearly what we are doing as people who are inclined towards the Dhamma, and by explaining to other family members who were perplexed. This level of gracefulness is currently seen in action as my two elder biological sisters occasionally visit the monastery out of familial duty and love.

Thoughts of appreciation to my previous studies and work in the health and social care sectors, my former colleagues, educators who were training me in ethical mainstream work, and instilled in me some other important skills and values. I admit I am glad to be branching out into a field even more nuanced and special in my eyes, for example, I am looking forward to more detailed studies of the Karaniya Metta Sutta (Sn 1.8), Mangala Sutta (Sn 2.4), Ratana Sutta (Sn 2.1), Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (SN 56.11), Anattalakkhana Sutta (SN 22.59 and Adittapariyaya Sutta (SN 35.28).

In true human fashion instead of superhuman, I love what the changes of this year bring and I do not want to ever be separated from a life which is like this. If there is another human life for me, I hope right off the cuff it starts off with training in a wholesome Bhikkhuni Monastery alongside the equally important strong community, and in the backdrop of an  ethical and kind-natured family. All our lives are undulating, times are flowing, trainings ever deepening of various depth, breadth, beauty, and processes are ever unfolding – the concept of time ever repeating. On that note, may we all reach the restful abidings which are independent of the conventional nature of time.

Chie xoxo

Anagarikaa Upacala’s Story of Renunciation 

With joy, I write to you as a new full-time member of our community! As such, I would like to share a little about the journey that brought me here. As a youth growing up in small-town Ontario, Canada, I didn’t want to be like the manicured people I saw in magazines and movies. Punk rock, art and anti-capitalist peers were my refuges, in a world saturated with advertisements to buy more and “be” more.

In 2014 I was working two jobs. The stress led me to begin meditating which helped for a while… until the practice faded. A year later, having moved to New Zealand, Matthew, my partner-to-be, told me about ten-day silent Vipassana retreats he had been to. Ten days in silence? Sign me up!

During that first retreat the teacher, S.N. Goenka, referred to bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs practicing in the Buddha’s time, who lived in forests and walked to villages for alms. I fantasised about doing that myself in modern-day Wellington. Wouldn’t bhikkhunī life be the ultimate rebellion from capitalism?! However, as I’d just moved in with Matthew, the idea faded into the background; instead I tried to meditate daily and found my sila (virtue) gradually improving. 

I felt drawn to spending more time practicing and serving at the meditation centres. I naturally lost interest in engaging with anything not directly related to Dhamma and in 2021, found a new refuge in spiritual friends. I felt overwhelmed with gratitude for this human life and the opportunity to practice. Later that year I was on a long retreat when New Zealand went into lockdown. Abruptly we had to leave. I was distraught, but it later proved a blessing in disguise. A friend who was at the retreat centre introduced me to a talk by a kind and compassionate bhikkhunī called…Venerable Candā.  It totally changed my practice. What?! I can be kind and gentle with the breath?

I was so inspired to know that in the present-day there was a bhikkhunī sharing Dhamma in a way that was aligned with the early Buddhist teachings. In that talk Ven. Candā said something like, “Who knows? Maybe someone hearing this could be inspired to go forth.” You have no idea, I thought! Seeing Ven. Candā showed me that it could be possible for me to go forth. I joked with a friend that I might have to go to Oxford and ordain with her! (See the screenshot opposite ;-))

Shortly after, the thought arose: What is this body but a vessel to take me out of rebirth? I could no longer stay in a job that was not allowing me to wholly give myself to practicing, serving and sharing the Dhamma, so I went to serve at the meditation centre. 

During this time my friend sent me articles about bhikkhunī ordination and lists of monasteries. I was excited to find that as well as a bhikkhunī project in New Zealand, there were three bhikkhunī monasteries in Australia, so I went to Aus to serve the bhikkhunīs.

Matthew was continually supportive of my spiritual path. I knew that more renunciation was needed in order for me to progress on the Path, and the Buddha created the forms of both a bhikkhu and bhikkhunī for this purpose. Seeing my dedication, he realised I wanted to ordain and encouraged me, even though it would mean we’d have to separate.

There were no suitable openings for training in NZ and Ven Canda did not yet have a base, so in early 2023, I went to live at a local bhikkhu’s monastery. It was a confusing time: along with inspiration I experienced loneliness, isolation and discrimination – as a woman I was expected to be in the kitchen. In the chanting, bhikkhus were mentioned but not bhikkhunīs. I felt invisible. Two young European bhikkhus said it would be easier to be a 10-precept nun in Sri Lanka, or even, that I should practice well in this life and be reborn as a man in my next! (Um, no. I wasn’t planning to be reborn at all).Eventually, I had a chance to stay with Ven Adhimutti, a senior Bhikkhuni in NZ and take the anagarikaa precepts. Being around a good bhikkhuni felt safe and finally gave me an opportunity to engage with the Dhamma in uplifting ways. It also gave me a realistic sense of the challenges female renunciants face. Sadly though, it wasn’t working out for Ven Adhimutti to stay in NZ and so we headed to Sri Lanka – another uncertain situation…

June 2024 near Anukampa Grove



I was in SL throughout much of the next year. Whilst I was there, Anukampa Grove opened and Ven Adhimutti encouraged me to make a visit in June 2024. I arrived exhausted, yet left with more joy in my heart than I could remember. When I later went back to Sri Lanka, alone, something was missing in my practice and I realised it was Sangha ~ that is why the Buddha said that spiritual friendship is the whole of the Path!

Everything was now pointing towards Anukampa Grove. I expressed my gratitude to Ven Adhimutti who gave me the opportunity to serve the Bhikkhuni Sangha and whose teachings and friendship enriched my life and in frosty January 2025, I arrived in England to a warm-hearted welcome. Ven. Candā’s foresight, compassion and hard work have created a loving and flourishing community that is now mature enough to support an aspiring bhikkhuni. More serendipitous still, Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project became registered as a visa sponsor just a month after I arrived, which meant that there was now an opening for an overseas trainee – me! I also wish to extend immense gratitude to all of you, Anukampa’s supporters, who have helped bring these incredibly rare conditions into being.

On March 16th, when I made my formal request to re-take my anagārikā precepts with Ven. Candā Therī as my teacher, it was different from the first time. This time, I was requesting to take the precepts with a view to going forth as a samanerī (novice nun in brown) – the platform to bhikkhuni ordination. After the small ceremony it felt as though I had really joined a family. I am so delighted; and what a treat that soon, on April 20th, I will have a fellow anagārikā with whom to continue this journey.

Documentary: Buddhist Nun on a Mission 

The Inspiring Story of Anukampa Grove

Anukampa Grove is the first monastery for Theravada bhikkhunis (fully ordained Buddhist nuns) in the United Kingdom, located in Boars Hill near Oxford. Founded by Venerable Canda with Ajahn Brahm as its spiritual advisor, it was established to provide a place where women can train towards full bhikkhuni ordination.

Ven Canda and her visiting friend Ven Upekkha moved in on 22nd March 2024. It is located in a peaceful wooded landscape, offering an ideal environment for Buddhist practice and meditation. Anukampa Grove aims to promote the teachings and practices of early Buddhism, while also providing opportunities for women to pursue a full-time spiritual life.

Together with the organisation Handful of Leaves, this video was made and tells the touching story of our journey.

My Time in Finland: A Metta Retreat

I had a wonderful trip to teach a Metta Retreat for the new Dhamma Society of Finland this March ~ a community of humble, warm-hearted folks with strong ethics of equality, that quickly felt like family. The retreat was well-attended and I enjoyed giving talks about the inclusive nature of loving-kindness and sharing laughter, tears and stories of resilience.

Whilst I was there it was International Women’s Day and this felt apt since Finland was the first European country where women won the right to vote. No wonder that at the heart of their aims is support for and representation of bhikkhunis as well as bhikkhus. All the talks were recorded and will be shared in our next newsletter ~ a small yet busy new team are learning to edit and upload them as we speak! Warmest thanks to everyone who made the retreat a success and I look forward to teaching for a sister society in Sweden next March 🙂

Ven Canda: “A Journey of Compassion, Renunciation, and Empowerment”

This year Alliance for Bhikkhunis celebrated the 14th International Bhikkhuni Day on 18th of September 2024. On this International Bhikkhuni Day, we come together in gratitude for the Bhikkhunis who walk the noble path of the Buddha. Their dedication to wisdom, compassion, and equality inspires us all.

Ven Canda is kindly invited by the AfB to share her reflections on what it means to live as a Bhikkhuni, and below is hers:

My name is Ven Canda and I have been a Buddhist nun for 18 years, including 11 years as a Bhikkhuni. I began my training with meditation masters in Myanmar and Thailand, before moving to Australia as a disciple of Ajahn Brahm. Together, Ajahn Brahm and I worked to develop Anukampa Grove Bhikkhuni Monastery near Oxford, England – the first of its kind in the UK. The monastery opened in March 2024 and is where I currently reside.

What does being a bhikkhuni mean to me?

  • A life of renunciation, meditation and selfless service aimed at ending all suffering and experiencing the absolute peace of Nibbana.
  • A life of “unbecoming”! We are not really “being/becoming” anything, but rather, learning to let go of limiting views of “me and mine,” so our hearts can open to others with genuine compassion and find a wise response to the suffering we encounter in the world.
  • A privilege and precious opportunity to train in higher virtue – harmlessness, simplicity, contentment and restraint. The Buddha formed and passed down the Bhikkhuni Vinaya as a powerful vehicle for liberation and for the benefit of future generations.
  • The blessing of spiritual friendship. It means entering a global monastic community that is one of the oldest democracies in the world – an equitable model that holds each member accountable whilst fostering forgiveness and mutual respect.
  • A challenge, because whilst the above are ideals, it is not always easy or possible to find such a community or practice opportunity! A bhikkhuni in the modern day is part of a pioneering movement to revive the Bhikkhuni Sangha, which sometimes means finding oneself alone in navigating a staunchly patriarchal institution. At times, this has been a challenge to my faith and has meant very limited access to the resources and teachings necessary to survive.
  • An opportunity (where conditions are favourable) to develop more inclusive Sanghas, reach other marginalised communities, and empower women as teachers and leaders. When a young man told me that our work “helps redeem Buddhism,” a transgender woman used her pronouns for the first time whilst staying with us because she felt “safe enough to do so,” or when women coming to our monastery get teary-eyed because they “never knew it was possible” for them, too, to take full ordination, it brings me tremendous satisfaction, meaning and joy!

A personal experience that highlights my journey as a bhikkhuni:

  • The powerful ordination procedure itself– finally entering the Buddha’s Sangha after years of committed practice both as a lay woman and as a Burmese nun was deeply moving and galvanised inspiration for the aim of the Holy Life (Nibbana), in 2014.
  • And secondly, the serendipitous coming together of 9 years’ service as Spiritual Director of Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project, and the outpouring of support from our local and international community that led to securing our beautiful Anukampa Grove this year (2024). Finally, there is a place for women wishing to train towards bhikkhuni ordination, to do so in the UK!

Any message you wish to convey to the community:

A heart full of metta and gratitude is a happy heart! If you are asked to serve a Noble cause, try to take the opportunity. Even if you don’t reach your goal, pouring all your love into every small step will make it worthwhile for you and those around you.

Ajahn Brahm once said to me: “It’s easy to do bad things; really good things are hard to do.” At the end of our lives we won’t remember moments of fleeting sense pleasure. The goodness in our hearts and how much we were able to let go will be what matters.

To listen to the sound recording of this reflections, click here.

#InternationalBhikkhuniDay #IBD #IBD2024 #SupportBhikkhunis #InGratitude#PathOfCompassion #AnukampaGrove

Anukampa Grove Just Got Registered as A Place of Worship!

Dhamma Hall photo
Dhamma Hall

Hot news just in!

Today, July 11th, 2024, Anukampa Grove Bhikkhuni Monastery became officially registered as a “Place of Worship,” thanks to the help of our trustee Ken. This means that we are legally recognised as a Buddhist Monastery that can take up to six monastic residents ~ we may also get a little tax reduction!

Even more importantly perhaps, this is the first step towards Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project becoming registered as a visa-sponsoring body for overseas religious workers and ministers of religion ~ in other words, the first hurdle to being able to train overseas aspiring nuns has been surmounted.

All in due course, of course, because the training in renunciation is a delicate task that cannot be rushed ~ but it will be made easier once nationality is no obstacle!

Fundraising For A Buddha Statue

Buddha-rupa from Myanmar

This fundraiser, set up by trustworthy Dhamma friends and supporters, is for a special antique Buddha-rupa from Myanmar for our new Anukampa Grove Bhikkhuni Monastery. The statue is being held for us at an outlet in the Netherlands, an hour from the home of two supporters and they have been there to examine and select it for its suitability and inspiring energy.

Please share this opportunity for giving widely and help our friends succeed!

With metta from the Anukampa community

FUNDRAISING HAS NOW CLOSED!!

A Dhamma Journey From Laos to the UK

By Casey.

The idea of ordaining had already been playing around in my mind the first time I heard about bhikkhunis. I had been living in the heavily Theravada but bhikkhuni-less country of Laos for about five years when I mentioned this aspiration of nun-hood to my boss offhand. My boss, a young-at-heart Thai gender equality advocate with a Western-leaning belief in the right to self-determination, was unsurprisingly supportive.

“Would you ordain in white or in orange?” she asked.

I was confused by the question and wondered if I had misunderstood my boss’s Thai-accented Lao.

“Women can only ordain in white..” I said tentatively, but she quickly jumped in.

“Not anymore! In Thailand there are women who are starting to take full ordination in orange robes, just like men. If you want to ordain, you could become an orange-robed nun!”

It took me a moment to process this new information. Orange-robed nuns! It seemed strange and almost impossible to my Lao-influenced mindset. I admitted that it was an interesting option, but since it didn’t exist here in Laos, it felt irrelevant. Over the past several years and through the pandemic, Laos had become home, and the idea of crossing over the Mekong to unfamiliar Thailand just for some orange robes felt excessive. It seemed to me that orange-robe wearing must be little more than a surface-level statement on the part of a handful of activists. It was interesting to know about, but not something I needed to be a part of. There were plenty of white-robed nuns practicing the Dhamma right in Laos, and it didn’t make sense to me to seek opportunities any farther away than that.

I mostly forgot about the conversation until a few months later when I stumbled upon a talk on YouTube given by one of the strange orange-clad nuns my boss had told me about. There on the screen was a Western woman, a monastic wrapped in orange with a stylish beanie sitting in front of a Buddharupa teaching. I didn’t realize until that moment that I had never heard a woman teaching the Dhamma before. Yet as the bhikkhuni spoke, pulling me ever deeper into the subtle Dhamma, answering questions with centered confidence and profound compassion, it was clear to me that she was one of the most skilled teachers I had ever listened to, and was possessed of a deep understanding of the Buddha’s teachings. A strong sense of respect and admiration for this nun, the Venerable Canda, arose in me, yet still I did not think very much of it. If the bhikkhunis in Thailand felt far away, then how much farther was England! I was content to keep practicing right where I was.

As I practiced, thoughts of ordaining continued to increase instead of diminishing and eventually I decided to leave my job, immediately taking a month-long temporary ordination as a white-robed 8-precept nun, or mae khao, at a forest monastery outside of Vientiane. The other mae khaos there were all semi-permanent monastery residents, and averaged about three or four decades older than I was. These tough, bald-shaven grandmas had spent decades developing their qualities of generosity and virtue before retiring into the monastery in their old age, and now that they were free of the burdens of family life, they dedicated themselves with joy and zest to making as much merit as they could. Sweeping the leaves! Cooking for the monks! Distributing water during puja! Sharing their soy milk! Every day was a merit-making festival, and no source of merit went unexploited. When the monks came to teach the Dhamma twice a day the merit festival continued with teachings, stories and suttas about the beneficial results of making merit and the fruits of a virtuous life.

As much as I rejoiced in the skillful actions and beautiful service that surrounded me in this community of monastics, I also found myself starting to feel isolated and even guilty when I snuck off to meditate during our free time while the rest of the mae khaos were sweeping, cooking and cleaning. And although the other mae khaos commented positively on my interest in sitting in meditation so often, the fact that I was the only one doing so made me feel like it wasn’t appropriate, as if meditation was something that was better left to the monks. Indeed I got the sense that the mae khaos saw their role as one that enabled the monks’ practice, and to take time for my own practice somehow felt selfish and disrespectful of the privileges the monks had earned through their ordination and diligence. I started to wonder what my life would look like if I did ordain at this temple or a similar one. Would I always be sneaking off from the other nuns as they were working to steal extra time for meditation? Would I be able to access the teachings directly, or would I have to rely on what the monks chose to share with us? And what would happen if I wanted to study Pali and sit in meditation in a quiet kuti like the bhikkhus did instead of sweeping leaves and cooking?

One Uposatha night, two mae khaos, one white-robed layman, two monks, and I stayed up late into the night in a flooded shrine room chanting and meditating by turns. I envied the white-robed layman for how easily he could access the monastics. He sat just to their side, while the other mae khaos and I sat behind a large puddle at the back of the room. While he was free to be alone with the monks, it was not proper for me to stay and continue meditating with them if my female companions decided to leave. But as we listened to the monks’ beautiful Pali chants that night and observed their still, peaceful meditations, another kind of envy arose in me. Envy for the same orange robe I had once dismissed. As I watched the senior monk stand from chanting and arrange his robe around himself for a standing meditation, it struck me all at once how much he carried in that orange robe–227 precepts, access to close guidance from monastic teachers and companions, the opportunity to study the teachings in multiple languages, the guarantee of time for practice, the right to teach and to lead, the respect and honor of the lay community–it became quickly and immediately clear to me that this piece of cloth that had once seemed to me like nothing in reality carried gifts far more meaningful than I had given it credit for. I thought back to the video of Venerable Canda that had so reached me, and decided that when I left the temple, I would seek it out. I was sure there must be wider Dhamma opportunities somewhere out there, and was determined to learn more about Buddhism in the West and about these orange-robed bhikkhunis I had initially dismissed.

I began watching videos of Venerable Canda’s teachings as soon as I left the monastery, and from then it was not long before I had gone from watching to joining the Zoom sessions in person. Within weeks, I booked myself in for an in-person visit to the vihara in Oxford. The deeper I got into the community, the more my feeling of awe grew at the strong, committed group of Dhamma followers that had sprung up around the Anukampa project. Each individual I met in connection with the project carried with them deep roots of Dhamma practice, probably developed over many lifetimes. Without fail I found the supporters of the project to be diligent practitioners of virtue, peace, generosity, and learning. But what struck me most of all was their saddha, their confidence or faith. It looked very different from the kind of saddha I was used to seeing in Laos, where the phrase “people with saddha” has come to mean “people who donate”, and even those with a deeper sense of the teachings tend to interpret saddha as referring to unquestioning acceptance of everything the Buddha taught. Although every expression of saddha is beautiful, and accepting all the Buddha’s teachings inevitably leads one towards great benefit, there was something deeply moving to me about seeing people who expressed their faith in every aspect of their practice and life–through service, study of the teachings, kindness, meditation, and so many other ways big and small. It was more nuanced and felt truer to me than any of the expressions of saddha I had seen up to that point. The people in this community joined together for the truest and purest of reasons–because in Anukampa they had found a community that embraced and supported them in their highest aspirations, and one that they could depend on to lead the way out of suffering. 

I imagine that the kind of community surrounding Anukampa is similar to what the Buddha’s Dispensation looked like in the early days of his teaching, before he had gained renown across the subcontinent and was surrounded by the countless masses of Savatthi, Rajagaha, and beyond. In the early days, those gathered around him were not there to hear a famous Master speak, but because they saw the Blessed One’s flawless practice, heard his deep-cutting words, and could tell that what the Buddha revealed to them was the pinnacle of all paths to be followed. They came for the Dhamma, not for the renown, not out of tradition, but out of deep confidence in the teacher and the practice. That is the beauty of starting something from scratch, something that is clearly evident among the followers of Anukampa. The people who come to places like this do so for no other reason than because they have Dhamma rooted in their hearts.

But just as happened when the Buddha’s teachings gained renown 2,500 years ago, as the true teachings and good practice of skillful teachers and supportive Dhamma communities reach the ears of more and more people, they bring in growing amounts of followers and support. Expansion becomes inevitable. In quick succession, the first bhikkhuni residence in the UK became the first vihara, and now the first vihara is on the cusp of blossoming into a full forest monastery for bhikkhunis! Just a year or two ago, the idea of a thriving Early Buddhist monastic community led by women, with women studying suttas, teaching the Dhamma, running the monastery, and following the full set of precepts prescribed in the Vinaya would have been unfathomable to me. Now it is very likely that I’ll be able to see it in person on my next journey to the UK! 

So much rejoicing arises in me when I consider the opportunities this new monastery will open for women practicing the Dhamma. As Anukampa and its sister-projects that support bhikkhunis continue to flourish and grow, the frustrations I’ve experienced trying to access male teachers and eke out a space for practice in a world where so many of the Dhamma-spaces available to women only emphasize a limited portion of the full Eightfold Path will become a thing of the past. Having a front-row seat to the blossoming of the Anukampa Project has made me feel unfathomably fortunate to have been born as a woman in the human realm in this time and place. It is a taste of what the Buddha’s own community must have felt like in the early days of the Dispensation–like watching the slow unfolding of the most beautiful lotus imaginable. If I do decide to ordain, I would want to be surrounded by exactly this kind of community, bound together by wholesome qualities and confidence in the teachings and the bhikkhuni Sangha. 

Every woman with thoughts of ordination should have the opportunity to picture a future in robes of the kind Anukampa can offer. In a worldly sense it may be true that a colour is just a colour, but what I didn’t know when I started this journey is that a bhikkhuni’s robes are coloured with a dye thicker than saffron–the priceless dye of the Dhamma-Vinaya, and the path to cessation that the Buddha and his predecessors have been setting out for women not only for the past 2,500 years, but for countless world-cycles of beginning-less history. With the opening of Anukampa’s first bhikkhuni monastery, a timeless inheritance is being returned to women and to visitors of all colours, genders, abilities and backgrounds, across the UK and the world.

Warmest Dhamma greetings and some ✨BIG NEWS✨ as a Christmas present to you!

by Ven Canda

View from Boars' Hill over the Oxford Spires
View from Boars’ Hill over the Oxford Spires

The last month has been the most momentous time in eight years for Anukampa. Of course this was not really out of the blue, but the sudden and beautiful ripening of many intentions, so much hard work, and all your trust and support across the years.

If you are regularly in touch with us, you will know that I found a promising property whilst Ajahn Brahm and I were travelling back to Oxford from his family visit to Liverpool. I called for a viewing there and then, in the hope we could visit it together…

We both liked it a lot ~ for the location, seclusion and space ~ and since then we have engaged the support of the wider community. Dhamma friends locally and internationally pulled together to offer loans so that we can seize this rare opportunity. The energy and love has been heart-warming in a way that deepens faith. Since then we also welcomed three brilliant new trustees, two of whom, Manori and Elena, have been engaging with me late into the night to get solicitors, contracts, trustee approval etc. in place, so that we are in a position to make an offer.

We made our offer last week, whilst I was teaching a 6-day Loving-kindness (metta) retreat in Devon. The agent came back to us immediately to announce that our offer was one among four! He gave us another 36 hours to put in our “best and final, non-regrettable” offer. This gave me a wonderful opportunity to extend metta to nerves and the hard world of business! We couldn’t stretch much further and I thought we had lost it. Meanwhile, the retreatants continued pouring out metta and I felt held and embraced by the Dhamma. We called on the devas, the goodness of our intentions and the Ariya Sangha for support and “improved” our offer on Friday 8th December.

On Saturday 9th December I returned back to Oxford from the retreat, to an email. Our offer was accepted, subject to a meeting with the owners, surveys and contracts! I knew it was meant to be, by the peaceful joy that came over me. If everything goes smoothly from here, we aim to exchange contracts at the end of January.🤞

It feels slightly surreal and far more powerful than anything that could be willed into existence by a single person or even a group – thousands of millions of intentions coming to fruition. This is BIG STUFF that clearly must happen for the spread of Dhamma and the rooting of the Bhikkhuni Sangha here in the UK! 🙏

Pond nearby

The monastery property is in a hamlet called Boars’ Hill, which is a preservation trust area just five miles from Oxford. Being close to Oxford means we can build on the existing relationships we have with students, supporters and monastic friends, and also have the appropriate seclusion for a “forest bhikkhuni” lifestyle. With over an acre of land bordering woods the monastery will provide a quiet sanctuary for our guests. Most pleasingly (for me!), there is a hut and a shed that could be turned into bhikkhunis’ kutis. The main house has five bedrooms, a large kitchen with dining for lay guests, a large dana sala (alms-receiving hall) for the monastics to receive alms and meet visitors, and a separate drawing room to serve as a quiet meditation hall. With two double garages and pre-existing planning permission, there is plenty of room to expand as our community grows. I will not be able to share photos until the monastery property legally belongs to Anukampa, but below are some photos of the land from above and nearby views from the hill.

So, how am I? The body is tired but the heart is inspired, in a state of awed disbelief. The gratitude in my heart is overflowing and the only way to express this is to “Open The Door Of Our Monastery!” (to coin Ajahn Brahm’s favourite metta phrase) ~ if everything goes smoothly, we hope to move at the end of March and welcome visitors from April onwards.

The property is the thin triangular piece of land next to the large woods. The pool will be transformed into a natural pond and the tennis court into a walking meditation area ~ very handy for avoiding muddy grass and shoes! :-)
The property is the thin triangular piece of land next to the large woods. The pool will be transformed into a natural pond and the tennis court into a walking meditation area ~ very handy for avoiding muddy grass and shoes! 🙂

Prospective Monastery So Close: Donate Now to Bridge the Gap!

Your help is still needed us to make our vision of an inclusive, welcoming Buddhist community come true!✨

Ajahn Brahm’s visit this year was exceptional in many ways and most notably for an unexpected property find! On the long train ride back from visiting his extended family north of Liverpool, inspiration struck and we discovered an affordable prospective monastery property online.

Two days later, Ajahn, Ven Canda and volunteer Shel, went to view it and thought the layout and location ideal for a Forest Monastery – secluded yet accessible, with potential to expand. The prospective monastery is on Boars’ Hill just 5 miles from Oxford station. This location would enable us to stay near our main hub of support – and our friends, the Oxford Buddha Vihara monks – bringing the four-fold assembly to Oxford.

Happy volunteers with the Sangha at the end of Ajahn Brahm’s UK tour, 20.11.23 🙂

We and our loyal supporters have been running high on inspiration due your heart-warming response so far, in the form of donations, loan offers and messages of support. You have shown us that when intentions are aligned to Dhamma, they have power to spread the Buddha’s teachings and build safe, beloved communities. You have shown us how dedicated to practice you are. You have shown us that as a Buddhist community, we are ready to develop a monastery that will benefit us all – and so we celebrate and rejoice!

Our finances team once again would like to thank you for all your generous loan offers, including that of the BSWA. Our Treasurer Manori will be getting in touch with you again soon with more updates. We are now inviting donations of any amount to bridge the critical difference between loans and costs, so we can put in a successful offer (there are two other parties putting an offer in too)! For options on how to donate, please visit https://anukampaproject.org/donate/

Trustees Elena and Manori with Ven Canda, close to the prospective new Forest Monastery! 22.11.23