BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.4//EN TZID:Europe/London X-WR-TIMEZONE:Europe/London BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1688@anukampaproject.org DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20210516T083000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20210523T210000 DTSTAMP:20210508T085609Z URL:https://anukampaproject.org/events/ajahn-brahmali-ven-canda-why-we-suf fer-how-we-get-free/ SUMMARY:Ajahn Brahmali & Ven Canda Online Retreat: "Why We Suffer & How We Get Free" DESCRIPTION:Retreat Description\n \;\n\nEverything is conditioned ~ thu s spoke the Buddha!\n\n \;\n\nIn this 8-day retreat we will be looking at two of the Buddha's famous causal sequences: dependent origination and dependent liberation\, with the main focus on the latter. Together they r eveal the entire course of the human experience through and beyond this wo rld\, to Nibbana.\n\n \;\n\nWhilst dependent origination details why a nd how suffering arises\, dependent liberation shows how\, by coming in co ntact with and developing confidence in the Buddha's teachings\, that same suffering can take a completely different direction and lead us step by s tep towards freedom. Dependent liberation (sometimes called "transcendent al dependent origination") is therefore a supremely uplifting teaching tha t shows how the Path is to be experienced as a sequence of ever deepening joy and peace\, ending in the highest liberation.\n\n \;\n\nHow do we get this sequence going? And how do we sustain it to the very end? Throug h their offering of Dhamma reflections\, guided meditations and Q&\;A s essions\, Ajahn Brahmali and Venerable Canda will gently guide us in explo ring and implementing the supporting conditions for our greatest happiness . Follow the instructions in their fullness and awakening is guaranteed!\n \n \;\n\nThis very special "dual Sangha" (bhikkhu and bhikkhuni- led) retreat is the first time Ajahn Brahmali and Ven Canda are teaching a retr eat together. It will include three sessions of one and a half hours each: a morning and an early afternoon session with Ajahn Brahmali and an eveni ng session with Ven Canda.\n\n \;\n\n \;\nDependent Origination an d Dependent Liberation in the Suttas\n \;\n\nHere are some brief passa ges to give you a taste of some of the teachings that Ajahn Brahmali will expand on during the retreat and that you may wish to explore in advance:\ n\n \;\nSamyutta Nikaya 12.1 (Dependent Origination) translated by Bhi kkhu Bodhi\n \;\n\n“And what\, bhikkhus\, is dependent origination? With ignorance as condition\, volitional formations come to be\; with voli tional formations as condition\, consciousness\; with consciousness as con dition\, name-and-form\; with name-and-form as condition\, the six sense b ases\; with the six sense bases as condition\, contact\; with contact as c ondition\, feeling\; with feeling as condition\, craving\; with craving as condition\, clinging\; with clinging as condition\, existence\; with exis tence as condition\, birth\; with birth as condition\, aging-and-death\, s orrow\, lamentation\, pain\, displeasure\, and despair come to be. Such is the origin of this whole mass of suffering. This\, bhikkhus\, is called d ependent origination."\n\n \;\nSamyutta Nikaya 12.23 (Proximate Cause) ~ slightly adapted from Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation by Ven Canda\n \; \n\n“I say\, bhikkhus\, that the knowledge of destruction of the out-flo wings (khayeñāṇaṃ) has a proximate cause\; it does not lack a proxim ate cause. And what is the proximate cause for the knowledge of destructio n of the out-flowings? It should be said: liberation.\n\n \;\n\n“I s ay\, bhikkhus\, that liberation (vimuttī) too has a proximate cause\; it does not lack a proximate cause. And what is the proximate cause for liber ation? It should be said: fading away.\n\n \;\n\n“I say\, bhikkhus\, that fading away (viraga) too has a proximate cause\; it does not lack a proximate cause. And what is the proximate cause for fading away? It shoul d be said: revulsion.\n\n \;\n\n“I say\, bhikkhus\, that revulsion ( nibbida) too has a proximate cause\; it does not lack a proximate cause. A nd what is the proximate cause for revulsion? It should be said: the knowl edge and vision of things as they really are.\n\n \;\n\n“I say\, bhi kkhus\, that the knowledge and vision of things as they really are (yathā bhūtañāṇadassana) too has a proximate cause\; it does not lack a prox imate cause. And what is the proximate cause for the knowledge and vision of things as they really are? It should be said: stillness.\n\n \;\n\n “I say\, bhikkhus\, that stillness (samadhi) too has a proximate cause\; it does not lack a proximate cause. And what is the proximate cause for s tillness? It should be said: happiness.\n\n \;\n\n“I say\, bhikkhus\ , that happiness (sukha) too has a proximate cause\; it does not lack a pr oximate cause. And what is the proximate cause for happiness? It should be said: tranquillity.\n\n \;\n\n“I say\, bhikkhus\, that tranquillity (passaddhī) too has a proximate cause\; it does not lack a proximate cau se. And what is the proximate cause for tranquillity? It should be said: b liss.\n\n \;\n\n“I say\, bhikkhus\, that bliss (pītī) too has a pr oximate cause\; it does not lack a proximate cause. And what is the proxim ate cause for bliss? It should be said: joy.\n\n \;\n\n“I say\, bhik khus\, that joy (pāmojja) too has a proximate cause\; it does not lack a proximate cause. And what is the proximate cause for joy? It should be sai d: confidence.\n\n \;\n\n“I say\, bhikkhus\, that confidence (saddha ) too has a proximate cause\; it does not lack a proximate cause. And what is the proximate cause for confidence? It should be said: suffering (dukk ha)."\n\n \;\nBiography of Ajahn Brahmali\n \;\n\n\n\n \;\n\nB orn in Norway in 1964\, Ajahn Brahmali felt a strong calling to Buddhism a nd meditation in his early 20’s after a visit to Japan. Having completed master degrees in engineering and finance\, he began his monastic trainin g as an Anagarika in England at Amaravati and Chithurst Buddhist Monasteri es.\n\n \;\n\nIn 1994\, after hearing a teaching by Ajahn Brahm\, he m oved to Australia to train at Bodhinyana Monastery.  He took full ordinat ion as a bhikkhu with Ajahn Brahm as preceptor in 1996 and has now been a monk for twenty four years.\n\n \;\n\nAjahn Brahmali is a powerfully e ffective teacher of meditation who draws his inspiration primarily from th e Early Buddhist Texts (as well as from Ajahn Brahm of course!). He also t eaches Pali language and the monastic training rules to monks at Bodhinyan a Monastery ~ and to bhikkhunis at Dhammasara Nuns' Monastery as well as o verseas. His lucidly inspiring talks bring the Buddha's teachings alive\, and are very popular downloads on the BSWA YouTube channel.\n\n \;\n\n Ajahn Brahmali also played an instrumental role in the first Theravada bhi kkhuni ordinations in Perth\, in 2009\, and is a much sought after teacher internationally.\n\n \;\n\n \;\nBiography of Ven Canda \n \; \n\n\n\nVen Canda came into contact with the Buddha's teachings in India i n 1996 at the age of twenty\, through the Vipassana tradition as taught by S.N. Goenka. During her first retreat she decided to devote the rest of h er life to ending suffering through practising the Buddha's teachings.\n\n  \;\n\nFor the next seven years she meditated and gave service on nume rous retreats\, mostly in India and Nepal\, as her aspiration to renounce lay-life intensified. However\, ordination opportunities for women were so rare that she was unable to find a suitable monastery. Eventually\, in 20 04 she discovered a monastery in rural Burma and though engaged in studies \, she took temporary ordination with Sayadaw U Paññajota\, during the s ummer holidays. In 2006\, after graduating in Ayurvedic Medicine with firs t class honours\, she returned to ordain for the long run. During this tim e Ven Canda encountered the Thai Forest Tradition through Ajahn Mahaboowa in Thailand\, and became increasingly drawn to samadhi as a means to deve lop deeper insight.\n\n \;\n\nBy 2010 the ascetic lifestyle\, climate and diet in Burma had taken its toll on Ven Canda's health\, leading to a return to the West. This happily coincided with the chance discovery of Aj ahn Brahm's teachings. His emphasis on love\, kindness and letting go reso nated deeply and immediately and learning directly from him became a new g oal. After 2 years as a wandering nun in Europe\, Ven Canda finally got th e opportunity to travel to Australia in 2012. She joined the Dhammasara co mmunity in Perth and took Bhikkhuni ordination in April 2014\, with Ayya Santini as preceptor.\n\n \;\n\nIn October 2015 Ajahn Brahm asked Ven Canda to establish a monastery in UK\, to give women the opportunity to t rain towards full ordination. In 2016\, she founded Anukampa Bhikkhuni Pro ject with an aim to establish Britain's first Forest Monastery for bhikkhu nis.\n\n \;\n\nVen Canda's teachings emphasise kindness and letting go as a way to deepen samadhi (stillness) and pave the path to wisdom. Her s tyle is warm\, engaging and richly informed by the pragmatism of early Bud dhist texts. Her popular "Zoomi Bhikkhuni" sessions are eagerly received b y a regular group of devoted disciples.\n\n \;\n\n \;\n\n \;\n The Ethical Precepts \n \;\n\nVenerable Ānanda once asked the Buddha \, “Venerable\, what is the purpose and benefit of skillful ethics (sila )?” The Buddha answered\, "So\, Ānanda\, the purpose and benefit of ski llful ethics is not having regrets (avippati). The purpose and benefit of not having regrets is joy (pamojja). The purpose and benefit of joy is bli ss (piti). The purpose and benefit of bliss is tranquillity (passaddhi). T he purpose and benefit of tranquillity is happiness (sukha). The purpose a nd benefit of happiness is stillness (samadhi). The purpose and benefit of stillness is seeing things as they truly are. The purpose and benefit of seeing things as they truly are is revulsion (nibbida). The purpose and be nefit of revulsion is dispassion or fading away (viraga). The purpose and benefit of dispassion is knowledge and vision of liberation (vimuttinyanad assana). So\, Ānanda\, skillful ethics progressively leads up to the high est.” (Anguttara Nikaya 11.1) \n\n \;\n\nHere we can see how practi cing ethical precepts creates a strong foundation for the development of d eep meditation. We therefore strongly encourage you to take the precepts - and you may choose whether you wish to observe the five or the eight\, du ring the retreat.\n\n \;\n\nThe Five Precepts – Pañcasīla\n\n \n I undertake the training-precept to abstain from killing living beings.\nP āṇātipātā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi.\n \nI undertake the training-precept to abstain from taking what is not given.\nAdinnādā nā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi.\n \nI undertake the training -precept to abstain from sexual misconduct.\nKāmesu micchācārā verama ṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi.\n \nI undertake the training-precept t o abstain from false speech.\nMusāvādā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samā diyāmi.\n \nI undertake the training-precept to abstain from alcoholic d rink or drugs that cloud the mind and cause heedlessness.\nSurā meraya ma jja pamādaṭṭhānā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi.\n\n \ ;\n\nThe Eight Precepts – Aṭṭhaṅgasīla\n\n \nI undertake the tra ining-precept to abstain from killing living beings.\nPāṇātipātā ver amaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi.\n \nI undertake the training-precep t to abstain from taking what is not given.\nAdinnādānā veramaṇī sik khāpadaṃ samādiyāmi.\n \nI undertake the training-precept to abstain from sexual conduct.\nAbrahmacariyā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiy āmi.\n \nI undertake the training-precept to abstain from false speech.\ nMusāvādā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi.\n \nI undertake the training-precept to abstain from alcoholic drink or drugs that cloud the mind and cause heedlessness.\nSurā meraya majja pamādaṭṭhānā veram aṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi.\n \nI undertake the training-precept to abstain from eating at the wrong time (after solar noon).\nVikāla bhoj anā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi.\n \nI undertake the trainin g-precept to abstain from dancing\, singing\, music\, going to see enterta inments\, wearing jewellery\, using perfumes\, and beautifying the body wi th cosmetics.\nNacca gīta vādita visūkadassanā mālā gandha vilepana dhārana maṇḍana vibhūsanaṭṭhānā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ sam ādiyāmi.\n \nI undertake the training-precept to abstain from using hig h or luxurious beds and seats.\nUccāsayana mahāsayanā veramaṇī sikkh āpadaṃ samādiyāmi.\n\n \;\n\n \;\nTentative schedule (8:30 on 16th May ~ 15:00 on 23rd May UK time)\n \;\n\nThe retreat starts at 8 :30 on Sunday 16th May\, and finishes at 15:00 on Sunday 23rd May. On the last day\, there will be an opportunity to share your experience with othe r retreatants. The schedule is deliberately designed to be spacious and a llow for plenty of personal practice time and rest\, so that you can take a break from the screen and find a supportive rhythm and pace. You will be guided as to how best to make use of your personal practice time.\n\n&nbs p\;\n\n \;\n\n08:30 – 10:00  Dhamma talk\, guided meditation and pr ecepts (Ajahn Brahmali)\n\n10:00 – 12:00  Lunch for those on 8 precepts \n\n12:00 – 13:30  Sutta study and Q&\;A (Ajahn Brahmali)\n\n13:30 – 14.30  Lunch or rest\n\n14:30 – 18:00  Personal practice period\n\ n17:15 – 18:00  Optional silent group meditation (subject to volunteer availability and time change)\n\n18:00 – 19:15  Tea or dinner\n\n19:30 – 21:00  Short talk\, guided meditation and Q&\;A (Ven Canda)\n\n&nb sp\;\n\n \;\n\nFull time attendance – including the personal practic e period – is necessary for this retreat\, so you can experience the f ull potential of the practice. Due to the timing it will therefore work be st for people in the UK and Europe (or the east coast of the US if you are willing to adopt forest monastery time and rise early!) Places are limite d to 95\, so we kindly ask that if you only want to attend the teacher-led sessions\, to please watch them via live-stream\, or after we upload them to our YouTube channel.\n\n \;\n\nCheck the retreat schedule against your time zone here.\n\n \;\n\n \;\nHow To Have A Home Retreat \n  \;\n\nPracticing on a home retreat can be a very rewarding experience . One of the most powerful ways in which it differs from watching online t alks\, is that you carve out a space dedicated to silent practice with non e of the usual distractions and disturbances. Essentially\, you take “ti me out” of ordinary life to delve deeply into your inner world. To suppo rt yourself in this process\, Noble Silence is encouraged throughout the r etreat: to remain in silence as much as possible and to not use any electr onic devices\, including mobile phones\, other than the one you would use for the online Zoom sessions (only!). To help you decide whether this woul d suit you\, we offer some thoughts about the benefits of home retreat and consider some of the potential challenges – as well as possible solutio ns – so you can make the best use of your time.\n\n \;\n\n \;\nB enefits:\n\n Continuity of practice which helps you get more benefit from meditation\n Safety\, intimacy and support of an enclosed group\n Oppor tunity for personal guidance through questions to the teachers\n Renewed confidence in your ability to practice wherever you are\n The food that s uits your tummy and no one snoring in your dorm!\n\n \;\nChallenges an d solutions:\n \;\n\nIf you are living alone\, you have the ideal herm itage! Turn off your phone\, put on the vacation responder and do your we ekly shop in advance. Use ear plugs if it is especially noisy and take a w alk at the quietest times of day. This will help you immensely in observin g Noble Silence and cultivating sense restraint\, which inclines the mind toward inner happiness and facilitates quietening the mind.\n\n \;\n\n For most however\, home retreat may pose the challenge of living with othe rs who are not on retreat! In this case\, you may need to put a few extra measures in place (if they will not join you!)\, to enable you to observe Noble Silence and maintain your inward focus. You might ask them to suppo rt you while you are on retreat by keeping interactions to an absolute min imum and having a note system for anything absolutely unavoidable. Perhaps there is a room in the house that you can retreat into and someone kind m ay cook your favourite food and leave your meals outside the door\, or neg otiate times to use the kitchen alone! If you have children or teens it mi ght be difficult to keep the noise down\, so\, if you are able\, you migh t even decide to book into a quiet hotel or apartment (COVID conditions a llowing) and tune in to the sessions from there.\n\n \;\n\n \;\n\n  \;\nRegistration Fees\n \;\n\n \;\n\nThis retreat is offered on a donation basis to make the Dhamma teachings accessible to all. Our vo lunteers have organised this as an act of generosity in their own free tim e and neither our volunteers nor the two teachers receive any remuneration . To honour the wisdom\, time and commitment of our teachers\, you will be invited at the end of the retreat to offer donations. Your donations will help us fundraise toward acquiring our dream "Forest Monastery\," so plea se give with a heart of generosity and joy\, whilst respecting your own pe rsonal financial situation.\n\n \;\n\nThe registration fee is on a sli ding scale to ensure your commitment to attending the retreat\, as we gene rally experience a 25% no-show rate to online events. Places are limited\, so when this happens others may lose a potentially life changing opportun ity to practice.  The registration fee will help further our charitable a ims by contributing toward our outgoings and the rental expenses of our Ox ford Bhikkhuni Residence. If you are unable to afford this\, please contac t us. Alternatively\, thanks to the selfless service of our volunteers\, y ou may choose to join every teacher-led session via our Facebook live stre am as part of home-retreat\, or find the teachings on our YouTube channel to watch later.\n\n \;\n\n \;\n\nPlease note that the registratio n fee is NON REFUNDABLE.\n\n \;\n\n \;\n\n \;\n\n \;\nApp lication Procedure\n \;\n\n \;\n\n1. *Please ensure you have read all the above information carefully before you fill the application form b elow!\n\n \;\n\n2. After submitting your application form\, you shoul d receive email confirming that we have received your application within a few minutes. Please check your junk mail inbox if you do not receive it.  If it is not in your junk mail please contact us\; you might have submit ted the wrong email address. We advise you to add our email address\, bo okings@anukampaproject.org\, as a contact to prevent emails from us going into your junk folder.\n\n \;\n\n3. We aim to approve your applicatio n within a day or two. Once your application is approved\, your registrati on fee is needed to secure your place. Upon receipt\, your ticket will be automatically sent to you.\n\n \;\n\n \;\nJoining from the same ho usehold\n \;\n\nIf more than one person from the same household wishes to join the retreat\, please make separate bookings and log in from separ ate computers. This ensures our numbers are manageable for the Q&\;A se ssions and enables you to practice as though alone. \n\n \;\nPart-tim e participation\n \;\n\nShould you only want to attend the teacher-led sessions rather than sit the whole retreat\, please watch them via Facebo ok live-stream\, or later on our YouTube channel\, as places are limited t o 95. In this case\, please do not register for the retreat.\n\n \;\n \n \;\n\n~ IMPORTANT !! ~  Before you fill in the application form YO U MUST REFRESH your browser by pressing F5 OR clicking the ↺ reload sign . This will update the form to show the current number of spaces available .\n\n \;\n\n \; CATEGORIES:2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London X-LIC-LOCATION:Europe/London BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20210328T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR