Kataññutā – Gratefulness
Here at the Heart Dhamma Hermitage, we are so grateful to all those who have generously participated in the meal dana opportunity through the website. Thanks also to the Kootenay Tamil Kitchen owner, Ciraj, who cooks and delivers wholesome food to Bhante. To all those far and near who support our little community, please accept this sincere sharing […]
Lunar Observance Pūjā
Namo Buddhaya 🙏🏻 As you may already know, the Buddhist monastic calendar is based on the lunar cycles. Every full moon and new moon, monks and nuns of the same locality gather together at their monastery’s sīmā* to recite the pātimokkha, the monastic guidelines. This is called Uposatha, the lunar observance day. A similar practice […]
Practicing Generosity
Buddhist Monk going for Almsround in Blewett If you’ve ever had the opportunity to travel in Thailand, Myanmar or Sri Lanka, you may have noticed Theravada Buddhist monks and nuns in maroon, brown or orange robes, in the morning, walking through their communities with metal bowls on ‘alms round’. Community people practice generosity and receive […]
Robe Making Season
Every year during Vassa, the monsoon season of Northern India, monks take to solitary retreat and take advantage of this sedentary period to repair their robes or make new ones. Especially after a ceremony called Kaṭhina, which marks the end of Vassa and the traditional offering of cloth to the saṅgha.
The Beginning of Vassa
In Northern India, where the Buddha lived and taught, the year is mainly divided into three seasons, unlike our four familiar seasons here in the West. They are the Summer season, rainy season and winter season. This rainy season is the season of monsoons, also called ‘Vassa’ in Pāḷi. It spans from the full moon […]
Happy Vesak
This 26th of May is the full moon which marks the triply auspicious date of the Birth, the Awakening and the passing into Parinibbāna of the Bhagavan Buddha. This day is also called Buddha Jayanti or Buddha Purnima. May all blessings be with you on this very special day. Here are the first words he […]
Cottonwood Farmers Market
What does this mean and how can you participate? Like the Buddha, Buddhist monks and nuns choose to leave behind all worldly possessions to live a simple life dedicated to spiritual practice in order to be liberated from unhappiness and to help relieve the unhappiness of others. Since all of their time is dedicated to […]
Winter Robes & Winter Alms
Dec. 16 2019 Dear Nelson, Being the amazing, heart centred community that you are, I thought that I would share the following As the weather gets colder, Bhante Ānanda will need thicker robes to stay warm while he walks down from Mountain Waters into town for alms and then back up the mountain […]
A Monk in the Kootenays
Announcement to the Kootenays: Dear Friends, Happy Thanks Giving…..and in the Spirit of Giving….. I am connecting you with a wonderful person named Ananda who is spending the winter at Mountain Waters Retreats. Ananda is a Canadian Buddhist Monk Below is a message from him and picture as you might see him walking […]