A Garden Party (Sept. 3) will help get the Hermitage ready for it’s honored guests for the Pah Bah Samakkee (Sept. 17 & 18 — see article below)!

REGULAR EVENTS

Garden Party — September 3
at the Hermitage:

• 11:00 am — Potluck arrive by 10:30 am, if bringing food)
• 1:00 pm — Help with yard work
• 3:00 pm — Tea with monks

Half-day Meditation — September 10
at Yoga Samadhi (with Hermitage monks)

• 1:00 – 5:00 pm
• Free, no experience needed, chairs, bolsters & blankets available

EVENTS WITH LUANG POR PASANNO & LUANG POR VIRADHAMMO

Portland Friends of the Dhamma — September 16
at PFoD

• 5:30 pm — Tea and Q & A
• 7:00 pm — Meditation & Dhamma Talk

Pah Bah Samakkee Weekend — September 17 & 18
at 1085 N Main Avenue, Mountain View Grange (map below), White Salmon, WA (more information below or at Sanghata.net)

• September 17 — Half-day Retreat, 1 – 5 pm (meditation and talks)
• September 18
  • Meal Offering (potluck) at 11 am.  Please arrive by 10:30 am. Lower floor (enter from Estes Avenue).
  • Pah Bah Samakkee Ceremony, 1 – 3 pm. Formal offerings, chanting and dhamma reflections. Upper floor (enter from N. Main Avenue

NOTE: Additional parking available in ICE parking lot, about one block north of the grange, 1265 N. Main Ave. (look for tall, black ICE sign on east side of Main–map below). Please, no smoking in the ICE driveway or parking lot.

Tuesday Night Meditation — September 20, 6:30 – 8:00 pm
at Yoga Samadhi (Luang Por Viradhammo only)

PAH BAH SAMAKKEE

A Pah Bah is a ceremony for offering material goods and financial support to monastics. This year, it’s called a Pah Bah Samakkee.  Samakkee is a Thai word for “unity” and it signifies that several people have joined together to invite the monks to receive this outpouring of generosity.

On Sept. 17, there will be a half-day retreat.  On Sept. 18, there will be a potluck meal, then the offering ceremony.

All events are free.  No meditation experience is needed, you do not need to be Buddhist to attend and English will be the most commonly spoken language.  Chairs will be available, but please bring your own cushions if you will be sitting on the floor.  Donations are welcome, but not necessary.  Most talks will be given in both English and Thai.

If you would like to help with setting up (or taking down, please arrive at the Grange by 8 am and ask for Dan McCook.

Questions?  Please visit Sanghata.net or email pahbah@sanghata.net.

MAP TO MOUNTAIN VIEW GRANGE & ADDITIONAL PARKING AT “ICE” (Please, NO SMOKING on ICE property)  Click on the map for a clearer view.

***REMINDERS:   Please see the notes below about bringing your own cushion, volunteering and the meal on Sunday. ***

Honored Guests:  Luang Por Pasanno and Luang Por Viradhammo

Our honored guests, Luang Por Pasanno and Luang Por Viradhammo, will visit Portland and White Salmon for several days.  During that time, they will lead a half-day retreat, the Pah Bah Samakkee ceremony, and other Hermitage and Portland Friends of the Dhamma (PFoD) events (schedule below).

The “Main Event” — Pah Bah Samakkee

The ceremony is Sept. 18 at Mountain View Grange, 1085 N Main Avenue, White Salmon, WA.  There will be a potluck/meal offering downstairs at 11 AM.  The ceremony (offering various items to support the monks and the Hermitage), chanting and a Dhamma talk will begin upstairs at 1 PM.  There is parking around the Grange, and at I.C.E. (a company about one block north of the Grange).  Map below.  Please:  No smoking at ICE.

Schedule of All Events

While visiting, Luang Por Pasanno and Luang Por Viradhammo will lead these activities:

• Sept. 16, 5:30 pm: Tea, Q&A, meditation and Dhamma talk at PFoD
• Sept. 17, 1-5 pm:  Meditation retreat at Mt. View Grange, White Salmon
• Sept. 18:  Pah Bah Samakkee at Mt. View Grange, White Salmon, WA
  • 10:30 am — Meal offering/potluck (enter from downstairs) *** Please bring your offering READY TO SERVE (in your own serving bowl/plate and with a serving utensil).***
  • 1:00 pm — Ceremony (enter from upstairs)
• Sept. 20, 6:30-8:00 pm:  Meditation and Dhamma Talk, Yoga Samadhi, White Salmon (Luang Por Viradhammo only)

Anyone is invited and may attend all or just some of these events.  No meditation experience is needed and chairs will be available.  ***Please bring your own CUSHION if you would like to sit on the floor.***  There is no charge for the events.

***VOLUNTEERS NEEDED — Volunteers would be welcome for setup and take down at these times: Sat. 9:00 AM – noon, Sun. 8:00 – 10:30 AM, and Sun. 3:30 – 5:00 PM.***

A Pah Bah is an event organized by lay supporters to offer monetary support and needed material goods to a monastery.  Samakkee is a Thai word indicating that several people have joined together to initiate the offerings this year.

For more information, please click on the appropriate links included above, visit Sanghata.net, or email Pahbah@sanghata.net.

Offering Support

Donations are welcome and may be offered at any of the events, however the monks cannot accept or handle money themselves.  Monetary donations should be put in a donation bowl or basket (available at most events), with checks made out to Sanghata.  Sanghata is the board of stewards for the Pacific Hermitage.  More information will be available at the Pah Bah Samakkee, or by visiting the Sanghata website, sanghata.net.

Map to Grange and Additional Parking at ICE

• Click on the map below for a clearer picture.
• Grange:  1085 N Main Ave, White Salmon, WA 98672
• ICE:  1265 N Main Ave, White Salmon, WA 98672.   No Smoking on ICE property.

The August forecast is for lots of sun and all the regular monthly Hermitage events, starting off with a Garden Party on August 6th:

• August 6 — Garden Party
• August 13 — Half-Day Retreat
• August 19 — PFoD Tea/Dhamma Talk
• August 20 — PFoD Alms/Meal

First, a quick July reminder — Registration for the Abhayagiri Thanksgiving Retreat ends July 31.  Check the Abhayagiri website for more information.

August:  Garden Party, Half-Day Retreat and PFoD Events

August 6 — Garden Party:  Help Keep the Hermitage Green!  Well, except for weeds. You can remove that kind of green, as well as help with cleaning up the forest and doing various other types of yard and maintenance work.  After a couple of hours, we stop for tea and a chat.  The day starts with a meal offering (arrive by 10:30 am).  The work officially begins at 1:00 pm, and tea at 3:00 pm.  Come for any or all of the activities.

August 13 — Half-Day Retreat at Yoga Samadhi in White Salmon.  Sit, walk, listen.  No, it’s not dog training.  It’s training the mind!  Join the monks and others from 1 – 5 pm for a break from your usual activities and mind noise.

August 19 & 20 — Portland Friends of the Dhamma (PFoD) hosts the monks for tea, talk and meditation on Friday night, then a meal on Saturday.  Tea begins at 5:30 pm Friday evening, and the Dhamma talk at 7:00 pm.   At 10:30 am on Saturday, the monks walk on alms round, then have their meal at 11:00 am.  Please check PFoD’s website for more information.

September:  Pah Bah Samakkee

Join Luang Por Pasanno, Luang Por Viradhammo, and monks from the Pacific Hermitage and Abhayagiri Monastery, for the annual alms-giving ceremony to benefit the Pacific Hermitage.  The events will be held September 17 & 18 in White Salmon.

“Samakkee” is probably a new word for many of you.  It’s a Thai word meaning unity or harmony.  In this instance, it signifies that several people have come together to sponsor the Pah Bah.

For more information about the 2016 Pah Bah Samakkee, visit Sanghata.net, email Pahbah@Sanghata.net, or check this website again in late August.

The Hood River Library is hosting Ajahns Sudanto and Karunadhammo this Friday, July 22, 2016, 6:30-7:30 PM, for a discussion of death and dying from the Buddhist perspective.

This is part of the library’s “Grave Matters” monthly discussion series about death and end-of-life issues.  For more information about the series, please click here:  “Grave Matters.”

The library is at 502 State Street, Hood River, OR 97031.

Ajahns Sudanto and Karunadhammo return June 28, (Ajahn Karunadhammo will be at Yoga Samadhi that night).  A more regular schedule returns in July!

• Garden Party / Work Day       July 2
• Half-Day Retreat                        July 9
• PFoD Tea / Dhamma Talk      July 15
• PFoD Alms Round / Meal       July 16
• Vassa Begins                                July 20

NOTE:  Registration for the annual Abhayagiri Thanksgiving Retreat begins July 1.  See our previous post or visit the Abhayagiri website after July 1 for more information.

Garden Party July 2!

The annual 10-day Thanksgiving retreat with Luang Por Pasanno and several Abhayagiri monastics will be held November 18 – 27, 2016, in Santa Rosa, California.  This retreat has been a tradition for a number of years and offers a unique retreat opportunity alongside monastics.

New this year — Ajahn Sudanto will attend and ride to and from the retreat with participants from the Pacific Northwest.

Registration will be open July 1 – July 31.  Because it’s a popular retreat, and more people will register than can attend, participants will be chosen via a lottery at the end of the registration period.   Registration is open only to those who have previously sat at least one five-day retreat.

To register or find out more information, please check the Abhayagiri website after July 1.

Ajahn  Amaro is a well known senior monk in the Ajahn Chah tradition.  He helped establish Abhayagiri Monastery in 1996 and is now Abbot of Amaravati Monastery in England.

We’re so fortunate to have him visit Portland and the Hermitage!  Events are scheduled May 27 and 29.  His visit here ends on May 31, when he will travel with Ajahns Sudanto and Caganando to Abhayagiri’s 20th anniversary celebration.*

Ajahn Amaro’s Portland / White Salmon Schedule:

• May 26 — Arrives in Portland (evening)
• May 27 — Portland Friends of the Dhamma (5:30 pm tea time, then meditation and dhamma talk).  He’ll come to the Hermitage after this event.
• May 29 — Yoga Samadhi in White Salmon (6:30 – 8:30 pm meditation and dhamma talk)  Note:  May 31 Tuesday night community meditation has been cancelled.
• May 28 & 29 — Meal Offerings — If you’d like to help offer a meal for the monks on the Saturday or Sunday of Ajahn Amaro’s visit, please schedule your meal with the meal dana coordinator. Mealtime is the typical time to visit with the monastics.
• May 31 — Leaves early for Abhayagiri Monastery*

* More information at Abhayagiri’s website or Celebrate Abhayagiri’s 20th Anniversary!