Upcoming Travels & Events
Ajahn Sudanto will be traveling from March 16th – March 30th, and there will be no monks in residence during that time. The end of the winter retreat is drawing near, anumodana for all the beautiful support of Ajahn’s retreat time!
Tuesdays at Yoga Samadhi. The 5:15-6:15pm meditation will continue with volunteers in hosting, but the 6:30pm Community Meditation will be on spring break during Ajahn’s absence. Ajahn will be back at the Hermitage for the meal on April 1st, and will remain at the Hermitage until departing for the Birken retreats on May 1st.
The April 4th Garden Party
It’s time for the first Garden Party of the year, which will be held on Saturday, April 4th. As always, there is much to do after the winter break taking care of the land. There is much winter cleanup to be done, ferns to be trimmed, and trees to be replanted. With Ajahn away for the Birken retreats, there will be no Garden Party in May. So April will be a particularly sweet time for the community to come together and care for the Hermitage, and spend time with Ajahn and each other sharing Dhamma conversation
The schedule for the day is as usual:
Meal Offering: 11:00 AM. Feel free to bring a dish for the potluck style meal offering (please arrive by 10:30 if you’re bringing food).
Garden Work: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Please also feel free to bring any extra garden tools for the day, and dress in your ‘garden clothes.’
Tea: 3:00 pm – 4:00 PM.
A Very Joyful Magha Puja
On February 28th, the community celebrated Magha Puja together at the Hermitage. Sometimes called Sangha Day, this day celebrates when 1,250 Arahant disciples spontaneously came together to hear a teaching from the Buddha.
More than 30 people gathered to offer the meal, request the Refuges and Precepts, and chant the Ovadapatimokka teaching. Cagasiri reflected on the day’s events, “When we gather together and tend to our friendships and our community in such a caring way, I find that I’m so deeply nourished by the good we’re building together.”