Clear Mountain Monastery Project

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Venerable Chandaratana about Ven. Matara Srī Ñāṇārāma Maha Thero, the way of practice at Na Uyana and Nissarana Vanaya Forest Monasteries, the practice of the 4 Foundations of Mindfulness, finding joy in meditation, the benefits of memorizing Pāḷi, and more. Learn more about Ven. Chandaratana at https://www.nissarana.lk/ Ven. Chandaratana's...

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo speaks about several Buddhist triads: - 1) radical introversion; 2) radical extroversion; and 3) the Middle Way - 1) interoception; 2) proprioception/kinesthesia; 3) exteroception - 1) Buddha; 2) Dhamma; and 3) Saṅgha.d And proposes a "Nine Breath Challenge" - taking one minute to recite the 3-fold refuge: Breaths #1-3) "Bud-dhaṃ sara-ṇaṃ gacchā-mi." OR "To-Buddha for...

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Zen meditation teacher and founder of Awakening Dharma, Stephen Mugen Snyder, Roshi. Subjects discussed include the Pau Auk meditation system, techniques for deepening jhāna, and the concepts of Cessation, Awakening, and the Deathless across Zen and Theravāda traditions. To learn more about Mugen Roshi, visit https://awakeningdharma.org/. B...

In this session, Ven. Thubten Chodron, founder of Sravasti Abbey, visits Clear Mountain's Saturday gathering and shares insights into the self-centered mind and how not to fall for its tricks. Sharing insights from nearly 50 years in robes, she speaks about how we can learn to consider others' wellbeing as of equal importance to our own, and cultivate a heart as broad as the world. Also included:...

This is PART TWO of Clear Mountain's interview with Sam Harris. Watch PART ONE here: https://youtu.be/cYamzDDJR8w?si=v5O0YrlBS0zT7g9r 00:00:07 Introduction 00:01:30 The Details of Sam's spiritual biography & the paradox of meaning? 00:19:49 Who else was on the trip with Sam to see Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche? 00:26:22 What preliminaries enabled the Dzogchen pointing out instruction to be effective?...

In this talk, Bhante Sumitta, joining Clear Mountain on a special occasion with 13 other monastics, speaks about the power of mettā, or loving-kindness, in developing the 11 benefits described by the Buddha in the Mettā Sutta (AN 11.15 - https://suttacentral.net/an11.15/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=plain&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin). Apart from helpin...

This is PART ONE of Clear Mountain's interview with Sam Harris. Watch PART TWO on Wednesday, Nov. 26th. 00:00:07 Introduction 00:01:50 Is it okay to choose what one takes from Buddhism? 00:12:25 Is Sam a Buddhist? What is Sam's relationship to faith in the Triple Gem? 00:30:03 Faith in the Sangha? Is there value in living a monastic life? 00:43:02 The advantages of monastic baldness and robes? 00:...

In this talk, Ayya Ānandabodhī speaks about Bio Ayya Ānandabodhī was born and raised in Wales, UK. Ayya first encountered the Buddha’s teaching in her early teens while reading about the Four Noble Truths. This was life-changing and from that moment she experienced a deep confidence in the Buddha’s insight and a wish to understand his teachings more deeply. At the age of 24, Ayya began monastic tr...

In this interview, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with revered Buddhist monk and longtime yogi Bhante Yogavacara Rāhula of Lion of Wisdom Meditation Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland about his wild journey from the hippie trail into Buddhist monastic life. Topics discussed include details about his early hippie days, glimpses into his book "One Night's Shelter: From Home to Homelessness", por...

Clear Mountain Upāsakā Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GtgmYKj-XrBaqLDhTeHP32TZe4PpHkLHSajrZyrgVj8/edit?usp=sharing In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho describe the Upāsakā lay Buddhist form in 13 (optional but awesome) moves: Introduction to the Upāsaka form (1) Take Refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha (The Essential Foundation) (2) Keep the Five Precepts (3) M...

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview scholar and practitioner Dr. Sarah Shaw about Buddhism in academia in general and about breathing mindfulness in particular. Dr. Shaw's biography: Dr. Sarah Shaw is a faculty member and tutor at the University of Oxford, a fellow of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, and a visiting contemplative mentor at Brown University. She has taug...

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo speaks at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto (his mother's home congregation) about his own history being raised in the Unitarian Church and its effect on the trajectory of his life. Topics explored include Henry David Thoreau's essay "Life Without Principle", the intersection of Buddhism and Unitarian Universalism, how a Unitarian might begin to understan...

In this talk, Ajahn Sādaro, visiting from Melbourne, Australia, speaks about the benefits and risks of using Large Language Models (LLMs) for Dhamma guidance. We may use these tools with wisdom, but knowing their limitations is essential. Bio Ajahn Sādaro ordained in the forest tradition in Thailand in 2005. After practicing throughout SE Asia, he returned to Australia in 2015 and now currently re...

In this Q&A session, Ajahn Nisabho speaks about how he personally cultivates compassion (karuṇā), means of counteracting smartphone and internet addiction, the upāsakā form and wearing white in Buddhist spaces, the protective power of loving-kindness (mettā), stories of demons, devas, and elephants, how to practice seclusion and renunciation, and lay practice for Stream Entry (sotāpanna). ---...

In this talk, Ajahn Nisabho speaks about the relationship between dukkha (suffering, or stress) and time. Invoking the Christian concepts of chronos (choronological time) and kairos (sacred time), and orienting by the Buddha's description of a liberated state outside of time, we can navigate towards a greater spaciousness. Of special import is the ability to notice and dismantle the "clock" of Dep...

In this interview, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Prof. R. Bogdan Staszewski about the intersection between Buddhist thought and quantum mechanics, focusing on the observer effect and the primacy of consciousness in shaping reality. Two other lectures by Prof. Bogdan on the subject: - "Is Consciousness in the Universe or Is the Universe in Consciousness?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

In this talk, Ajahn Munissara describes the power of diversity in Dhamma communities and teachers, particularly in elevating female articulations which have been absent for so much of Buddhist history. She speaks about the fragility of unawakened views, the power of remaining open to other articulations of truth, the history of the bhikkhuni order, and also the Dhamma of butlers! Bio Munissara Bhi...

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Ajahn Narindo about lessons learned from the various phases of a modern monastic life. Biography of Ajahn Narindo: Ajahn Narindo was born in 1981 in the Netherlands, where he studied and worked in marketing and law. In his twenties he encountered Buddhism, began practicing the precepts, and eventually turned toward monastic life. In 2012 he...

In this talk, Ayya Santussika, visiting with Ayya Cittananda from Karuna Buddhist Vihara ( https://www.karunabv.org/) addresses the unease many feel with about the current state of the world, emphasizing how Dhamma practice and non-hatred can provide refuge. Ayya Santussika Bhikkhuni: Born in Illinois in 1954, Ayya Santussika began exploring meditation in the late seventies. She received BS and MS...

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview renowned meditation teacher Guy Armstrong about his time as a monk with Ajahn Buddhadasa, the relationship between sense consciousness (viññana) and a deeper awareness, the Mahāyāna concept of Buddha nature, emptiness, and remaining grounded in the modern world. Guy's Biography: Guy Armstrong has been leading insight meditation retreats sin...

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events! - Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom) - Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person) - Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online) See https://www.clearmountainm...

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Ajahn Dan Thiracitto about his experience as a Western forest monk in Thailand: living with Thai Krooba Ajahns, walking tudong, and living close to the earth. Resources mentioned in this conversation: - Luangta Maha Bua: Shedding Tears of Dhamma - https://youtu.be/iI5TQnYcFn8?si=yUJb3t2e4d_cscAV - Arahattamagga Arahattaphala: The Path to Ar...

In this talk, Ayya Brahmavara speaks about the 4 vipallāsa or distortions of perception, described in the Vipallāsasutta AN 4.49 ( https://suttacentral.net/an4.49/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=sidebyside&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin), and how our clinging causes us to suffer. The Buddha's teachings, though counter to how much of the world thinks, lead t...

In this session Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with Ayya Santussika and Ayya Cittananda live at Kuruna Buddhist Vihara. Ayya Santussika Bhikkhuni: Born in Illinois in 1954, Ayya Santussika began exploring meditation in the late seventies. She received BS and MS degrees in computer science while being a single mother. After working as a software designer and developer for fifteen years in the...

In this interview, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Tan Ajahn Asoko, a senior monastic at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in the UK and the primary attendant to Luang Por Sumedho. The focus of the interview was the ins-and-outs of serving as an attendant and caregiver. Biography of Tan Ajahn Asoko: Ajahn Asoko grew up in a village near Geneva in Switzerland. His mother brought Buddhism into t...