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Dec 30

Room still available in the The Path of Happiness retreat!

The Path of Happiness

Honolulu, Hawai‘i

with Sayadaw U Thuzana

January 13-20, 2015 (8 days)

At the heart of Buddhist practice, the Noble Eightfold Path offers the truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering. This path of happiness is practical and alive. It is a living experience offering tools that we can apply and live each moment, be it on or off the cushion. Sayadaw U Thuzana will explore the Noble Eightfold Path, also known as the Path of Happiness, in a seven-day mindfulness meditation retreat that is suitable to anyone who is interested in or has already been practicing Buddhist meditation. Participants are invited to discover the experiential reality of the truth of the way through a gentle exploration of the eight factors.

The abbot of Tathagat Meditation Center (TMC) in San Jose, California, Sayadaw U Thuzana has been a monk for 30 years and speaks fluent English. Before coming to TMC in May 2011, he was chief meditation master at Malaysian Buddhist Meditation Center (MBMC) in Penang from 2003-2010. Sayadaw is a wonderful teacher.

Cost: $660 registration, which covers only the administrative costs of the retreat and provides no compensation for the teacher. Thus a voluntary contribution (dana) to the teacher is strongly encouraged to support his work.

For more information on the retreat and to register click. 

 

 

 

Dec 27

Year-end Aloha from the MettaDana Project

 

Aloha Friends,We hope you are able to take the time to appreciate this great turning of the seasons-a time for being with family, friends, and taking stock of the old year and starting a new year again with great Dhamma energy and compassion. May all of our hearts find great rest, renewal, and peace. We are delighted to be journeying soon to our 20th annual Kyaswa Retreat  in upper Burma, starting January 11. There is still some room if anyone can come for the 3 weeks, to travel into the inner depths, with the momentum and support of the same burmese staff that returns to support the yogis. It is a time for all of us to deepen our practice. The retreat container there ancient and strong-with time for working individually with the teachers.

Sayadaw U Pannananda, our new monastic teacher, is wonderful! Steven Smith went to visit him a few months ago to connect and talk about the upcoming retreat. He was warmly welcomed and was enthusiastic about his feeling of connection. We are very excited to practice with him and receive the offering of his teachings. He is also looking forward to joining us and is even planning to join the yogis on a bus tour of Sagaing Hills at the end of the retreat. It is truly the beginning if a new era for the Kyaswa retreat.

 

We also want to give thanks to all who have offered their generous support of our MettaDana projects there. We have 20 years of consistent supportive relationships with the nuns, the school, the hospital as well as numerous small infrastructure projects throughout the years. This winter, a new acupuncture team is coming to continue our acupuncture training program and two Swedish doctors are coming to do research on women’s health needs (including nuns) in the village. We are also hoping to continue Sayadaw U Lakkhana’s tradition of a donation to village elders as well as explore other new projects with the community. To learn more about our past year’s work, click here.

If you have not already, please consider a year-end donation to the MettaDana project to support our wonderful projects there. Any amount that you offer has considerable impact locally in the village of Wachet and helps continue the lineage of connection and support that we are all so fortunate to be a part of. Click here to donate now. Thank you so much for your generosity!

~ The Kyaswa retreat and MettaDana team