Dear Dhamma Friends,

On May 9th, Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery will begin hosting Upāsika Days again, beginning with an Upāsika Renewal Day from 9am to 4pm. This is an opportunity for dedicated lay practitioners to re-commit to living by the Five Precepts, and to spend a day at the monastery meditating, listening to Dhamma teachings, and engaging in Dhamma discussion. Anyone is welcome to join for all or part of the day.

The theme of this Upāsika Day is Building Your Practice. We will share ideas about how monastics and lay people keep their Dhamma practice going in daily life.

This Upāsika Renewal Day will be streamed on both YouTube and Zoom.

Join with YouTube

Morning session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3TkaVOvJ1Q

Afternoon session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNyXdqkWD1o

Join with Zoom:

Time: May 9, 2026 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82060451721?pwd=vhItWjy2xQpywtqR0FILJ34mM1gPny.1

Meeting ID: 820 6045 1721
Passcode: 399659

Join by SIP
• 82060451721@zoomcrc.com

Join instructions
https://us06web.zoom.us/meetings/82060451721/invitations?signature=tRHvgFnfOfblx1TxSctyTgi4OyF4TFUArgHSdmxDQg8

This year, Abhayagiri turns 30 on June 1st. Due to the growing size of our community and some logistical considerations, the current plan is to celebrate this occasion in two separate, but related events.

It happens that Vesakha Puja - the full moon of May commemorating the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and final nibbāna - is Sunday, May 31st. This is an amazing coincidence that it falls so close to Abhayagiri’s 30th birthday, and happens to be a weekend. In addition to this, Vesakha Puja 1996 was also May 31st - when Tom DeMaria took his anagarika ordination and then drove Ajahn Amaro to the land in Redwood Valley the next day.

The only issue with having a 30th Anniversary celebration on the weekend of Vesakha Puja is that many of the very senior monks and abbots we would like to invite need to be in their respective monasteries on the Buddha’s Birthday. However, some of the Senior Monks and Abbots of the newer generation have already agreed to come at this time. So we will have an “introductory event” for anyone who is able to come on the dates of May 30th and 31st.

The theme of this 30th Anniversary Part One will be “The Way Forward” and will have visits from the newer generation of Senior Monks and Abbots, who will offer reflections about their experiences. There will be a 30th Anniversary slideshow, tours of the monastery, and other happenings to be announced closer to the time.

The Thai and Western Senior Monks from abroad will be able to visit Abhayagiri for the 30th Anniversary Part Two, which will be considered the Main Event. The theme will be “Honoring Our Roots with Respect and Gratitude” and we will hear from our Elders about the early days of practice with Luang Por Chah and what it was like to start Abhayagiri Monastery. The current plan is to have this on the weekend of June 27th and 28th.

There will also be a slideshow and monastery tours on these dates.

People are welcome to join us for either or both of these dates according to their convenience. There will be more announcements after April 1, when we will have more information about our potential visitors.

Update: The teachings and readings from the winter retreat are now available via this link:
https://www.abhayagiri.org/talks/collections/1/177-winter-retreat-2026-the-foundation-of-mindfulness

The monastery entered the annual three-month winter retreat on January 3, 2026. Our Abbot, Ajahn Nyaniko, will be in Thailand until early March and on solitary retreat for most of March with the exception of Magha Puja on March 3. We are pleased to welcome back Luang Por Pasanno from his year-long stay at Amaravati Monastery in England as well as Ajahn Karunadhammo from England. Both Ajahns will be at Abhayagiri for the duration of the winter retreat. During the three months of our winter retreat, the resident community takes time to engage in more formal meditation practice following a changing schedule of group and individual practice. We will resume the normal routines the first week of April.

During the winter retreat there will be no overnight guests. To schedule overnight visits please contact us on or after April 1st. Day visitors are still welcome to visit the monastery to participate in the meal offering or bring offerings of requisites at the meal time or attend the evening Dhamma talks on Saturday night. There will not be a Dhamma talk on the lunar observance days. Please note that the community is practicing noble silence. Thus, conversations with the monastics and retreat crew are very limited.

On Saturday evenings the meditation and Dhamma talks will begin at 7pm. You may view a livestream of the Saturday night programs via the Abhayagiri YouTube channel. The general public is welcome to attend the Saturday evening meditation and Dhamma talk. New Dhamma talks and readings will be posted regularly throughout the retreat.

The 2026 30th Anniversary of Abhayagiri Monastery calendar is available online as a pdf. The calendar includes many photos from the history of Abhayagiri and may be of interest for anyone who has been around since the beginning, or those who are interested in the development of the monastery over the last 30 years. We hope you enjoy!

The 2025 Abhayagiri photobook is now available to view in the monastery’s online gallery.

This collection offers glimpses into the community’s regular rhythms—from alms rounds and construction projects to ordinations and the Kathina ceremony. Highlights include visits from elders such as Luang Por Liem, Luang Por Jundee, Luang Por Khoon, and Luang Por Damrong, as well as other unique events like Debbie’s 70th birthday.

The final section of the book chronicles a pilgrimage of 9 monks and 42 laity to the holy sites of India and Nepal, preceded by the monks’ visits to various monasteries in Thailand.

Saturday, Nov 1, 2025
10:30 am

We lost our friend and longtime supporter, Thanit Klangprapan, on Sunday, Oct 12. On Saturday, Nov 1, we will celebrate Nit’s life and passing with her family. Please feel free to join us for this occasion. We will start with the traditional meal offering for the monastic community, followed by a ceremony honoring Nit’s life.

You are welcome to join the Abhayagiri sangha for this year’s Kathina ceremony on Sunday, October 12. Everyone is warmly welcome.

The schedule for the day is:
9:30am - Arrive at the Monastery
10:30am - Meal Offering
1:00pm - Kathina Ceremony and Dhamma Talk

Each year since the time of the Buddha, at the end of the three‑month Rains Retreat, the lay community around Buddhist monasteries have gathered to celebrate the completion of the retreat. This 2,500‑year‑old tradition is still carried on here in the West in the Theravadan monasteries. A lay supporter or a group of supporters request to organize the preparation and formal offerings. It is both a significant and joyful occasion that, over time, has become emblematic of the richness of the relationship that exists between the lay people and the monastics. This relationship is characterized by deep bonds of friendship and commitment to mutual support. All year round, the monastery functions solely on offerings from the lay community.

The Ajahn Pasanno Archive collects and organizes over 150 hours of recorded Q&A sessions and topic-themed events. It splits the recordings into individual questions, stories, quotes, and teachings. Only the questions and summaries of teachings asked are transcribed into text; Ajahn Pasanno’s answers and detailed teachings are readily accessible in audio form. Subject tags are applied to each audio excerpt based on its content. This makes the Archive easily searchable while retaining the flavor of Ajahn Pasanno’s oral teachings. Since Ajahn Pasanno frequently shares the teaching seat, the Archive also includes contributions from other teachers at events led by Ajahn Pasanno.

Three noteworthy features have been added in the past year:

• Hand-picked featured excerpts illustrate the clearest teachings about important subjects.
• The most important tags are organized into 16 Key Topics that encompass the breadth of the Buddha’s teachings.
• The redesigned home page displays a new featured excerpt each day to invite daily reflection.

A few examples illustrate different ways to explore the Archive:

• The tag page Mindfulness of breathing begins with seven featured excerpts which outline Ajahn Pasanno’s teachings about his favorite meditation practice followed by a chronological list of all 160 excerpts touching on this topic.
• Searching for ‘tiger’ yields six excerpts about real and metaphorical tigers.
• The Key Topics Monastic Life and Everyday Life Practice each contain forty featured teachings about diverse aspects of these domains of Dhamma practice.

We hope you benefit from Ajahn Pasanno’s Dhamma teachings. If you experience technical difficulties with the Archive or have suggestions about how we could improve it, please send an email to questionsandstories@abhayagiri.org.

Dear Dhamma Friends,

We are honored that two senior disciples of Luang Por Chah - Luang Por Khoon and Luang Por Damrong, will be visiting Abhayagiri from June 21-30. This will be their first trip to America, and we will have the opportunity to meet them and benefit from their teachings. They plan to spend a couple nights at Pacific Hermitage (June 30, July 1) after which they will head up to the Seattle area for a few days starting on July 2.

Luang Por Khoon Aggadhammo (pictured on the right) has been a bhikkhu for 59 years. He lived at Wat Nong Pah Pong at a time when Luang Por Sumedho first arrived, and they trained together over the years. He is currently the abbot of Wat PhoSuwan in Piboon Mangsahan district, Ubon Province.

Luang Por Damrong Siribhaddo (pictured on the left) has been a bhikkhu for 56 years. He acts as the preceptor for many of the Wat Pah Pong community’s bhikkhus in Thailand.

Feel free to contact the monastery via vihara@abhayagiri.org in order to inquire about the details of their June 21-30 visit.

On May 6, the Abhayagiri’s First Tuesday programs in Berkeley will feature three sessions, including an online-only Q&A with Ajahn Nyaniko. The online-only Q&A will be available to all but primarily intended for those living out of the area or unable to travel to Berkeley. It will be followed by in-person sessions led by Ajahn Kaccana. The programs in Berkeley will not be available for online participation.

The schedule in Pacific time zone is as follows:

· 4:00 - 5:00 pm. Online Q&A with Ajahn Nyaniko. This is a great opportunity to ask your dhamma questions via Zoom. (See Zoom link further below.)

· 5:00 - 6:00 pm. In-person Teatime Q&A with Ajahn Kaccana in the Dining Room. This is a great opportunity to ask your dhamma questions in-person. Kindly keep voices low in the lobby and hallway as you enter and exit the building. Please arrive by 4:50 pm and help yourself to tea and allowables.

· 7:30 - 9:30 pm. In-person Evening Session with Ajahn Kaccana in the Main Shrine Room. Dhamma talk preceded by chanting, meditation, and refuges/precepts. We would greatly appreciate your assistance with setting up and putting away chairs/cushions. Doors for this session open at 7:15 pm.

The Berkeley Buddhist Monastery (BBM), our gracious host, has meditation and chanting programs from 5:15 to 7:15 pm in the Main Shrine Room. These programs partially overlap with Abhayagiri’s First Tuesday program at BBM. After the Teatime and prior to the Evening Session, please be mindful of others and take conversations outside the building.

Address:
Berkeley Buddhist Monastery
2304 McKinley Ave.
(One block from the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Bancroft Way. The Downtown Berkeley BART station is about a 10-15 minute walk.)

If you would like to receive reminders for all the Abhayagiri First Tuesday events at Berkeley Buddhist Monastery, you can sign-up for the Abhayaparisa email list via this webpage:
https://groups.io/g/abhayaparisa

Zoom link details:

Abhayagiri Monastery is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: 1st Tuesday May Online Q&A With Ajahn Nyaniko
Time: May 6, 2025 04:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/9971627472?pwd=aVNlRlg0VjVPMklWdFErbEs3eGJ0Zz09&omn=87397629495

Meeting ID: 997 162 7472
Passcode: abm

Dear Dhamma Friends,

This year we are honored to plan to host Luang Por Liem, Luang Por Jundee and other senior monks from Thailand on May 17-21. Luang Por Liem is 83 years old and has been a bhikkhu for 63 years. He is currently the abbot of Wat Nong Pah Pong in Thailand and is considered to be Luang Por Chah’s Dhamma heir.

The last time Luang Por Liem visited was 2018, during the grand opening of our new Reception Hall. It has been a long time since we have been able to be in his presence here at Abhayagiri, and it is a rare and precious opportunity.

Please check our website calendar or be in contact with the monastery for activities taking place on each day of their visit. The calendar will be updated with more details at a later time.

On Sunday, April 13, the Abhayagiri community will be celebrating the traditional Thai New Year known as Songkran.

Schedule:
10:30 am - Gather for alms round in the monastery.
10:40 am - Bhikkhus receive food on the buffet tables.
10:45 am - Monastic community files out and ceremonially washes the Green Buddha, then receives pindapata alms food. Monastic community gives blessing outside.
11:00 am - Monastic community takes the meal.
1:00 pm - Laypeople take the 5 precepts. Paritta chanting followed by Dhamma talk in Thai and English.

The monastery entered the three-month annual winter retreat on January 6, 2025. During this time, the resident community takes time to engage in more formal meditation practice following a changing schedule of group and individual practice. We will resume the normal routines during the first week of April.

During the winter retreat there will be no overnight guests. To schedule overnight visits after April 1st, please contact us April 1st or later. Day visitors are still welcome to visit the monastery to participate in the meal offering or bring offerings of requisites at meal time or attend the evening Dhamma talks on Saturday night and lunar observance days. On lunar observance days, recorded Dhamma talks will be played. Please note that the community is practicing noble silence. Thus, conversations with the monastics and retreat crew are very limited.

On Saturday evenings and lunar observance days the meditation and Dhamma talks will begin at 7pm. You may view a livestream of the Saturday night programs via the Abhayagiri Youtube channel. The general public is welcome to attend these events. There will not be a livestream of the weekly lunar observance days. For those interested in listening to Dhamma talks from the monastery, we plan on posting new talks regularly throughout the retreat.

Finally, we would like to let you know that the 2024 Abhayagiri photo album is now available at https://www.abhayagiri.org/gallery

Dear Dhamma Friends,

On December 28th Abhayagiri will be offering a full in-person and livestreamed day of practice at Abhayagiri Monastery. The theme will be around mettā, and 5am to 6am we will be a part of a worldwide mettā meditation hosted by 24HR Mettā in Malaysia.

This will be day 1 of a week of chanting and meditation dedicated to world peace. This will be the only day which is livestreamed on Zoom.

If you want to come in-person or join via Zoom, you are welcome to come and go as you please, any time during the day.

We will be live on Zoom starting at 5am, and going for 12 hours until 5pm. See below for the details.
If you prefer to join via YouTube, keep an eye on the Abhayagiri YouTube Channel for the scheduled livestream.

May all be well, happy and peaceful – Nyaniko Bhikkhu

Topic: Ānāpānassati Practice Day - Mettā
Time: Dec 28, 2024 05:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Meeting ID: 860 4984 1601
Passcode: 143764

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Meeting ID: 860 4984 1601
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Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kwKhZCG5X

During his visit to Thailand this year, Luang Por Pasanno is invited to give a Dhamma talk at Suan Mokkh Bangkok (Buddhadasa Indapanno Archives), on Saturday, December 28th, 2024, 1 - 3 pm (local time - GMT+7).

This Dhamma talk will be live-streamed on:
Facebook
@suanmokkh.bkk
@activitiessuanmokkhbkk
YouTube
@buddhadasaarchives

Please note that the Dhamma talk will be in English.

During his visit to Thailand, Luang Por Pasanno will lead a retreat at Baan Boon from December 5th to 8th, 2024.
The following is the sessions of the retreat that will be live-streamed on https://www.youtube.com/@AjahnPasannoth, under this playlist.

Thursday, 5th
18.00 Orientation

Friday, 6th - Saturday 7th
08.30-09.00 Dhamma Talk
13.30-14.30 Questions & Answers
17.45-18.30 Dhamma Talk

Sunday, 8th
06.00 Closing Ceremony

Please note that the schedule is in local time (GMT+7), and the retreat will be in Thai.

Please join Luang Por Pasanno, Ajahn Karunadhammo, our abbot Ajahn Nyaniko, Ajahn Cunda and the rest of the Abhayagiri sangha for this year’s Kathina ceremony on Sunday, November 3rd. Luang Por Viradhammo, the abbot of Tisarana Monastery, will be our honored guest. Everyone is warmly welcome.

The schedule for the day is:
9:30am - Arrive at the Monastery
10:30am - Meal Offering
1:00pm - Kathina Ceremony and Dhamma Talk

Please note that daylight savings time ends on November 3rd at 2am.

Each year since the time of the Buddha, at the end of the three-month Rains Retreat, the lay community around Buddhist monasteries have gathered to celebrate the completion of the retreat. This 2,500-year-old tradition is still carried on here in the West in the Theravadan monasteries. It is initiated by a lay supporter or a group of supporters who request to organize the preparation and formal offerings. It is both a significant and joyful occasion that, over time, has become emblematic of the richness of the relationship that exists between the lay people and the monastics. This relationship is characterized by deep bonds of friendship and commitment to mutual support. All year round, the monastery functions solely on offerings from the lay community.

Ajahn Viradhammo
Luang Por Vīradhammo (formerly Vitauts Akers), was born in Germany, 1947, to Latvian refugee parents. They moved to Toronto when he was four years old. Around 1969, while living in India, he encountered Buddhism, meeting the late Sāmanera Bodhesako, who introduced him to the teachings of the Buddha. He eventually traveled to Thailand to become a novice at Wat Mahathat in 1973 and took bhikkhu ordination the following year at Wat Pah Pong with Ajahn Chah. He was one of the first residents at Wat Pah Nanachat, the international monastery in north-east Thailand. Having spent four years in Thailand, he went back to Canada to visit his family in 1977. Instead of returning to Thailand, he was asked by Ajahn Chah to join Ajahn Sumedho at the Hampstead Vihāra in London. Later, he was involved in the establishment of both the Chithurst and Harnham monasteries in the UK. In 1985, invited by the Wellington Theravāda Buddhist Association, he moved to New Zealand, accompanied by Venerable Thanavaro, where he lived for 10 years, setting up Bodhinyānārāma monastery. In 1995 he came to the UK to assist Ajahn Sumedho at Amarāvati and stayed for four years before returning to New Zealand, where he lived until 2002. He was living in Ottawa caring for his mother for nine years and is now resident full time at Tisarana Buddhist Monastery near Ottawa.

After some consideration, it has been decided that there will not be an Abhayagiri Thanksgiving Retreat in 2024. This is partially because multiple senior monks will be away during that time.

Please note that there are still plenty of opportunities to practice and participate. For example, one can visit Abhayagiri for the day or reserve an overnight stay via the Abhayagiri Contact page. Every Saturday night and Lunar Observance Day there is a Dhamma talk offered at Abhayagiri. Those unable to visit in person are invited to connect with Abhayagiri events via its YouTube Channel .

There are also other opportunities to participate at different locations around California such as in Ukiah, Berkeley or Fort Bragg.

Please see the Abhayagiri calendar for ongoing information on upcoming events.

There will be an Ānāpānasati Practice and Study Day on Saturday, August 10. The Dhamma themes to be considered include aging and sickness as well as contemplation of the four elements. The teachers are Ajahn Karunadhammo, Ajahn Nyaniko and Ajahn Cunda.

This event is freely offered for the general public and no registration is required. There will be teachings offered and time for meditation and questions. All are welcome to attend any part of this event and to join in the daily meal offering at 11am.

The morning session will be from 9am to 11am and the afternoon session will be from 1pm to 5pm. A livestream will be available via the Abhayagiri YouTube Channel. Unfortunately, for those viewing remotely, there will be some limitations for this event such as not being able to ask questions.

As per usual, there will be an informal tea time with a senior monk from 5:30pm to 6:30pm in the Monks Dining Hall. Beginning at 7pm, there will be the Saturday evening program including evening chanting and meditation, followed by a Dhamma talk.

Sat., July 20 - Āsāḷha Pūjā

Āsāḷha Pūjā commemorates the Buddha’s first discourse, given to the first five bhikkhus in the Deer Park at Sarnath, near Varanasi. Chanting begins at 7pm followed by a period of silent meditation, taking of the three refuges and eight precepts, and a Dhamma talk given by a senior monk. This will be followed by circumambulation with candles, flowers and incense. Day visitors may arrive early at 5:30pm for tea time if they wish to participate in a question and answer session with a senior monk.

Fri., July 26 - Ajahn Pasanno’s 75th Birthday

Abhayagiri’s Guiding Elder is turning 75. All are welcome to join for the meal. Please arrive by 10:45am.

Sat., August 10 - Mindfulness of Breathing Practice & Study Day

There will be an Ānāpānasati Day at Abhayagiri from 9am to 5pm. All are welcome. The teachers are Ajahn Karunadhammo, Ajahn Nyaniko and Ajahn Cunda. More information will be available in an article to be posted soon.

Also, at Spirit Rock Meditation Center: Ajahn Pasanno will lead a Daylong on August 25

The theme is Perspectives on Buddhist Practice from Ajahn Chah: Virtue, Relinquishment, Awareness and Liberation. For more information, please go to the registration page on the Spirit Rock Website.