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Clear Mountain Monastery Project

Clear Mountain Monastery

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Dharma talks from monastics at Clear Mountain, an aspiring Buddhist Forest monastery in the greater Seattle area. The Forest Tradition represents a return to the simple way of life taught by the Buddha. Monastics aspire to live as the early disciples did: dwelling in the forest, studying the teachings, and devoting themselves to meditation. To learn more, visit https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org.
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Ajahn Sona of Birken Monastery on the topic of his recent video "Greek & Persian Influence On Early Buddhism" (https://youtu.be/UDZK_V2wnt4?si=uz7ZQxr_t8CLU_dO). Ajahn Sona's Bio: Ajahn Soṇa is the founder and abbot of Birken Forest Monastery. Born in Canada in 1954, Ajahn Soṇa's background …
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In this session from the Clear Mountain June 28th, 2025 Alms Giving Ceremony, Ayya Ānandabodhī of Pārāyana Vihāra (https://parayanavihara.org/) speaks about allowing the Seven Factors of Enlightenment to unfurl. Ayya Ānandabodhī's Biography: Ayya Ānandabodhī was born and raised in Wales, UK. Ayya first encountered the Buddha’s teaching in her early…
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In this talk, given at the 2025 Clear Mountain Almsgiving Ceremony, Luang Por Sona speaks about his early days as a monk, and the lessons he learned about humility, agility, and keeping a warm heart and cool head. Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events! - Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 …
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In this talk, Bhante Rahula, visiting from Paññabhumi monastery in Guadalajara, speaks about how conscious gratitude and recollection of one's virtue can serve as a cure for the various ailments of the mind. Carefully documenting the goodness in one's life represents an important task for practitioners hoping to cultivate a bright heart. To find ou…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with Marjorie Woollacott about the research behind the Telepathy Tapes (https://thetelepathytapes.com/) and the phenomenon of near-death lucidity. For more information about Dr. Woolacott and her work, visit: https://marjoriewoollacott.com/ Marjorie Woollacott's Biography: Marjorie Woollacott Ph…
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In this talk, Ajahn Nisabho speaks about Māra, the Buddhist embodiment of death and that which hinders liberation, and how we can overcome his influence through clear knowing. 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) - Sat…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Ayyā Jitindriyā & Samaneri Jayasāra of Viveka Hermitage about how to relate to current events, non-dual practice, psychotherapy advice for the world, dealing with tragedy, and Dzogchen. BIO On Samaneri Jayasara and Ayya Jitindriya's YouTube channel, you'll find ancient Buddhist teachings nex…
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In this talk, Ajahn Kovilo reflects on 6 of the “Universal Beautiful” mental factors (sobhana-sādhāraṇa-cetāsika) – 1) settledness (passaddhi); 2) softness (mudutā); 3) lightness (lahutā); 4) suppleness (kammaññatā); 5) savviness (pāguññatā); and 6) uprightness (ujukatā) – suggesting the following poem as a memory aid: Settled softness space-that’s…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Luang Por Puṇṇadhammo of Arrow River Hermitage. Ajahn Puṇṇadhammo Bio: Ajahn Punnadhammo is the abbot of Arrow River Forest Hermitage in Northern Ontario, Canada. Born in Toronto in 1955, at the age of 23, he began studying Buddhism under Kema Ananda, the founder and first teacher of the Arr…
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In this "Q&A and Community Stories" session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho answer questions about love and Saṅgha, the flame of awareness, merit, and how to relate to grief. In the "Community Stories" section, Clear Mountain community members Alejandro, Lynne, and Louis share how they came to the Dhamma and what it's meant to them. Tune in with fe…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview the author and Performance Whisperer, George Mumford about his journey into mindfulness and his experience of its utility and function in expert performance. To learn more about George, visit: https://georgemumford.com/ George's Bio: George Mumford, a.k.a. The Performance Whisperer, is a glo…
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In this talk, Ajahn Nisabho speaks about the workings of kamma, and how we can apply appropriate attention, or yoniso manasikara, to cultivate the kamma for the ending of kamma. 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) - S…
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CHAPTERS 0:00:00 – Intro 0:00:09 – Welcome 0:00:24 – Bio of Yuval Noah Harari 0:01:12 – How Yuval’s First Meditation Retreat Changed His Life, and What a Goenka Retreat Looks Like 0:06:36 – Going Beyond Goenka’s Teachings: Exploring the Pāḷi Canon and Buddhism (Does Yuval Consider Himself a Buddhist?) 0:12:18 – Yuval’s Take on the Noble Truths: The…
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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, Onli…
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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, Onli…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo discusses the Thai Forest Tradition and what he terms the "Thai Forest Effect" - the insights, inner brightness, and eventual transcendence that can come from living a life apart but not separate. Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events! - Wednesday Evening Teaching & Disc…
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In this interview, Luang Por Jundee, a senior disciple of Luang Por Chah and abbot of Wat Pah Ampawan, speaks about Luang Por Chah's strategies of training, advice on giving, and how we can be near to a teacher we've never met. Biographies Luang Por Jundee Venerable LP Jundee Kantasāro who was ordained by Venerable Luang Por Chah in 1975, was born …
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In this talk, Ajahn Kaccana, ordained at Abhayagiri Monastery and currently residing at Chithurst Monastery in England, speaks about how we can balance the cultural proclivity towards individualism and idealism by developing awareness of the body, coming into community, and cultivating virtue, concentration, and wisdom. Tune in with fellow practiti…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Ven. Dhammadinnā, an expert in the various canonical languages of early Buddhist traditions. They speak Ven. Dhammadinna's love of Pāli, her path to robes, her attempt to bridge the scholastic-practice divide, and more! Ven. Dhammadinnā's Biography: Bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā was born in Italy in…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo speaks about the value of chanting as a way to give rise to wholesome mental states. The main chant referenced is the "Suffusion with the Divine Abidings", featured here: - I will abide pervading one quarter with a mind imbued with lovingkindness; likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth; so above a…
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In this compelling dialogue, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with Amma Thanasanti about what’s missing from traditional Dharma when it comes to trauma, attachment, and nervous system regulation. They explore how trauma-informed tools, the window of tolerance, and developmental wounding intersect with meditation practice—and why understanding t…
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In this session, Ajahn Nisabho and Ajahn Kovilo interview brother and sister Ajahn Cunda and Rabbi Sydney Mintz. Bio of Ajahn Cunda: Ajahn Cunda was raised in a warm and loving family in the Northern suburbs of Chicago and moved to California in 1996. Ajahn Cunda moved to Abhayagiri in late 2005, and after two years training as an Anagārika and Sām…
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Ayyā Suvijjānā & Ayya Niyyānika of Passaddhi Vihara (https://passaddhivihara.org/) speak about developing the Five Indriyā, or Mental Faculties in our practice. The five, including saddhā (faith), viriya (energy), sati (mindfulness), samādhi (concentration), and pañña (wisdom) must be developed in a balanced manner for practice to progress. The Bud…
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In this talk, Ajahn Nisabho talks about the Mahānāma Sutta (AN 11:12) (https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN11_12.html), and the six recollections recommended by the Buddha as ways of tuning to the quiet note of Dhamma, and to finding refuge. Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events! - Wednesday Even…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview psychiatrist Dr. Judson Brewer MD PhD about the confluence between neuroscience and Theravāda Buddhism. For more information about Dr. Jud, visit: - https://www.mindshiftrecovery.org/ - https://drjud.com/ Dr. Jud's Bio: Dr. Judson Brewer, MD, PhD (aka Dr. Jud), is a New York Times best-selli…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Rodney Smith, author and founder or the Seattle Insight Meditation Society, about resting in an ever-present silence, his work in hospice, how to be with the dying, and more. For more on Rodney, visit: https://seattleinsight.org/teacher/rodney-smith-founding-teacher/ Rodney's Bio: Rodney Smi…
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In this talk, Ajahn Kaccāna, ordained at Abhayagiri Monastery but currently residing at Chithurst Monastery in England, speaks about finding refuge in the quality of knowing rather than the objects of awareness. Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events! - Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – …
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview renowned meditation teacher Shaila Catherine about the practice of jhāna, the breath nimitta, digital hygiene on retreat, and more. To learn more about Shaila, visit: https://shailacatherine.com/ You may access more of her teachings at Insight Meditation South Bay (https://www.imsb.org/) and…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo relates his experience being assaulted in downtown Seattle on March 30th, 2025. Suttas Referenced: - Dhammapada vv 3-5: https://www.digitalpalireader.online/_dprhtml/index.html?loc=k.1.0.0.0.0.0.m|ati://kn/dhp/dhp.01.budd.html - Dhammapada vv 197-200: https://www.digitalpalireader.online/_dprhtml/index.html?loc=k.1.0.0…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Venerable Ayyā Mārajinā about her experience creating Saṅgha in Cuba. Learn more at https://www.theravadacuba.org or at the links below. Ayyā Mārajinā's biography: Ayyā Mārajinā Bhikkhunī received pabbajja (2010) and upasampadā (2012) at Aranya Bodhi Hermitage, California, with Venerable Tat…
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In this talk, Ajahn Nisabho describes the 5 khandhas, or "aggregates" onto which we posit a self: 1) form (rūpa) 2) feelings (vedanā) 3) perception (sañña) 4) mental formations (sankhara) and 5) consciousness (viññāna). He further describes how we can skillfully use each as a factor on the path rather than clinging to it as a locus of self. Tune in…
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In this Q&A session, Ajahn Nisabho speaks about body contemplation, monastics' apolitical stance, dispassion (virāga), benefits of the holy life, and more. The link to the 6:45-7:30 pm Zoom session following the livestream may be found on the event listing at https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/events/wednesday/. Tune in with fellow practitioner…
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In this session, Ayyā Santacittā of the Āloka Earth Room visits and shares reflections on the hummus-ness of humans. Ayyā Santacitta's Biography: Santacitta Bhikkhuni was born in Austria and did her graduate studies in Cultural Anthropology, focusing on dance, theatre and ritual. She also worked in avant-garde dance theatre as a performer and costu…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Ajahn Jotipālo about the practice of loving-kindness, "Sauntering Into Silence", and a mention of Buddhist iconography. - Visit Ajahn Jotipālo's YouTube channel - "Sauntering Into Silence" here: https://www.youtube.com/@UC66r5NBcFDf4opY0PAPHdrw - Watch Ajahn Sujāto's Metta series here: https…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo asks the question: What is your inner governing-principle (ādhipateyya)? Is it a "Dhamma-cracy" (based on a solid foundation of truth, morality, and wisdom) or a "Māra-tocracy" (based on the shaky foundation of craving)? Further, he asks which of the "four P's" (Pleasure [vs Pain]; Profit [vs Loss)]; Praise [vs Censure…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview the Chinese-born, Thai Forest Maechee Paññāsirī about her life and practice. Maechee Paññāsirī's Biography: Sister Maechee Paññāsirī is a Chinese-born, Thai forest nun in the tradition of Ven. Ajahn Chah. Born in 1967 and grew up in Shanghai, China, Sister has worked many years as a writer/c…
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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, Onli…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Ajahn Dhammasīha, abbot of Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage in Brisbane, Australia. To learn more about Ajahn Dhammasīha and Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage, visit: https://www.dhammagiri.net/ Ajahn Dhammasiha's Biography: Born in West Germany in 1966, Ajahn Dhammasīha studied Business Administration…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo examines the refrain from the Foundations of Mindfulness Sutta (https://suttacentral.net/dn22/en/sujato?lang=en) in light of the slang-based meditation instructions: "Stop Frontin'!" That refrain is as follows: Katamā ca, bhikkhave, sammāsati? “And what, bhikkhus is Right Mindfulness? (1) Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāye …
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview author, psychologist, and meditator Rick Hanson Ph.D. For more information about Rick Hanson, visit: https://rickhanson.com/ Rick Hanson Bio: Rick Hanson, Ph.D. is a psychologist, Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times best-selling author. His seven bo…
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In this Community Stories session, we hear from Clear Mountain community members about their path to Dhamma and how it's impacted their life in this past year. 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 Me…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Luang Por Anan, abbot of Wat Marp Jan monastery in Thailand, about "the One Who Knows", practice at various stages of Awakening, artificial intelligence, body contemplation, and the nature of the Enlightened Mind. Bio Ajahn Anan Akiñcano was born in Saraburi, central Thailand, in 1954 and re…
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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, Onli…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Ajahn Kalyano, abbot of Buddha Bodhivana Monastery in Australia, about the practice of meditating all night, long sits, vegetarianism, spirits, training with a teacher, Abhidhamma study, and... tigers! Bio Ven. Ajahn Kalyano (Daniel Jones) was born in London in 1962. His interest in Buddhism…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo speaks about the balancing reflections of the "Ten Subjects for Frequent Recollection" (Pabbajita Abhiṇha Sutta - AN 10.48 - https://suttacentral.net/an10.48/en/sujato?lang=en): “Bhikkhus, there are 10 dhammas which should be reflected upon again and again by one who has gone forth. What are these 10? (1) ‘I am no longe…
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In this conversation, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho discuss their favorite suttas in the Majjhima Nikāya and suggest ways you can do the same! Useful Resources: Access to Insight: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/index.html Reading Faithfully Index: https://index.readingfaithfully.org/ Discuss & Discover on SuttaCentral: https://discourse.suttacent…
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In this talk, Ajahn Nisabho speaks about some of the more fraught issues in the Sangha today, including the different conceptions of bhikkhunis in the Theravāda Buddhist world, the place of affinity groups in Buddhist spaces, and how to hold change alongside harmony. Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid ev…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Jonas Mago, PhD candidate at McGill University, about his research dealing with the neuroscience of jhāna meditation. BIO Jonas Mago is a cognitive neuroscientist and wellbeing aficionado, deeply invested in understanding the cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms underlying human flourish…
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In this session, Ajahn Kovilo examines prayer and its potential use in Buddhist practice - exploring such issues as a possible place for prayer in a Buddhist contemplative life, specifics of how one might pray in a Buddhist sense, and offering reflections on the Serenity Prayer: May there be the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The co…
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CHAPTERS 0:00:00 Intro 0:00:21 Welcome 0:00:35 Luang Por Vajiro’s Biography 0:01:45 Luang Por’s Current Practice and Teachings 0:03:42 The Influence of Ajahn Chah and Luang Por Sumedho 0:09:45 Contrasting the Goenka/U Ba Khin and Forest Traditions 0:14:00 “Joy at Last to Know There Is No Happiness in the World” 0:15:55 The Most Sustaining Element f…
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