Clear Mountain Monastery Project

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Ajahn Sukhito, Israeli-born abbot of Poo Jom Gom Forest Monastery in Ubon, Thailand and (https://ketkamala.org/).

00:00:00 Welcome and Introduction of Tan Ajahn Sukito

00:00:26 Biography: Early Life and Journey to Buddhism

00:01:04 Service at Wat Phu Chong Gom and the Gamala Foundation

00:01:38 Personal Connection and Reflections on Practice

00:02:27 Ajahn Sukito’s Experience in Northern India

00:04:21 Favorite Suttas and Precious Teachings

00:07:07 The Five Faculties as a Framework for Life

00:09:32 A Holistic Approach to the Dhamma

00:11:46 The Five Dimensions: Relationship, Action, and Supervision

00:16:37 The Five Dimensions: Inner Life and Continuous Learning

00:18:59 Tracing the Development of Faith (Saddha)

00:21:53 Meeting the Dhamma: A Powerful Shift in Perspective

00:27:56 The Faculty of Energy (Viriya) and the Path to Thailand

00:32:51 Discovering the Thai Forest Tradition and Its Teachers

00:35:51 Stepping into the Role of Abbot at Wat Phu Chong Gom

00:40:46 Managing a Forest Monastery for Holistic Practice

00:44:40 The Importance of Community in the Ajahn Chah Lineage

00:47:07 Balancing Aesthetic Seriousness with Lightness

00:48:49 Physical Work and Simplicity as Spiritual Practice

00:52:49 Cultivating Noble Friendship on the Path

00:55:19 The Faculty of Wisdom (Panna) and Education

00:59:48 The Vision of the Kate Gamala Foundation

01:03:40 Applying Dhamma to Global Challenges and Education

01:06:48 Guiding Hearts Through World Upheaval and Conflict

01:13:47 Closing Words and Gratitude

Ajahn Sukhito's Biography:

Ajahn Sukhito - born in Israel in 1970 - is a Theravāda Buddhist monk in the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah. In his early twenties, he traveled to the East, where he first encountered Buddhism in Northern India - an experience that profoundly shaped his life. He went on to study and practice within several Buddhist traditions before ordaining as a monk in the Ajahn Chah lineage. For over 30 years, Ajahn Sukhito has lived and practiced as a monk primarily in Thailand. For approximately 14 years, he has served as abbot of Poo Jom Gom (วัดป่าภูจ้อมก้อม) Forest Monastery in Northeast Thailand. In recent years, he has also spent extended periods in Israel at the invitation of his students, supporting the development of the local community of practitioners in the Ajahn Chah tradition. Also in recent years, Ajahn Sukhito has taken on the role (along with Ajahn Jayasaro and Ajahn Dton) of "Spiritual Advisor" to the Ket Kamalā Foundation มูลนิธิเกตุกมลา (https://ketkamala.org/), which provides Holistic Buddhist Education in the form of weekend camps at various monasteries and with a vision is to establish a Holistic Buddhist Bilingual School in Ubon Province.

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.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this talk, Ajahn Nisabho recounts the Buddha's life and Enlightenment, emphasing both his relatability as a historical figure who lived 2500 years ago, and the transcendent aspect which we can contact today. By more deeply understanding his humanity, we understand that we too have the potential to Awaken as he did.

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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, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

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.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Ajahn Brahmali, elder monk at Bodhinyana Monastery, advisor to the Buddhist Society of Western Australia (https://bswa.org/), and frequent contributor to and translator at SuttaCentral.net.

Biography of Ajahn Brahmali:

Ajahn Brahmali was born in Norway in 1964. He first became interested in Buddhism and meditation in his early 20s after a visit to Japan. Having completed degrees in engineering and finance, he began his monastic training in England at Amaravati and Chithurst Buddhist Monasteries. After hearing teachings from Ajahn Brahm, he decided to travel to Australia to train at Bodhinyana Monastery. Ajahn Brahmali has lived at Bodhinyana Monastery since 1994, and was ordained as a Bhikkhu, with Ajahn Brahm as his preceptor, in 1996. Ajahn Brahmali’s knowledge of the Pali language and of the Suttas is excellent. A regular contributor to discourse.suttacentral, he has also published two essays on Dependent Origination, a book called “The Authenticity of the Early Buddhist Texts” with Bhante Sujato, and has translated the entire Buddhist Monastic Code.

Ajahn Brahmali Previous CMM Interview on Early Buddhist Texts: https://youtu.be/FznHXTboSJs?si=44Mc8X9sSSZGRysh

Nine Principles of Translation

from: https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/principles-of-translation/19485

1. Translating (nearly) everything

2. Translating transparently and meaningfully

3. Principle of the least meaning

4. (Partially) transforming the oral nature of the text into literary form

5. Using simple language and vocabulary

6. Avoiding Buddhist hybrid English

7. Using American spelling and vocabulary

8. Sometimes using multiple renderings for each Pali term or expression

9. Principle of [[lectio difficilior potior

The link to the 7:00-7:45 pm Zoom session following the livestream may be found on the event listing at https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/events/wednesday/.

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:45 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.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this session, Randima Fernando, co-founder of Center for Humane Technology (https://www.humanetech.com/) joins Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho for a conversation.

Randima's Biography:

Randima has presented on the intersection of technology, mindfulness, and social impact to the world’s leading technology companies, NGOs, and government agencies. He is a Co-Founder and former Executive Director of Center for Humane Technology, which has helped over 100 million people globally understand the harms of extractive technology through the documentary film The Social Dilemma, the podcast Your Undivided Attention, and many other initiatives. Randima started his career at NVIDIA, where he led many award-winning projects and authored three #1-ranked books on 3D graphics over seven years. Additionally, he was a founding Board Member of the NVIDIA Foundation. Randima then served for seven years as founding Executive Director at Mindful Schools, a nonprofit that has taught mindfulness to millions of kids and over 70,000 educators worldwide. He is also a former board member of Spirit Rock Meditation Center.

The link to the 7:00-7:45 pm Zoom session following the livestream may be found on the event listing at https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/events/wednesday/.

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:45 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.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!