Monthly Days of Mindfulness – Poya Days – for 2019
Ottawa Buddhist Society gathers to practice mindfulness meditation at the Tu-An Pagoda (Vietnamese Buddhist Temple), 3591 Albion Road, near Bank Street once a month.
These days of silent meditation and dhamma reflections are conducted by a visiting monk or nun.The Days of Mindfulness run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and include periods of sitting meditation, walking meditation, dhamma readings, listening to dhamma talks (from either an invited monastic/nun or else a taped talk chosen by a senior OBS member), occasional discussions.
You are invited to contribute to and share in the pot-luck vegetarian lunch, served between 11:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. Any contribution would be warmly welcomed.
Ayya Medhanandi (1949- ) is the founder and guiding teacher of Sati Saraniya Hermitage, a Theravada forest monastery for women. The daughter of East European WW II refugees who emigrated to Montreal, she began a spiritual quest in childhood that led her to India, Burma, UK, New Zealand, Malaysia, Taiwan, and finally back to Canada. In 1988, at the Mahasi retreat centre in Yangon, Myanmar, Ayya requested full bhikkhuni ordination from her teacher, Venerable Sayadaw U Pandita. This was not yet possible in Theravada Buddhism. Instead, Sayadaw gave her 10-precept ordination on condition that she keep her vows for life. When a military coup closed Myanmar to foreigners, Sayadaw blessed her to join the Ajahn Chah Thai Sangha at Amaravati, UK. Ten years later, Ayya felt called to practice as a hermit nun in New Zealand for 6 years and later in SE Asia. In 2007, after nearly 20 years as a novice nun, she received bhikkhuni ordination at Ling Quan Chan Monastery in Keelung, Taiwan; and, in 2008, invited by Ottawa and Toronto Theravada Buddhist societies, she returned to Canada to establish Sati Saraniya Hermitage.