Bhante Yogavacara Rahula: 2016

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

The Buddhamas Carol, Ode to the Vipassana Yogi

Dear Dhamma friends,

I wish you all a Merry but Mindful Holiday season with Compassion and Metta for all those suffering at the hands and minds of Greed, Hate, and Delusion.
I repost this link to the, Song of Meditation, for your reminder and reflection:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOWZSDUsWuc&feature=youtu.be

Here are the Lyrics:

Ode of a Vipassana Yogi
(Composed by Bhante Yogavacara Rahula)

Silent Night, Peaceful Night,
All is calm, Stars are bright,
Round the hall Yogis sitting still,
Keeping their backs straight, exerting will,
Enduring pain without any ill-will,
Pervading Metta all throughout space,
Wishing good-will to the whole human race.

Silent Mind, Peaceful Mind,
Thoughts are few, pain is slight,
Focusing mind at the tip of the nose,
Knowing each breath as it comes and it goes,
Perceiving the light that steadily glows,
Feeling the rapture from head to the toes.

Silent Mind, Tranquil Mind,
Thoughts are stilled, Body is light,
All the Five Hindrances have died down,
The Ego no longer is spinning around,
Mind is one-pointed not moving a bit,
Enjoying at long last the Jhanic Bliss.
Sitting in Rapturous Joy,
Sitting in Rapturous Joy.

Silent Mind, focused Mind,
All is calm, Mind is bright
The Spiritual Faculties are prepared,
Vipassana-Insight has Mara scared,
Scanning the body from head to the toes,

Anicca, Anicca, each moment goes,
Anicca, Anicca, Impermanence shows.

The Five Aggregates appear empty as foam,
The Truth of No-Self is easily known.

Silent Mind, Wisdom Mind,
Awareness is strong, Wisdom is fine,
The six sense-impingements arise and pass,
No desire, no clinging, no ego to grasp,
No holding to present, future or past,
Mara has vanished he’s took his last gasp,
This body-mind house is empty at last,
Sitting and walking the whole night through,
Greeting the dawn completely anew.

Silent Mind, Holy Mind,
Now is the time, Conditions are prime.
The Enlightenment Factors are developed well.
The Four Noble Truths become clear as a bell,
The Eye of Dhamma is opened wide,
The three lower fetters are broken in stride.

Tonight the Yogi enters the Stream,
Tomorrow Nibbana no longer a Dream.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Departing Washington DC

View of the Capitol Mall at sunrise

Dear friends,
I completed the vassa period at the Washington Buddhist Vihara and we held the Kathina ceremony on October 16th. A full list of all the talks, sutta study, and meditation sessions is available at this link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B3q1ohW48nKWVW5WWFFBSExnc1U?usp=sharing

I attended the Kathina ceremony at the Bhavana Society Forest Monastery in West Virginia on October 23rd.
On my way to California I stopped in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and lead a weekend retreat at the Buddha vihara/ meditation center in Burleson.

See my Teaching Travel page for my schedule in the next six months.

Here are a few photos taken during my stay in the nation's capital.

Washington Monument

Lincoln Memorial

Statue of Abraham Lincoln inside Memorial

US Capitol

WWII Memorial

Rear Entrance of the White House

May all Beings be well, peaceful and wise

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Vassa at the Washington Buddhist Vihara

Dear Dhamma friends in the Washington, Baltimore, Richmond, USA area,

I am spending the vassa (monks three month rains retreat) period at the Washington Buddhist Vihara on 5017 16th St. Washington, D.C. Here is the schedule of Talks, meditation classes and one day retreats that I will be conducting as part of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Vihara this year. This was the first Theravada Buddhist Vihara or temple established in North America. This is also the same vihara where Bhante Henepola Gunaratana was the abbot before he moved to the Bhavana Society.

Bhante Rahula’s teaching schedule at Washington Buddhist Vihara during vassa 2016

During this Vassa season each week from July 22nd to Saturday October 8th, Bhante Yogavacara Rahula will be conducting the following programs at the Washington Buddhist Vihara.

Friday evenings from 7-9 pm a sutta study class followed by a meditation session;

Saturday afternoons from 3-5.30 pm he will deliver a Dhamma talk followed by a meditation session.

On Sundays from 3-5pm he will give a guided meditation followed by a Dhamma discussion

In addition, on the following Saturdays he will lead a Day of Mindfulness from 9-5 pm: August 13th, September 17th and October 8th.

Please note: Bhante Rahula will be away from the vihara during these dates when the classes will not meet: September 9, 10,11; September 30, October 1,2

^{ALL ARE WELCOME}

Friday, June 3, 2016

Standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon in Arizona

Hi Friends,
From April 11th-17th I went on a one week scenic car journey with Gino, an old meditation student/friend from Germany. Having spent a night with me at my mother's house in Riverside we drove through the Joshua Tree National Park, the Grand Canyon and Zion National Parks, Hoover Dam, Death Vally and the High Sierra mountains with a view of Mt. Whitney at Lone Pine. I had not been to most of those places since I was a teenager on camping trips through the Southwest with my parents. And Gino had not seen most of these famous National Parks, so it was good fun.
Then back to work. Over April 22-24 I conducted the annual retreat for the Ventura Buddhist Study Group and then headed up to central California to continue a teaching tour spending five days at the Mountain Stream Meditation Center in Nevada City where there were a few talks and a Daylong meditation. Then over the weekend of May 6-8 there was a weekend retreat at the Vietnamese temple in Morgan City located about 15 miles south of San Jose. I also stayed a few days at the Dhammapala Institute in Milpitas and gave a talk there.
On May 9th I flew from San Jose to Portland Oregon where I gave a talk at the Friends of the Dhamma Center and another talk at the Unitarian Church. This was arranged by Mr. and Mrs Pinit who then also took me on a three day nature outing in Central Oregon before heading up to the Columbia River Gorge near Mt. Hood. I stayed at the Pacific Hermitage in White Salmon with three bhikkhus from the Ajahn Cha lineage and Abhayagiri Monastery. While at this small wonderful secluded hermitage we went out on the traditional almsround in the small town where we received ample alms each day. The three American monks staying there were Ajahn Sudanto, the abbot, and Ajahn Karunadhammo and Ven. Caganando. I had met all three of these bhikkhu in previous visits to Abahayagiri and elsewhere over the past years. I was quite impressed how they have built up quite a devoted following among the local residents of this small conservative of town of White Salmon situated on the bluffs overlooking the Columbia River. I lead a weekend retreat there held at the old Grange Hall with about thirty five participants. After the retreat we made a few trips with hikes in the surrounding mountains and along the Columbia River Gorge.

Following are some photos of the journey.