Trip to Brazil 2024

                                              Landing in the Megalopolis of Sao Paulo

On February 7th I flew to Sao Paulo, Brazil to start a 17 day teaching trip. I was invited by the Casa de Dharma Buddhist Center to lead a five day meditation retreat on the theme of, The Four Foundations of Mindfulness. The Casa de Dharma meditation Center had been hosting Bhante H. Gunaratana, myself and Ven.Uganda Buddharakkhita since 2004 to lead their annual Carnival retreats. They have all three of our photos on the wall in the library of the center located in the heart of Sao Paulo surrounded by tall skyscrapers.

 The retreat was held in a Catholic nuns retreat center an hour and a half drive outside of the very large city; there were 54 participants. After the retreat I gave a post retreat Dhamma talk to some of the retreatants at the Casa de Dharma city center. I was then invited for a two day R&R period at a nice house on the coast south of Sao Paulo. 

I then made a five hour car journey with two members of the Casa De Dharma to the small city of San Lorenco to visit the Suddhavari Forest monastery. It is a branch monastery of the Ajahn Chan Forest  Sangha tradition. The abbot is a Brazilian monk named, Ajahn Mudito,who I had met when I had visited Thailand in 2006. The Suddhavari monastery is spread out over some low hills verdant green hills about five outside of San Lorenco. I spent a relaxing time at the monastery and gave a Dhamma talk one night that was translated into Portuguese by Ajahn Mudito.

After returning to Sao Paulo I gave a final Dhamma talk at the Casa De Dharma and the next day flew back to Washington and Lion of Wisdom Meditation Center.

The following photos sum it up.

                                                     My breakfast view in the library room

From left: Bhante U. Buddharakkhita, Bhante H. Gunaratana, Bhante Y. Rahula

                                                        Meditation Hall at the retreat center: note the figure at left watching over us

Dining hall

Group photo from retreat

House where I stayed two days: my bedroom was on the third floor at left

Nice sunrise from bedroom balcony

Food 

...and coconuts

Panorama of the Suddhavari Monastery; new temple on the left

recently completed temple

Temple roof under the cloudy full moon

Main shrine inside the temple

                                     The kuti where I stayed, lower center with pillars on porch

Nice meditation seat on my kuti porch with morning fog

                                                  yellow parakeet in tree in front of my kuti

                                                                           wild turkeys

                                                          My breakfast table with a view

Ajahn Mudito and two resident monks having breakfast

                                                

                             Returning from lunch at a restaurant in the town of San Lorenco

                                            with Dhamma friends on a walk in the water park

                                   Return flight approaching Dulles airport in the early morning

MAY ALL BEINGS BE WELL, PEACEFUL AND WISE