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The Buddhist Society of Western Australia
Dear Members and Friends,
Welcome to our monthly eNews bulletin for: DECEMBER 2022.

SPECIAL EVENT DATES for your diary:

Saturday, 10th December 2022
Thank You to our Volunteers Party.

19th – 27th December 2022
Ajahn Brahm will be leading the Year End Meditation Retreat in
Ampang, Malaysia. Event hosted by Buddhist Gem Fellowship.

Saturday, December 31st 2022
New Year's Eve Party with Ajahn Brahm.

Sunday, 1st January 2023
New Year's Day Dana at Dhammaloka with Ajahn Brahm, monks and nuns.

COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH and social measures have eased.
Masks: Wear a mask indoors, if you prefer.
COVID-19 testing: If you experience any COVID-19 symptoms,
get tested immediately and follow the relevant testing and isolation guides.

Scroll down for more brief news and notices from our website,
including news and upcoming events in DECEMBER 2022.
DHAMMA REFLECTION: 

One who experiences the bliss of Dhamma
lives happily with a tranquil mind.
The wise always delight in the Dhamma
as realised by the Noble Ones.


Dhammapada, VI, (79)

FRIDAY NIGHT TALKS given by the MONKS in NOVEMBER
 
Dhammaloka BUDDHIST CENTRE
Nollamara
News and Notices
Ajahm Brahm's New Year's Eve Party 2022!
All are welcome to a night of fun, at Dhammaloka on:
New Year's Eve, Saturday, 31st December 2022.


The Programme:
8.50 pm – Arrival
9.00pm – Surprise Event
10.00pm – Refreshments (Please bring a plate to share)
11.15pm – Short Dhamma talk, Chanting & Meditation to welcome in the New Year - 2023! (This will be live streamed)



And, on NEW YEAR'S DAY (Sunday January 1st, 2023) join us for a special dana offering and blessing with the monks and nuns at Dhammaloka at 10:00am.
ANNIVERSARY REMINDERS
Thursday 1st Dec - Bodhinyana Monks Monastery, since 1983 – (39 yrs)
Monday 5th Dec - Ajahn Brahm as a Bhikkhu (monk) since 1974 - (48 yrs)
         5th Dec - Dhammasara Nuns Monastery, since 1998 - (24 yrs)
         5th Dec - Dhammaloka Main Meditation Hall, since 1993 - (29 yrs)
Faith-based Scholarships to study the Diploma of Governance
Institute Community Directors Australia (ICDA) is currently offering scholarships of $1,000 to study the Diploma of Governance, to those who work or volunteer at faith-based organizations. More details, click
HERE.
New Dhammaloka Gardening Coordinator
We would like to welcome Paul, who has joined us as our new volunteer Gardening Coordinator for Dhammaloka. Thank you Paul!
Current Opportunities to Volunteer:
Dhammaloka BUDDHIST CENTRE
Nollamara
Regular Activities
MONDAYS at Dhammaloka
  MONDAY is OPEN DAY at Dhammaloka
The library is open every Monday from
10:00am to 2:00pm
for memberships, sale of books and other items.
Volunteers will be available.

 
MONTHLY: A Dhamma Discussion with Q&A for new Buddhists led by Geetha will be held on 5th December from 1:00 to 2:00pm in the Main Hall. Any questions, please email: (lucky@bswa.org).

WEEKLY: Guided Meditation session with Jacob
every Monday from 2:00 to 3:00pm in the Community Hall. All are welcome to participate, no booking required.
THURSDAY at Dhammaloka (monthly)
Eight Precept Day at Dhammaloka
A Day of Silent Self Retreat 
All are welcome.
There will be an 8-Precept Day held in Dhammaloka on the Thursday following the full moon day. This is a day for those who wish to practice noble silence and to observe the Eight Precepts.
DATE: Thursday, 8th December
TIME: 9:00am to 3:00pm.
No registration is needed. Please bring your own lunch. Any questions: please email Lucky at: lucky@bswa.org
MORE INFO
FRIDAY NIGHTS at DHAMMALOKA
Guided Meditation and Dhamma Talks
Live and online, via YouTube live streaming:
7:30 - 8.00pm Guided Meditaton
8.00 - 9.00pm Dhamma Talk

Friday night talks led by monastics
2nd  December Speaker – Ajahn Brahm
9th   December Speaker – Ajahn Brahm
16th December Speaker – Ajahn Brahm
      23th December Speaker – Ajahn Hasapanna
30th December Speaker – Ajahn Brahm
You can find all the past YouTube playlists here.
SATURDAYS at Dhammaloka
On Saturday and Sunday each weekend we have Dana (Food Offering to the Sangha) from 10:30am in the Community Hall at Dhammaloka. All are welcome.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
On-going Meditation Class
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Live and online, via YouTube live streaming
The on-going meditation class is held every Saturday at Dhammaloka and guided by a monastic.
This guided meditation session is for those who have some experience in meditation. 
Below are the links to last month classes
  5th Nov 2022 Ajahn Brahm
12th Nov 2022 Ajahn Brahmali
19th Nov 2022 Ajahn Brahmali
26th Nov 2022 Ajahn Brahmali
Introduction to Meditation
3:00pm - 4:15pm
Four Week Course for Beginners
If you are new to meditation, you are welcome to attend our beginners classes. You'll learn the basics of meditation, guided by an experienced lay practitioner. The course is free of charge and can be repeated.
Session One:     3rd Dec 
Session Two:    10th Dec
Session Three: 17th Dec
Session Four:   24th Dec
Early Buddhism Workshop Series
RIGHT SAMADHI
by Ajahn Brahmali and Venerable Sunyo 

SESSION ONE: Sammāsamādhi (Right Stillness) Workshop - Part 1 and Part 2
was held on 26th November, see, YouTube.

Coming Up - SESSION TWO: Saturday, 3rd December.
and SESSION THREE: Saturday, 10th December.
Be Quiet Perth
YOUNG  COMPASSIONATE  HUMANS
We will be meeting at 5pm at Dhammaloka, on
Saturday, 17th December 2022
More info on Eventbrite. See our BQ Facebook page.
  • The Be Quiet Hike through Rolyestone on Sunday 20th November, was a morning hike followed by Dana at Kusala Hermitage.
  • A small group of Be Quiet members volunteered to do some weeding at Dhammasara on Sunday 30th October.
Our final meeting for this year will be on
Saturday, 10th Dec at 5pm.
KFC meeting will be a Monastic-led Meditation & Dhamma talk, where all ages are welcome.
There will be a chance to stay and chat afterwards at Dhammaloka.
Held in the meditation hall.
More info on
Eventbrite
S
tay updated with our events by joining us on Facebook:
Kalyana Friendship Community
Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu – Thank you Volunteers! 
BSWA invites all past and present volunteers to a special thank you celebration on 10th  December, from 5:00pm onwards (at Dhammaloka) to celebrate another wonderful year of spiritual friendship! 
We will enjoy a meditation and blessing with Ajahn Brahm, followed by a musical evening with good friends.
Feel free to bring your own instruments, a song from your home country to teach us, and you're always welcome to bring a plate of savory finger food and sweets to add to the spread.
SUNDAYS at Dhammaloka
Children’s Dhamma School
Classes are held every Sunday during school terms, at Dhammaloka.

Sunday 4th December
Sunday 11th Dec(Last class for Term 2)


 9:00 to 10:00am (ages 8-17 years)
10:15 to11:00am (ages 3-7 years)
(Term Two: 2nd Oct –11 Dec 2022.)

 
Please contact dhammaschool@bswa.org for details and enrolment.
SUTTA CLASSES
2nd & 4th SUNDAYS at DHAMMALOKA
3:00 to 4:30pm


11th December No class due to Ajahn Brahmali workshop
25th December - Ajahn Hasapanna (Sutta TBC)

Suttas in English translation are available for free on SuttaCentral
Or, they can be purchased in hardcover volumes from the BSWA Library.
Classes are live streamed via our YouTube channel.

Latest sutta class:
DN1 Brahmajala Sutta – The Prime Net (part 8) Ajahn Brahmali 13th Nov 22
DHAMMALOKA Library Opening Hours
MONDAY: 10:00am to 2:00pm, for sales and membership renewals only.
FRIDAY:  6:00pm to 7:30pm and 9:00pm to 9:30pm.
SATURDAY:  2:00pm to 3:00pm and 4:15pm to 5:00pm.
SUNDAY:  9:00am to 11:30am when Dhamma for Children classes are held during the school term.
 
Bodhinyana MONASTERY
Serpentine
Don't miss this wonderful talk by Venerable Mettaji on Metta.

Honorary Doctorate for Ajahn Brahmali

We are pleased to announce that Ajahn Brahmali has been bestowed an Honorary Doctorate degree by the Mahachulalongkorn University in Thailand.
He will be there to receive this accolade in December 2022.
November 2022:
Photos of  Ajahn Brahm in Albany, with Ven. Mudu and Ven. Ananda doing the  blessing ceremony for Joop Thai Restaurant.
15 November 2022:
Bhante Sujato with Ven. Analaya and Ven. Pasanna (from Dhammasara & Santi Forest Monasterys) on Pindapath in Sydney, NSW.
 
Dhammasara MONASTERY
Gidgegannup
NEWS:

Fire Season Busy Bee - Thank you
This is just a little note to say a BIG thank you to those who helped on Sunday, 13th Nov 2022. We’re always so touched and grateful that so many of you would choose to spend a (beautiful and sunny) day raking leaves with us in the forest. There are plenty of other things you could have done, but instead you chose to spend your time in this way. It always gives us much joy and energy to meet all of you. The City of Swan Fire Inspector came by to check on our firebreaks and we got a "Thumbs up"!

Bushfire Management Plan
As part of our Annual Bushfire Management Plan, we have started cleaning our roof gutters and raking up dry fuel surrounding the complex and living areas. We are grateful to our lay guests and volunteers helping us with these ongoing activities. If you wish to volunteer your time for this, please leave us a voicemail at: 08) 9574 6583. 

Fence repairs
One of our fence lines bordering with our neighbour was damaged and required  replacing. Repair work is underway, any donation to support this is appreciated. 

Repairs on water and termite damage in Kuti
During the last rainy season, water got in between the walls of one of our Kutis and damaged the walls. At the same time, termites infested the interior skirting board.
Repair work is being done to prevent further water damage and for the skirting board to be replaced. Any donation to support this project is appreciated. 
Jhana Grove Retreat Centre
Serpentine

Retreats at Jhana Grove in 2022
(BOOKING DATES in November for retreats later in the year)
Starting in 2023, Ajahn Brahm will only be teaching two, 9-Day Retreats in Jhana Grove a year. There will be an April retreat and an October/November retreat. 
 
16 - 18 December 2022: BSWA Weekend Retreat by Ajahn Hasapanna.    

New dates for 2023 Retreat has been announced on the website:
https://bswa.org/retreat-dates-2022-2023/
Note: Please be advised that from 2023 – BSWA Retreats and waitlists will only be open to BSWA members.
For more information. Please see the full list on our BOOKING PAGE at: http://jhanagrove.akmin.com/ 
 

These photos were taken during Ayya Seri's first weekend retreat in November.
(Above) There was a 1-hour guided group walk to the Jhana Grove lookout.
(Below) Our new team of volunteers, who are running the retreats.
ARMADALE Meditation Group
Tuesday Nights Online
Kayelene’s Meditation Story
 
“Come to meditation” said my friend Jan, “No, I don’t think I need meditation” I said to her.  Well, how wrong I was!  As it turned out I did need to meditate.  I didn’t realize that I was so highly strung; I was close to breaking point. The previous year my Dad had passed away after a short illness.  Dad had an aggressive form of cancer which took his life in just 6 weeks.  During Dad’s illness every time the telephone rang it was bad news and I started to have anxiety attacks when the telephone rang.  

On my first night, Rachel with her beaming smile said to me “You’ve picked a great night to start" and said that I need to give it at least four weeks. That night Ajahn Brahm was our guest speaker and as I listened to him talk it made so much sense to me.  It didn’t take four weeks as I was hooked and have been attending meditation sessions with the Armadale group for over 10 years now.  I enjoyed going to the hospital where our meditation sessions were held pre-Covid.  It was my time.  My phone was switched off and no one could contact me  It was my hour and a half of peace.  As time went on I started helping out by setting up the room and putting away everything in the evening and became part of the group. I made many friends and very much enjoyed Tuesday evenings and our occasional chocolate cake social afterwards.  

Everything at the hospital came crashing to a halt in March 2020 when everywhere was closed due to Covid restrictions.  I’m grateful for the opportunity to still be able to meditate via Zoom every week. Thank you to Marlene for arranging this every week.  I have enjoyed meeting and being able to meditate with people from all over the globe and to connect with friends I made at the Armadale Meditation Group.  Chris from Osaka has become our MC and welcomes each and every one of us and asks how we are.  We have meditators from the USA, UK, Germany, Hong Kong, Spain, France and many more countries.  My sincerest wish is if we get back to being able to meditate at the hospital or somewhere new again, is that we can incorporate our new overseas friends into our Tuesday night meditation sessions.
For more details on AMG, see: Armadale Meditation Group
Christmas Gift Card Appeal
for Women's Refuge 2022

Many generous people have already donated (46 so far) and we still have a few more weeks.  If you would like to donate then please make sure that they arrive at Dhammaloka before the extended deadline of Friday, 16th December.
KUSALA HERMITAGE
Roleystone
Kusala Hermitage will be running Half Day Retreats every 4-5 weeks at their Hermitage in Roleystone.
KUSALA HERMITAGE NEWS IN BRIEF:
  • Many thanks to the Thai group that visited on 5th November for the Saturday’s Weeding Blitz. Click HERE to see photos.
  • Weekly Meditation at Roleystone Family Centre with Ajahn Santutthi HERE
  • See the progress of gardening and re-vegetation at Kusala Hermitage HERE
  • The Sangha at Kusala have hit a major milestone with the granny flat, see HERE
Bodhinyana GREAT SOUTHERN
Albany
To see more photos and read more on Ajahn Brahm's visit - (see pages 2 & 9) and the article written by Ven. Mudu, published in Walpole Weekly Newspaper.

Friday Free Meditation & Talk by Venerable Mudu

All are welcome!
Come and give meditation a go!

 

Venue – Manley Hall, 331 Ulster Road, Collingwood Heights,
Albany

Every Friday 7- 8.00pm
(doors open 6.30pm)


For further information,
please contact
admin@bswa.org.

Sunday Meditation Class with Venerable Mudu
About this event
Venerable Mudu, a Buddhist Monk and teacher from Bodhinyana Great Southern Monastery, will be teaching a meditation class each Sunday from 4:00pm to 6:00pm in the Garden Room at the Denmark CRC. Denmark Community Resource Centre
Please bring your meditation cushion and join Venerable Mudu -- no experience or booking is necessary!

Connect with our BSWA Great Southern via Facebook
Learn more about Bodhinyana Great Southern
Donation to support Bodhinyana Great Southern
Busselton Augusta Margaret River Buddhist Initiative
(BAMBI)   MARGARET RIVER
BAMBI's schedule for December 2022

Venerable Kassapa will be visiting for all of December 2022

Venerable Kassapa will be resident with BAMBI all through December and will be leaving on the 1st January. He will be resident near Nannup until Sunday, 11th December. After that, he will be resident near Witchcliffe until his departure. The program for his talks are listed below. If you would like to offer food to Venerable Kassapa you can bring along a dish to any of the Sunday sessions and offer him the food after the Teaching session. Or you can email sol@bswa.org to ask about opportunities to offer food on other days of the week in Witchcliffe.
  • MARGARET RIVER
    • Sunday 4th December @ the Chapel of the Margaret River Community Centre with Venerable Kassapa for guided meditation and Dhamma talk
  • NANNUP
    • Sunday 4th December - cancelled.
    • Sunday 11th December @ Nannup Recreation & Community Centre with Venerable Kassapa for guided meditation and Dhamma talk
    • Sunday 18th December @ Nannup Recreation & Community Centre with Simon Taylor for guided meditation and a recorded Dhamma talk
    • Sunday 25th December - cancelled (because it's Xmas!)
  • BUSSELTON
    • Sunday 18th November @ Busselton Senior Citizens Centre with Venerable Kassapa for guided meditation and Dhamma talk.
Note that all Sunday sessions usually involve:
  • a half hour talk on Buddhist practices like meditation, loving-kindness, virtue, etc.
  • a half hour guided meditation
  • a half hour discussion session
If you have any inquiries please email sol@bswa.org.
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BUDDHIST EDUCATION RESOURCES:
There are a number of workshop presentations and classes available on our Youtube channel for people to learn more about the Teachings of the Buddha. For a subject list of some recent courses and ongoing classes by senior monastics and lay practitioners, click HERE.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
DONATE
BECOME A PATRON IN PATREON
VOLUNTEER
BECOME A MEMBER
Anumodana ~ Thank you for your wonderful support.
BSWA is a non-profit organisation run by dedicated volunteers to faithfully share the teachings of the Buddha, free of charge. It aims to promote Buddhist values and Meditation for the realisation of Dhamma. Your kind donations go towards keeping it running and supports the aim of reaching as many people as possible.
May all beings be happy and well. May all beings be free.
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