- Dhammadharini
- Oct 11
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 12
A Season of Reflection and Connection
Warm Greetings Dhamma friend,
The weather is cooling, the rains have started, and with this past full moon, we have come to the end of our 20th Anniversary year Vassa. It has been such a rich time here at Dhammadharini, hosting an extraordinary Sangha of Bhikkhunis, Samaneris and Anagarikas here, our largest and most diverse ever, living and practicing together.
Some things have gone as we planned, and many things did not! It has been full of inspiring times of practice, reflection, community, and devotion. There were some wonderful surprises (learn more below). And throughout, our practice teaches us to bring our hearts to meet what is happening with as much skill, mindfulness, and care as we can - if we are doing this, we know that we are using our time well.
With gratitude and mettā,
Thāvirā Bhikkhunī
Monastic community updates
We have had a wonderful group of Vassa-resident monastics here with us for Vassa, and we are happy that all of them will remain with us through the time of Kathina. We’re also planning to have four visiting Bhikkhunis for Kathina: Ayya Sobhana, Ayya Santacitta, Ayya Marajina, and Venerable Dhammavara - so it will be an especially large gathering of Bhikkhunis for the celebration.
The visitors will then begin to depart gradually over the next month - some of them heading to India for the International Tipitaka chanting & inaugural Footsteps of Mahāprajāpatī Gotamī Pilgrimage.
Ayya Sobhana has been at Empty Cloud Monastery in New Jersey for the Vassa, which has gone very well, and she has accepted their invitation to remain there after the Vassa. We wish her well!
Upcoming events
Kathina
Monastic life trains us to be content to meet the needs of the body with the most simple requisites - food, shelter, clothing, and medicine. The monastic robe, a simple rectangle of cloth, is the most basic garment that can be used to cover the body and provide warmth and protection.
The monastics live in a cooperative relationship with the Upasakas and Upasikas, the lay disciples of the Buddha, who commit to providing these requisites for the monastics, and together all benefit from this collective effort which sustains the teachings of the Buddha in our world.
At Kathina, we celebrate this relationship between the monastic Sangha and the lay community, represented through the offering of the Kathina robe.
Learn more, and find answers to some commonly-asked questions about Kathina, in our full post: What is Kathina?
And join us on October 18th to experience it in person!
Walking in the Footsteps of the Bhikkhunī Arahants: Benefit Honoring the Buddha Mātā - Mother of the Buddha
Join us at Dharma College, Berkeley, on Sunday, November 2nd, from 2–7 PM for a special benefit event in honor of the Inaugural “Walking in the Footsteps of Mahāprajāpatī” Great Renunciation Trail Pilgrimage and the 20th Anniversary of the Dhammadharini Bhikkhunī Sangha.
Event Highlights:
Benefit showing of the 2024–2025 Sri Lankan feature film “Gautami Buddha Māthā” (with English subtitles)
Extremely rare opportunity to view and meditate with the sacred relics of Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī & Arahant Therīs from Sri Lanka, enshrined in the upper-story temple with ‘Sacred Earth’ from five stupas of leading awakened women disciples of the Buddha
Dhamma talk and sacred chanting by the International Bhikkhunī Sangha
Benefit dinner included
Footsteps of Mahāprajāpatī Gotamī: Great Renunciation Trail Pilgrimage
Coming up in December, there will be a very special event: The first pilgrimage to retrace the steps of Mahapajapati Gotami and her 500 companions, as they sought to request Bhikkhuni ordination from the Buddha.
You may learn more in our blog post, and from this post on the website of the Light of Buddha Dharma Foundation website.
We also heard a more detailed explanation of the pilgrimage route from Deepak Anand during his recent presentation on the Dhammadharini International Bhikkhuni Day event; you may watch that recording here.
We hope for a number of Bhikkhunis to be able to join this historical event, to honor the very beginnings of the Bhikkhuni Sangha. Your support for that is very welcome.
How you can support: Make a donation to Dhammadharini Support Foundation, and indicate that the purpose is for "Mahapajapati Footsteps."
Dhammadharini’s 20th Anniversary
This August marked the 20th anniversary since Dhammadharini’s founding, and the community celebrated with a beautiful evening candlelight gathering at the monastery, and two online events.
There was a very special, and unexpected, addition to the gathering: Just a few days before the event, we learned that the relics of Sanghamitta Theri and Anula Tissa Theri were being offered to come to Dhammadharini. You may watch a short video showing the arrival of the sacred relics.
You may also watch the recordings of the online 20th Anniversary gatherings, first session and second session - these were really lovely gatherings with friends from around the world, and a chance to reminisce about Dhammadharini history!
Another very special offering for the anniversary is a new short documentary, capturing a living portrait of our community as it is today, created by our friend and award-winning documentary filmmaker Khun Waan—also known as Warangkana Chomcheun. We’re honored share the short 10-minute version now, with the full-length release to follow later in October.
International Bhikkhuni Day
Around the time of the full-moon of September, we celebrated International Bhikkhuni Day, this year with the theme of “Walking in the Footsteps of the Bhikkhuni Arahants.” You may watch the full recording of the program here. Here are some of the wonderful & informative presentations that were included:
“Foremost Bhikkhuni Arahants: In Pali Tipitaka & Chinese Source” — Ven. Bhikkhuni Sanghamitta from Malaysia |
“Dhammacari Espanol: Moving Towards the First Bhikkhuni Vihara in Cuba—Intro & Developments” — Ayyā Mārajinā from Florida and Cuba
“Indian Pilgrimage Landscape of the Arahant Theri Disciples of the Buddha” — Ven. Bhikkhunī Averā from Madhya Pradesh India
“History of the Bhikkhunis from India to Sri Lanka to China, and India to Suvannabhumi up to the 13th Century”—Samaneri Dr. Ariyadhammajivi from Battambang Cambodia and San Francisco
“Revival of Indian Bhikkhuni Sangha in 1998” — Ven Bhikkhuni Vandana from Gujarat India
“Modern Day Revival of the Cambodian Bhikkhuni Sangha” — Ven. Bhikkhunī Mettājivī from Kampuchea Krom and Massachusetts with Ven. Bhikkhunī Jutindharā from Cambodia and Germany
“Arising of Malaysian Theravāda Bhikkhunī Sangha to 2025” — Ven. Bhikkhunī Sanghamittā from Malaysia
“2025 Landmark Sri Lankan Supreme Court Ruling Recognizing Bhikkhunis” — Don de Silva of Sri Lanka and the UK
“New Bhikkhuni Projects Around the World” — Ven Bhikkhunī Kaccāyana from Connecticut and California
“Introducing the 2025 December Launching of the “Footsteps of Mahāprajāpatī Gotamī: Great Renunciation Trail Pilgrimage” — Deepak Anand from Nava Nalanda India
“With Compassion we Turn the Tide”
Sept 20th Daylong Retreat
Dhammadharini Support Foundation hosted a retreat at the Clubhouse on the Lagoon in Foster City. The morning featured guided meditation and a Dhamma program led by Ayya Marajina and Ven. Kaccayana; in the afternoon, retreatants spent time outdoors and shared personal reflections in small groups. Warm feedback reflected a nurturing, well-received day of practice and community.
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