May 4, 2025

Warm greetings Venerables and Dhamma Friends -

We have just passed the South & Southeast Asian AstroSolar New Year now coming to be known as the “Theravada New Year,” and so we have nearly come to the end of the long “season of New Years” - first the western/Roman New Year on January 1st, then the East Asian/Chinese lunar new year on January 29th, then the Indic Lunar New year (on which our Vinaya is based), and then the South and Southeast Asian Astro-Solar New Year on April 15th. But for some Buddhists, from ancient times, it is Vesak–upcoming!--which marks the end of the old year, with the Buddha's Parinibbana, and the beginning of the new with the Buddha’s Birthday.

Here at Dhammadharini, recently emerged from our long Winter Retreat time, this feels like the beginning of a New Year for us.

(All of this to explain why this New Year’s email isn't late, but right on time!)

As such, it feels like a suitable time to share the fruits and blessings of the past - remembering all that happened with Dhammadharini in 2024, that we bring forward into this now: tilling these blessings into the spring soil, as we turn towards turning the Dhamma wheel forward with this coming Vassa.

Anumodana & Gratitude

Looking back over the past year, what arises with strength and immediacy is gratitude.

So many things come together to form a monastic community:

The practice and presence of the monastics themselves, bringing their years or decades of full-time dedication to this path.

The support foundation Board of Directors and committed volunteers - those who offer their service to manage all of the practicalities.

The essential daily service of the guests who come to stay with us, helping with the cooking, driving, cleaning, and maintenance, bringing their energy and aspirations into the practice together.

The many people who come and offer something: A meal, a bag of groceries or supplies, time volunteering in the yard, the gift of their practice.

All those who participate in our Dhamma programs, bringing their own practice and insight and sharing it with us, and with one another.

Those who offer financial support from near and far, so essential to the support and stability of the community.

There are so many different factors, and so many people involved, all with their individual talents and contributions: The one common denominator is that everyone is giving their energy, attention, and dedication to this path and this practice.

We are so incredibly fortunate to live at the center of those incredibly wholesome intentions.

And so - Anumodana! - to everyone who contributes in so many ways. May we all experience the blessings and benefits of these wholesome intentions, and may they ripen into our insight and growth on the path.

What happened with the Dhammadharini community in the last year?

We welcome you to join us in rejoicing while reading this “Year in Review”

….covering our Dhamma activities, ordinations, community news, and more!

And more gratitude!

Our community especially wishes to express our incredible gratitude for the inspiration and guidance of Ayya Tathaloka, who remains the guiding heart of the community. Though her health has continued to be a challenge this year, and you haven’t seen her much in our public events, she has been incredibly generous with her limited energy: offering her wisdom, deep monastic experience and knowledge, scholarly research, and inspiration to those in the community, and she has kept us in touch with the worldwide Sangha through her many international connections. We were so fortunate that she offered extensive Vinaya teachings this past Vassa to the monastics in residence at Aranya Bodhi hermitage - passing her knowledge on to the next generations.

We are so grateful for all of the friends who supported Ayya Tathaloka’s medical treatments this year down in the Bay - both with financial support for appointments, as well as the many friends who visited to offer meal dana in Fremont. These treatments, while she kept them up, were helpful and truly supportive of her well-being.

Winter Retreat Teachings

It now seems like a long time ago, but we started off in 2024 with a wonderful series of teachings from Ayya Sobhana, Ayya Suvijjana, and Ayya Brahmavara, on the theme “Practicing for Stream Entry.” The YouTube playlist is available here, and Ayya Sobhana made a valuable resource document, with a wealth of information.

For the 2025 winter retreat, our community’s practice theme was Compassion & Emptiness, inspired by the teachings of Bhikkhu Analayo. Ayya Sobhanā offered insights on this theme, exploring the profound qualities that help us navigate the challenges of samsara skillfully (YouTube playlist of 2025 Winter Retreat Teachings).

Community Members & Guests

Ayya Sobhana has been invited to lead up at Empty Cloud Monastery in New Jersey this coming vassa, while Empty Cloud co-founders Ayya Soma and Bhante Suddhaso are away developing the new Lena Bhavana ancient caves forest monastery in Italy. After that, she had been offered some fully supported extended personal retreat time.

At the very beginning of 2024, we welcomed back Anagarika Mittakhanti, who returned for a one-year commitment as an anagarika, after she had previously been a temporary anagarika with us for the 2023 Vassa. At the completion of her year commitment, she relinquished the anagarika form again - remaining interested in monastic life - we wholeheartedly support her further aspirations.

We were also so fortunate to have three wonderful Bhikkhuni guests with us in the spring and for Vassa:

Ven. Bhikkhuni Dhammavihari from Canada, who had visited us previously when she was known as Sikkhamana Adhicittasikkhaya, joined us for the spring, before departing to keep her commitment to training with her Bhikkhuni preceptor in Sri Lanka for the Vassa. We are very happy that she plans to return and spend more time with Dhammadharini in the future.

Ven. Bhikkhuni Dhammanusari also from Canada, who received higher ordination here with Dhammadharini in 2022, returned to spend her third Vassa with us - her second Vassa as a Bhikkhuni. As always, we are so delighted to have her here, and we look forward to her also returning to us soon for our 2025 Vesak, and again later for the 2025 Vassa’s Bhikkhuni Vinaya Studies together.

Left to right: Ven Dhammavihari, Ven Dhammanusari, and Ven Dhammavara (yes, we also had trouble keeping their names straight!--but Dhamma is always good!)

Also for Vassa in 2024, we had the wonderful opportunity to realize a long-hoped-for plan: We welcomed Ven. Bhikkhuni Vandana, a very bright young Bhikkhuni from India, to spend the Vassa with us for training and experience in living with a Bhikkhuni community.

We found her time with us to be so mutually beneficial, and we are very happy that she also requested to return for further Bhikkhuni Vinaya Studies in theory and practice for the 2025 Vassa. Inspired by Ajahn Kovilo, Ven.Vandana is considering pursuing her higher education studies at the Dharma Realm Buddhist University here in Northern California. She recently spoke on a program of UTBSI, and spoke very movingly about the benefits of her time with Dhammadharini this year - in fact, her testifying to her experience here has inspired another Bhikkhuni to join us for the 2025 Vassa together: Ven. Bhikkhuni Ariyasanghamitta, who was a part of her same higher ordination group together in Bodhgaya.

Ven Vandana, having her meal by the creek at Aranya Bodhi

We also had two women explore monastic life with us as temporary anagarikas (with 8 precepts in the white robes with a shaven head), and four guests as nekkhammas (with 8 precepts in white clothes with hair), in addition to the many other wonderful guests who stayed with us, practicing and serving the community, for short or long stays. These guests are truly essential to keep the community functioning smoothly, and to allow the monastics to keep the vinaya, and we are incredibly fortunate that such wonderful people come and spend time with us. If you’re interested to join and serve the community during the 2025 Vassa, you can find information here.

Ordinations

On June 2nd, the community held a very small and simple Upasampada for Ven Bhikkhuni Thavira, welcoming her to the Bhikkhuni Sangha, with Ayya Tathaloka serving as preceptor. It was a beautiful ceremony with the “Ubhato Sangha”--the dual Bhikkhu-Bhikkhuni Sangha–at the creek, among the redwoods and ferns at Aranya Bodhi Hermitage.

Ven Thavira and the community have so much gratitude for the monastics who joined the ordaining Sangha, the support of all of the guests and friends who prepared the site and offered all of the practical support on that day, those who sent blessings and support from afar, and of course all of the support that makes it possible for our community to live in this way and offer training for those aspiring to live as Bhikkhunis.

Just a few days before this, at the very end of May, Dhammadharini welcomed Ayya Mārajinā back to the robes, the Bhikkhu-Bhikkhuni Sangha formally re-affirming her Upasampadā here in California, after a health crisis. We have been so happy to welcome her as our senior Dhamma sister back into full participation in the Bhikkhuni Sangha.

We also want to especially acknowledge the higher ordination of Ven. Bhikkhunī Satimā, who received Upasampada with the dual Bhikkhu-Bhikkhuni Sangha with Ayyā Sudarshana Mahātherī as preceptor at Empty Cloud Monastery in New Jersey USA, in October of 2024, with the support of mentors Ayyā Sobhanā and Ven. Bhikkhunĩ Kaccāyana from Dhammadharini. Ven. Bhikkhunī Satimā was able to stop by Dhammadharini and visit briefly just as we were completing our winter retreat, after she finished her fully-supported two months of retreat at Spirit Rock, before heading back to the East coast.

Later in the year, in November, the Dhammadharini community had the joy of welcoming a long-time student of Ayya Tathālokā’s, co-founder of the Cambodia Bhikkhuni Sangha Initiative, and long-time friend and supporter of our Dhammadharini community, Dr. Marlai Ouch, into the monastic community as a Samaneri, receiving the name Sāmanerī Ariyā Dhammajīvī, "Living the Dhamma Life in the Way of the Noble Ones.”

She received sāmanerī pabbajja (novice ordination) with her senior bhikkhu mentor and preceptor, Venerable Bhikkhu (Bhante) Chandara Ñāṇadīpako Mahā Thero, of Wat Meangkolvorn in Santa Rosa, California. After formally undertaking the training with her senior bhikkhu mentor, later that same day, she also undertook nissāya with Tathālokā Therī at Dhammadharini as her bhikkhuni mentor.

We have been so pleased to welcome this long-time friend to the robes, and to the community, with her incredible energy, enthusiasm, and sincerity for this training and the Bhikkhuni Sangha.

Gratitude for all who support

And of course, we are constantly grateful for everyone who provides all of the practical and financial offerings that make this way of life possible. There are those who have doubt that there is adequate support for women to live this way as Bhikkhunis, faithfully keeping the vinaya, and our amazing supporters prove that it is possible after all.

We are so grateful especially for the support of our long-time friend and Dana coordinator Lal Senanayake - with his dedication and organizing skill, we had donors offer groceries for the community nearly every single week in 2024.

And we wish to especially express our deep gratitude for the generosity of the Lenz Foundation, who awarded a grant to Dhammadharini for Women in Buddhist Leadership in America.

As 2024 was a year of low donations for Dhammadharini, this $17.5k grant from the Lenz Foundation, together with grants from the Alliance for Bhikkhunis, made all the difference in terms of our being able to continue to offer bhikkhuni ordination and Bhikkhuni Vinaya Studies in theory and practice amidst a full bhikkhuni sangha, at our Aranya Bodhi forest hermitage--this past Vassa.

And of course none of this would be possible without our Board of Directors and volunteers - more about them below!

News of both Dhammadharini Locations

How are things at the hermitage?

The Aranya Bodhi Hermitage is such a rare and wonderful gem: A secluded place of practice, surrounded by nature.

Dinesha & friends visiting Aranya Bodhi last year, where they have been faithful regular supporters despite the long drive! Dinesha, Buddhinie, & Shamal will be leading up sponsoring the Vassa and Kathina this year

At the beginning of 2024, we were able to offer times of secluded retreat at the hermitage for several monastics. The hermitage then offered a truly beautiful setting for the Upasampada held there in June. And then for Vassa, we had a full hermitage of monastics, with six Bhikkhunis practicing there for the three months of the Rains retreat.

The Bhikkhuni community at the hermitage for the 2024 Vassa

Some aspects of the hermitage facilities do continue to be a challenge - though Venerable Kaccayana is getting quite skilled at repairing the generator! Looking forward to 2025, we hope to begin work on some upgrades to the facilities there. That began in 2024, with fundraising for the Elder’s Office Studio Kuti, and in 2025 we hope to move forward with that project, along with a long-planned upgrade to the dana offering area near the kitchen, and an upgraded privy.

Squirrel Kuti at Aranya Bodhi, in the morning sunshine

One essential tool for our life at the hermitage is a well-functioning truck - which has been a challenge in recent years, as our long-serving pickup truck was developing increasing problems. This year a heroic fundraising effort led by our friend Kai was successful, and at Kathina a new truck was welcomed to the community.

The truck about to depart the hermitage on its first errand

We also, in 2024, completed long-needed maintenance on our long private road.

How are things at Dhammadharini Monastery?

We have made extra efforts in recent months to make the monastery grounds a welcoming space.

The monastery garden is looking especially nice and well cared-for. With the efforts and expertise of our wonderful guest Leo, and our Director of Facilities Todd, and the generous donor who offered the kits, two new gazebos have been put up and now provide a gracious outdoor dana offering space. Coming soon, we hope to construct a patio under the gazebos using some recently-donated flagstones, and the sand which was offered and used to build sand stupas at our Theravada New Year celebration. (The Development Committee welcomes contributions towards this, and other, small Facilities projects at the Monastery).

We continue to truly appreciate the Dana Sala Pavillion - it’s now hard to imagine the monastery without it! It’s the perfect space for gatherings and programs, now that the weather is warming for spring.

Of course, the process of maintaining the property against the tide of anicca is never-ending - and the facilities committee has a number of small projects in mind. But over the winter we very much enjoyed the improvements that have been made to the building - the HVAC system is working well and keeping everyone warm and comfortable, with so much gratitude for all of the donors! And we think we finally successfully repaired a long-standing roof leak.

With our emergence from retreat into the spring, we look forward to welcoming more visitors to the monastery. Our hope is, at long last, to be able to welcome friends to join us for small programs in the meditation hall once again, starting after Vesak. We’ll be sharing more about that soon.

Remembering our special events

Vesak and Kathina

We had wonderful community gatherings for Vesak and Kathina - Vesak with a beautiful altar full of spring flowers:

Ven. Bhikkhunī Dhammanusari with the 2024 Vesak altar full of flowers

And in October, a beautiful gathering with friends, a community sewing effort, and Ayya Sobhana receiving the Kathina robe. Recently-retired long-time Dhammadharini Support Foundation president Susie Kliks was the donor of the 2024 Kathina robe.

The community gathered for the Kathina celebration

Ayya Sobhana Theri as recipient of the Kathina robe

HerStory/OurStory Initiative: Remembering the ancient Bhikkhunis

It is part of the founding mission of Dhammadharini to share what we know of ancient Bhikkhuni history–remembering that, though the modern Theravada Bhikkhuni Sangha was re-founded less than 50 years ago, we have a deep connection with the ancient women practicing in this same way. That for centuries–millennia–women have been dedicating their lives to the Dhamma, practicing deeply, and waking up.

Every year, we seek to expand our knowledge, uncover new bits (or whole treasure troves!) of inspiring history (herstory) not well known, reflect on how this can inform our own practice, and share it with others.

At the time of Dhammadharini’s founding, there was a commitment that the Dhammadharini Bhikkhuni community would honor not only the traditionally-celebrated annual holidays of Vesak and Kathina, but also three additional days of special significance to the Bhikkhuni Sangha. This past year, we had wonderful and rich events for all three of these anniversaries:

• The week after the full moon of the month of Magha (usually February), honoring the lunar anniversary of the parinibbana of Mahapajapati Gotami Theri and the Courageous 500. (2024 YouTube playlist, 2025 program)

• On the full moon of September, honoring the lunar anniversary of the founding of the Bhikkhuni Sangha, with International Bhikkhuni Day (YouTube playlist)

• And finally, on the full moon of December, remembering Arahant Sanghamitta Theri on Sanghamitta Day (YouTube playlist)

Every year, as we revisit these stories, we also reflect carefully on how we remember and speak about them, and how to really understand their full power.

Something had caught the attention of Ayya Tathaloka in 2024: She noticed that in telling the story of the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka, people often spoke of Arahant Mahinda Thero, and his sister “Bhikkhuni Sanghamitta” and “Sanghamitta Theri.”

However Sanghamitta Theri was also an arahant herself - but many people did not realize or remember this, because she is not spoken of this way. This year, we at Dhammadharini made a very focused effort to correct this in our own speech and publications, and we saw a clear shift in the use of this language globally.

These may seem like small things, but language is powerful, and we celebrate being able to make these contributions to the worldwide conversation.

Honoring Arahant Anulā Tissa Therī for the first time

In reflecting on the story of Arahant Sanghamitta Theri, there is another great Bhikkhuni associated with that story, who was often not being remembered in her own right.

And so, this year we gave special focus to her: We had a dedicated program to remember and honor Anulā Tissa Therī, whose initial awakening (stream entry and then stream winning), and then request for ordination, were the reason prompting the journey of Arahant Sanghamitta Theri to Sri Lanka.

Additionally, there is the rare situation that there are practically unparalleled Bhikkhuni Sangha antiquities still existent, in the form of Anula Tissa Theri’s recently-excavated cetiya stupa and relics in Sri Lanka. This year we focused on her story independently for the first time, with a program on New Year’s Eve (YouTube Playlist).

Launching awareness of the Parinibbāna of Bimbā Yasodharā Therī

In 2024, there was another day that we commemorated for the first time: The Parinibbāna of Bimbā Yasodharā Therī, also known as Bhaddā Kaccānā Therī, and as Rāhulamātā - the wife of the Bodhisatta. Ayya Tathaloka’s research uncovered a record of the date of this lunar anniversary, not yet known to or recognized in English-language scholarship. And so we held a dedicated program to honor this for the first time in 2024, in March (YouTube video), and honored her again in March of 2025 (YouTube video).

Launching the Bhikkhuni Sangha Calendar

But, you may ask - how do I remember these commemoration days from year to year?

In 2024 we also launched something to help with that! A calendar of Bhikkhuni Sangha commemoration days, in a visual form showing the relationship between the lunar and solar calendars. The calendar is based on years of research by Ayya Tathaloka, with calendar design and artwork by Ven Thavira. We plan to continue updating this calendar and providing additional information in future years. The current calendar just came to a close with the Astro-Solar New Year in April, and the new calendar will be coming soon.

High resolution images, and the associated information, are available on our website.

Modernizing & expanding our communications

In 2024 we began an exciting project: To take Ayya Tathaloka’s many wonderful postings on her Facebook page–which we know only reach a limited audience on that platform–and share them through a new blog on our website. We have been somewhat slow at getting this launched, but we are making posts occasionally (both recent posts, and older archive posts), and you’re welcome to subscribe to Ayya T’s blog to receive notification for new postings. You can also continue to follow Ayya Tathaloka on Facebook.

Ayya Sobhana has moved over to Bluesky, and welcomes you to follow her there: @sobhana.bsky.social

Also, as you have likely noticed, we have (finally!) taken some major steps to modernize our communications. We have implemented a new tool to help us with email and contacts management - please forgive us as we work out kinks and try to merge a number of different mailing lists! (This has not been going very smoothly!). If you would like to subscribe to our mailing list with a different email address, you may do that here.

We have also launched our Instagram account with more regular postings.

Starting in 2025, our wonderful and enthusiastic new Director of Development, Nuchada, has revived a regular newsletter, to keep everyone up to date on community activities, plans, and teachings.

Appreciating our dedicated and hard-working Board of Directors

None of these things would be possible without the dedicated support of the Dhammadharini Board of Directors - who care for the finances of the community, help to manage and care for the property, and countless practical details necessary for the community to function.

This year we had a number of transitions in our Board of Directors:

In April of 2024, as we commemorated Songkran/Avurudu (South and SE Asian Astro-Solar New Year), we celebrated the transition from Susie Kliks - who served as the Board president for 10 years - to our long-time friend Supatra who has taken on the role of president. We so value Supatra’s dedication, and her skill as a recruiter - if you are interested in helping Dhammadharini as a Board member or Volunteer, she invites you to be in touch! She has done a wonderful job at finding talented friends to join in the organization. (Hear more from Supatra here).

Susie “passing the baton” to Supatra

We are also very happy that Supatra’s husband Glenn has taken on the role of Board Secretary, and is doing a wonderful job of putting documentation in better order.

Our friend Paula has been serving as our Director of Development - doing a fantastic job of helping the Support Foundation to modernize its technology, and making truly heroic efforts to navigate the labyrinths of Paypal and Facebook fundraising. In the autumn, Paula stepped down, and Nuchada has taken over as Director of Development–bringing a lot of energy and good ideas to the role.

Nuchada, on a recent visit to pay respects to the Buddha's tooth relic in Thailand

Rounding out the board we have Bob, as Vice President and Director of Organizational Development (hear more from Bob), Todd as Director of Facilities, and Dom as Treasurer.

Looking forward

And now, as we emerge from winter retreat into the springtime, we also have many wonderful and inspiring things in mind for the coming year- we look forward to telling you about them!

With much metta,

And so many blessings that you and your dear ones will be well, and growing in the Dhamma,

Thavira Bhikkhuni (your ‘Sangha journalist’ in 2024 and now moving into 2025),

On behalf of the entire Dhammadharini Community

Ayya Tathaloka, Ayya Sobhana, Bhikkhuni Kaccayana, Bhikkhuni Dhammanusari, Bhikkhuni Dhammavara, Bhikkhuni Thavira, Samaneri Ariyadhammajivi

With appreciation for the other monastics who spent time with us in 2024: Ayya Adhimutti, Ayya Suvijjana, Ayya Marajina, Ayya Niyyanika, Bhikkhuni Saddha, Bhikkhuni Vandana, Bhikkhuni Dhammavihari, Bhikkhuni Satima, Mittakhanti