Dear friends and supporters of Vimokkharam,

 

We are coming to the end of the rains' retreat for 2024. Please accept my anumodanā to all of you who have managed to fulfil vows, take on extra practises or help support the temple over this time!

 

Being a hermitage, we are more or less on retreat all the time, but there will be a few changes and events as we return to a slightly different daily routine. Here are a few upcoming announcements for the next few weeks:

 

1. Those of you wishing to come to the hermitage to celebrate Pavāranā Day, or วันออกพรรษา, will be disappointed on arrival to see that the hermitage will be closed as usual on Thursday October 17th. Please come on Friday October 18th to join in the informal 'end of retreat' celebrations.

 

2. We are coming up to the third Sunday in October, so we will be having our usual garden working bee on Sunday October 20th, from about 11am-1pm. There is something for everybody this time (!), from landscaping work that needs doing, to weeding, to some spring cleaning, etc. As always, please feel free to join for all or part of the time, and to participate in the communal meal offering at 10am.

 

3. Our communal robe offering ceremony will take place this year on Tuesday November 5th, or Melbourne 'Cloth' Day. Visitors can start arriving around 9am, and things should wrap up by about 1pm... Stay tuned for announcements and more details on our website and on Facebook.

 

4. We have the very great pleasure of a visit from Ajaan Thanissaro of Wat Mettā next month. He will be giving a Dhamma talk here on the evening of Tuesday November 19th (starting around 7:30pm), and joining us for the meal on Wednesday November 20th at 10am. He will be visiting different places around Melbourne that week, but this is his first visit to Australia and he is one of those monks who are worthy of visiting in person, so I would encourage you all to make the effort to see him somewhere.

 

The days are getting longer, the sun is rising higher and getting warmer, the rains' retreat is ending, but hopefully our sincerity and efforts remain unchanged. Apart from the above news and events, and the ending of nightly chanting here at the monastery, our routine will largely remain the same: almsround each day (except Thursdays) at 9:45am in the village of Kallista; meal offerings at 10am each day (except Thursdays) at the hermitage; and chanting, meditation and Dhamma discussion each Sunday from 4-6pm.

 

I will begin accepting some invitations once the rains' retreat ends but will give notice when the monastery needs to close to visitors for a day...

 

Very best wishes,

Ajahn Hāsapañño