Luang Por Viradhammo

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Luang Por Viradhammo is a Canadian monk in the Thai forest tradition of Theravada Buddhism. He was ordained as a monk in 1974 by Ajahn Chah at Wat Nong Pah Pong monastery and became one of the first residents at Wat Pah Nanachat, the international monastery in north-east Thailand. Ven. Luang Por Viradhammo is the most senior Thai Forest monk in Canada and currently the Abbot of Tisarana Buddhist Monastery in Perth, Ontario.


Ven. Ajahn Keng

Chao Khun Keng Khemako is a Singaporean monk of the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Mun Buridatto. He is commonly known as “Ajahn Keng”. He was ordained in 1987 under the recommendation of Ajahn Geoffrey (Thanissaro Bhikkhu). One of his main teachers was Luang Pu Jiak Cundo, the first generation disciples of Ajahn Mun disciples. He received the title of Chao Khun in 2012. Currently, Ajahn Keng is the Abbot of Santi Forest Monastery (JB) and the Abbot of a hill-tribes forest monastery in Om Koi, Chiangmai , President of Palelai Buddhist Temple (Singapore).

Ven. Ajahn Ṭhānissaro

Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff) is an American Buddhist monk of the Kammatthana (Thai Forest) Tradition. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1971 with a degree in European Intellectual History, he travelled to Thailand, where he studied meditation under Ajaan Fuang Jotiko, himself a student of the late Ajaan Lee. He was ordained in 1976 and lived at Wat Dhammasathit, where he remained following his teacher’s death in 1986. In 1991 he travelled to the hills of San Diego County, USA, where he helped Ajaan Suwat Suvaco establish Metta Forest Monastery. He was made abbot of the Monastery in 1993.

Ven. Ajahn Vajiro

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Ven. Ajahn Vajiro was born in Malaysia in 1953. He met  Ven. Ajahn Chah and Ven. Ajahn Sumedho at the Hampstead Vihara in 1977. He joined the community in London in 1978. In 1979 he went to Wat Pah Nanchat and received upasampadā  from Ven. Ajahn Chah at Wat Pah Pong in 1980. Ven. Ajahn Vajiro returned to England in 1984, and assisted with the establishment of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery. He lived in the monasteries in the UK for many years and then went to New Zealand followed by Australia. He returned to Amaravati in 2001 and for most of this century has lived there. He has been invited to lead a community in Portugal where it is hoped that a monastery may grow.

Ven. Ajahn Jayanto

Born in Boston in 1967, Ven. Ajahn Jayanto grew up in Newton and attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison, during which time a period of world travel kindled a great interest in the spiritual life. A meditation class at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center led him to live for a while at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, where he made plans to join the monastic community of Luang Por Sumedho as a postulant at  Amaravati Monastery in England in 1989. Taking bhikkhu (monk) ordination at the related Cittaviveka Monastery in 1991, he trained there and at Aruna Ratanagiri Monastery until 1997, at which point he embarked on a period of practice in Thailand and other Asian Buddhist countries.

He returned to the UK in 2006, where he lived at Amaravati until moving to Temple in 2014. Since 2009 Ven. Ajahn Jayanto has helped to lead the efforts to establish a branch monastery in New England, and he now serves as abbot of Temple Forest Monastery.

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Luang Por Sucitto

Born in London in 1949, Luang Por Sucitto entered monastic life in Thailand in 1975. He took bhikku ordination there in 1976 and returned to Britain in 1978 to train under Luang Por Sumedho in the lineage of the Thai Forest master, Luang Por Chah.In 1979, Luang Por Sucitto was part of the group of monks that established Cittaviveka, Chithurst Buddhist Monastery in West Sussex, UK.  Luang Por was abbot of Cittaviveka from 1992 till 2014.  Presently, LP travels on teaching engagements throughout the world.

Why Gotama Resorted to Jhāna for Buddhahood

This is an edited version of a talk given by Āyasmā Aggacitta in Uttama Bodhi Vihara of Bandar Utama Buddhist Society on Sunday 13 August 2023. Here Āyasmā Aggacitta cites passages from the Pāli suttas to highlight several misconceptions about Gotama's search for awakening and the nature of the jhānas and āruppas. As usual, his well-structured arguments are solidly based on the Pāli suttas and practical experience, with significant impact on Dhamma practice.

Āyasmā Rāhula

Āyasmā  Rāhula has lived in Asia for the last 21 years in different periods where he has practised and studied the Dhamma.

Ayasma was ordained in Myanmar with the most Venerable Sayadaw Dr. Nandamālābhivaṃsa. Since 2004 Ayasma has received meditation guidance from Sayadaw U Tejaniya and has studied Suttas and Abhidhamma with Sayadaw Dr Ukkamsacara.

In 2019 Āyasmā completed a course on Buddhist scriptures from Harvard University.

Āyasmā continues his training in Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary in Malaysia under the guidance of Ven. Ariyadhammika.

Āyasmā has offered weekly courses on the anatomy of the mind (applied Abhidhamma) in English and Spanish followed online by students in more than 15 countries.

Āyasmā continues introducing and propagating the Buddha’s teaching in South America, assisting in programs to aid parts of the society in the freedom from drug addiction and alcoholism, and supporting educational campaigns to prevent them.

Below are a few Dhamma talks by Āyasmā given in BUBS.

Ven. Ajahn Kittisobhāņo (Bhante Huat Poh)

Ordained in the Dhammayut Thai Forest Tradition, Bhante Huat Poh has been instrumental in sharing the profound Dhamma to the lay community, in ways that promote deeper understanding of the Buddha’s Teachings and inspire faith to walk the Path that leads to Liberation. Born and bred in Penang, Bhante Huat Poh was first introduced to Theravada Buddhism in his teens, and his interest and practice in the Dhamma has steadfastly progressed as he grew into adulthood. Finding his true calling, he decided to give up his career as an engineer, to go forth. Having spent the past 15 years of his monkhood practicing in remote areas of Thailand, Bhante Huat Poh currently divides his time between Vihara Boon Raksa in Penang, and a monastery in Omkoi, north Thailand. Phra Ajahn is currently spending his time between Omkoi and Malaysia and is proficient in giving Dhamma teachings and meditation in English as well as Hokkien.

Dhamma Talks recorded in Bandar Utama Buddhist Society on YouTube

Dhamma talks are held following each Puja session every Sunday. Speakers are invited each week to share the Dhamma with members and friends of BUBS. We are blessed to have many Forest Sangha members, locally and overseas offering Dhamma teachings.

https://www.youtube.com/@BUBSmy/videos

Amaravati Podcast Latest Dhamma Talks on Spotify

These are the latest Dhamma Talks given mainly in the Amaravati Temple during the Wan Phras (moon/observance days). These talks include those given during the Winter Retreat, Rains / Vassa retreat and the rest of the year. A complete audio library can be found at https://www.amaravati.org

More Videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/AmaravatiBuddhistMonastery

Sutta Workshops by Āyasmā Aggacitta

This channel was initially created to upload edited video footage of the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta Study with Meditation Workshop Tour 2012, held in 7 locations in Malaysia and Singapore, and attended by a total of more than 500 people. The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (MN 10) is one of the most referenced discourses from the Buddhist scriptures, especially by meditators.

The channel has expanded the scope to include edited video clips of other workshops, Dhamma talks and presentation slides used in events conducted by Āyasmā Aggacitta. For a more structured approach to navigating and appreciating the workshop videos, please view https://satipatthanasbs.com.