Clear Mountain Monastery Project

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with Kaira Jewel Lingo, teacher, author, and former nun whose work integrates the traditions of Zen and Vipassana with a focus on social, racial, and environmental justice (http://www.kairajewel.com/).

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:38 Discussion on the dichotomy of softness and directness in teaching

00:02:35 Personal history: Growing up in spiritual and international communities

00:03:05 Key moments leading to Buddhist faith and ordination

00:07:41 The search for spiritual community after leaving childhood home

00:08:22 First encounter with Plum Village and Thich Nhat Hanh

00:09:53 Early inspirations from Catholic nuns in Kenya

00:10:33 Specific resonances of Buddhist teachings compared to Christianity

00:12:37 Transition from yoga and meditation to practical Buddhism

00:13:54 Mindfulness as a common language for international community

00:14:05 Impact of reading Old Path White Clouds and learning about Thich Nhat Hanh

00:16:38 The practice of curiosity and mindfulness in daily activities

00:20:09 Building trust through shared practice in diverse groups

00:22:32 Overview of the Five Mindfulness Trainings and gatha practice

00:24:44 A portrait of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's life and work

00:26:12 The origin and application of Engaged Buddhism

00:28:12 Thich Nhat Hanh's commitment to peace and nonviolence despite exile

00:30:10 Foundations of the Plum Village lineage and core sutras

00:31:44 Interfaith respect and the unification of spiritual traditions

00:33:40 Adapting mindfulness for secular contexts and specific groups

00:36:48 Advice on finding and building community in a modern age

00:40:20 Creating a sangha in families and local groups

00:41:51 Deep dive into the Five Mindfulness Trainings as a North Star

00:45:19 Why Thich Nhat Hanh reframed precepts as Mindfulness Trainings

00:48:29 Navigating ethical dilemmas and nourishing compassion

00:52:49 Addressing race, privilege, and inclusion in Buddhist spaces

00:56:46 Understanding privilege as part of the spiritual path

01:01:18 The path of downward mobility and perspective of monastics

01:01:47 Sharing daily gatas for waking, mirrors, and sweeping

01:03:32 Reflecting on the end of the day and diligence in practice

01:04:11 Closing remarks and future connections

Kaira Jewel Lingo's Biography:

Kaira Jewel Lingo is a senior Dharma teacher in the Plum Village Zen lineage and a Vipassana teacher, and a member of the Plum Village North American Dharma Teachers Council of Elders. Her work continues the Engaged Buddhism developed by Thich Nhat Hanh, drawing inspiration from her parents’ lives of service and her father’s work with Martin Luther King, Jr. After living as an ordained nun for 15 years in Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastic community, Kaira Jewel now teaches internationally in the Zen and Vipassana traditions, as well as in secular mindfulness contexts. Her teaching focuses on the intersection of racial, climate, and social justice, with particular care for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities, as well as activists, artists, educators, families, and youth. Based in New York, she offers spiritual mentoring and is faculty in a Buddhist Eco-Chaplaincy training, and one of the guiding teachers of One Earth Sangha. She is the author of We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons in Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption, and co-author of Healing Our Way Home: Black Buddhist Teachings on Ancestors, Joy, and Liberation. More information about Kaira's teachings and events can be found at http://www.kairajewel.com/

Mindfulness Training Gathas: https://mindfulgatha.wordpress.com/gathas/

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this interview, Ahahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with early Google engineer and author Chade-Meng Tan (https://chademeng.com/). He is also the founder of Buddhism.net (https://buddhism.net/).

00:01:21 Meng's early life and path to Buddhism

00:06:21 Integrating Buddhist inspiration into Google

00:16:15 Scaling transformation and transcendence in society

00:23:15 The accessibility of joy and its training methods

00:32:42 Inspiring spiritual depth in world and business leaders

00:40:21 Meditation strategies for computer programmers

00:45:27 Corporate management principles for monastic delegation

00:49:22 Managing digital devices and mental distractions

00:55:03 Skillful leadership, resilience, and systemic recovery

Chade-Meng's Biography:

Chade-Meng Tan (Meng) is an award-winning engineer, international bestselling author, movie producer and philanthropist. He is Co-founder of Buddhism.net (https://buddhism.net/) and Co-chair of One Billion Acts of Peace (https://chademeng.com/about/bio/billionacts.org), which has been nominated by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and seven other Nobel Laureates for the Nobel Peace Prize. He was also Executive Producer of the movie Walk With Me (https://walkwithmefilm.com/), and Adjunct Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in the National University of Singapore. He co-founded the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI, pronounced “silly”). He retired from Google as its Jolly Good Fellow at the age of 45. Meng led the creation of a groundbreaking mindfulness-based emotional intelligence course at Google called Search Inside Yourself, which was also the title of Meng's first New York Time's bestselling book.

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo speaks about bringing loving-awareness and creativity to one's practice of the Five Subjects for Frequent Recollection:

1) "I am of the nature to age. I have not gone beyond aging."

2) "I am of the nature to sicken. I have not gone beyond sickness."

3) "I am of the nature to die. I have not gone beyond dying."

4) "All that is mine, beloved and pleasing, will become otherwise, will become separated from me."

5) "I am the owner of my kamma, heir to my kamma, born of my kamma, related through my kamma, abide supported by my kamma. Whatever kamma I shall do, for good or for ill, of that, I will be the heir."

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this series of five talks given on June 20 for Clear Mountain's fourth annual Almsgiving Ceremony, we hear from 5 monastics:

00:00:00 - Ayya Niyyānika on how practice begins now, rather than when the monastery is finished;

00:02:45 - Ajahn Pandit on the story of Anaruddha, and the relentlessness of worldly life;

00:09:38 Ajahn Cunda on the wisdom of finishing work internally every day;

00:13:43 Bhante Rāhula on the joy of seeing the four Buddhist communities gathered together;

00:19:15 Maechee Paññāsiri on how a monastery is a mirror for our own minds.

Ayya Niyyānika's:

Ayya Niyyānika trained for eight years in California bhikkhunī communities before traveling throughout the West and Asia to deepen their understanding of renunciation, Saṅgha, and global Buddhist practice. Now part of Passaddhi Vihara in the Pacific Northwest, they center their monastic practice on embodiment rooted in kindness and wise compassion.

Ajahn Pandit's:

Ajahn Pandit is a British monk and founder of the Little Bangkok Sangha. Ordained in Thailand in 1996, he holds degrees in psychology and Buddhist Studies from Mahā Chulalongkorn University.

Ajahn Cunda:

Raised in Chicago, Ajahn Cunda moved to California and ordained as a bhikkhu at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in 2008, training there for over eight years under Luang Por Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. After practicing widely at various international forest monasteries across Canada, Australia, England, and Italy, he returned to Abhayagiri in 2022 and will begin a one-year retreat at Birken Monastery in this July.

Bhante Rāhula:

Born in Mexico, Bhante Rāhula ordained in Myanmar under Sayadaw Dr. Nandamālābhivaṃsa and spent over two decades in Asia studying scripture and meditation under prominent masters, including a course at Harvard University in 2019. He now runs the Mexican Buddhist Center (Paññābhūmi) to spread the Buddha's teachings in the region while actively leading addiction recovery and youth prevention programs.

Maechee Paññāsiri:

Born and raised in Shanghai, Maechee Paññāsirī worked as a writer, creative director, and yoga teacher before fulfilling a lifelong spiritual quest by ordaining in Thailand under Ven. Ajahn Jayasāro in 2020. She currently resides at a nuns' hermitage near Khao Yai, Thailand, where she practices in the Ajahn Chah forest tradition and teaches Clear Mountain community members via Zoom.

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Steve James, meditation teacher & host of the Guru Viking Podcast (https://www.guruviking.com/).

00:00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:01:32 Formative faith moments and vocation

00:06:18 Life on an English canal boat

00:08:40 The rhythm of travel and interviewing

00:10:59 Interviewing the same guest over time

00:14:20 Most moving and luminous conversations

00:17:21 Handling negative reactivity in conversation

00:22:24 Balancing internal and external awareness

00:23:50 Advice for engaging with teachers and mentors

00:29:50 Finding beauty in people on different paths

00:34:45 Questions that bring out conversational depth

00:41:06 Personal frameworks for organizing experience

00:48:15 Belief alignments and the "pie chart" of faith

00:55:30 Personal relationship to the Buddha

00:59:44 Navigating dual vs. non-dual teachings

Steve James' Biography:

Steve James is an international educator specializing in somatic practices, meditation, and contemplative inquiry. Through public workshops and private consultancy, he facilitates deep explorations into mystic traditions and relational dynamics. He is the creator of the Movement Koan Method and the host of the Guru Viking Podcast, a platform through which he interviews a wide range of Buddhist and non-Buddhist spiritual teachers and adepts, and through which we first came to know of Steve. To learn more about Steve, visit https://www.guruviking.com/ or tune in to his YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GuruViking

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!