Awakening Truth with the Nun Thanasanti

AwakeningTruth.org, Against the Stream, Wisdom Quarterly

Amma, or Ajahn Thanasanti Bhikkhuni, was born in California and first introduced to Buddhism and insight-meditation in 1979 in a class taught by Jack Engler.

From that time on she has consciously committed to awakening by envisioning living her life as a Buddhist nun (bhikkhuni).

After completing a B.A. in Biology from UC Santa Cruz, she worked for a few years as an analytical chemist. Then in 1987 she went on a pilgrimage to India, Nepal, and Thailand to meet many of the meditation masters she had heard about.

She joined Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in 1989 as a part of the community of nuns to begin training as a novice. She began integrating meditation practice with the daily duties of a nun at both Amaravati and Chithurst Buddhist Monasteries, England. She received 10 precept (siladhara) ordination in 1991.

• Teachings: Talks, Videos, Meditations

As part of her monastic life she has went on retreat into the remote bush of Australia.

For the last several years Ajahn Thanasanti has been involved in the leadership team and guidance of the nuns' community at Chithurst. Since 1996 her community and monastic responsibilities have been interspersed with teaching intensive meditation retreats in the US, UK, Switzerland, and Australia.

In order to pursue her vision of how monastic and lay practitioners can work together in the modern world to create viable communities for practice in the United States, she has taken the significant step of leaving the formal affiliations of Amaravati and associated monastic communities. She has been living on faith according to the ancient principle of alms mendicancy and is based in Colorado Springs.

The first Theravada bhikkhuni ordination ceremony ever to occur in North America took place in August, 2010 at Aranya Bodhi Forest Hermitage in Sonoma, California. Ajahn Thanasanti was one of four nuns ordained.

Her interests are in awakening compassion and wisdom to integrate insight into the whole human condition. She uses essential Buddhist and non-dual teachings, devotional practices, and respect for nature as skillful means.

Ajahn Thanasanti's Los Angeles schedule

• Nov. 2: Teaching, Wednesday night class, ATS, Melrose
• Nov. 5: Women's Group, 12:00-3:00 pm, ATS, Melrose
• Nov. 6: Brunch on the Beach, 10:00 am till...
• Nov. 7: Teaching, Monday night class at ATS, Santa Monica
• More TBA

Against the Stream Events

Nov. 2 - Ajahn Thanasanti Teaches on Melrose
Nov. 5 - Women's Group

Nov. 6 - Volleyball and Potluck on the Beach

Nov. 7 - Ajahn Thanasanti Teaches in Santa Monica
Nov. 10 - An Evening with Martine Batchelor
Nov. 11 - Dhamma Brothers - Movie Night

First Annual Buddhist Nuns Day (AFB)

Susan Pembroke, President, Alliance for Bhikkhunis

Thank you, those working around the globe to make the First International Bhikkhuni Day a success. This day of awareness is calling attention to the issue as well as raising funds to support American Buddhist nuns.

The Alliance for Bhikkhunis (Nuns) is moved by the kindness and generosity of those who give so freely of their time and talents. There is a growing sense of joy and optimism as more enter the widening circle of friendship and goodwill.

American Buddhist nuns or bhikkhunis (Sopaporn Kurz/AFB).

All of our sisters are invited, regardless of Buddhist tradition, to join us on September 17th to celebrate the founding of the Bhikkhuni Sangha (Order of Buddhist Nuns). We are celebrating the fact that there are many thousands of women in robes [26] centuries after the Buddha began teaching.

Whether Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana, or other, feel free to use any of our tools to educate as well as raise funds for your affiliated center, temple, monastery, school, hospital, or other agency or enterprise.

International Bhikkhuni Day is intended to be a global grassroots celebration of Buddhist women, uniting and empowering them. Please join in -- even if it is only to meditate along with us, knowing that we are all part of global community committed to protecting the Bhikkhuni Sangha.

• Additional downloads have been added to the site. American nun Ven. Tathaaloka Theri has offered the paper “The Amazing Transformations of Arahant Theri Uppalavanna.” It is a fascinating, mythic tale that “serves as a catalyst for exploration, inspiration, and insight.”
• The renowned scholar Ven. Analayo has very graciously contributed his article “Mahapajapati’s Going Forth in the Madhyama-agama,” reprinted with permission from the Journal of Buddhist Ethics. Ven. Analayo’s incisive analysis of early discourses sheds light on critical texts that have been lost in subsequent translations as well as exploring the societal forces that shaped the early Bhikkhuni Sangha.
• Ven. Bhikkhuni Ajahn Thanasanti has written a very personal article about the women who have figured prominently in her spiritual development. Dipa Ma is one of these “Extraordinary Women.”
• Take a moment to look at the recently added Power Point on bhikkhuni history on the homepage. It has intentionally been left in non-PDF format so individuals and groups can tailor the Power Point slides to suit their needs.
• Feel free to translate into other languages or add or remove slides based on what works best for different circumstances, tradition, or lineage.
• There is a new page with Dhamma and videos from 12 bhikkhunis including Ayya Gunasari’s talk on “Solitude.”
• We remain grateful to Melanie Davies for allowing us to use her beautiful chant on the Recollection of the Foremost Arahant Bhikkhunis (LISTEN).
  

There is still time to create a FIRSTGIVING PAGE.

• Click on the “Join Now” link in white and green to be taken to screens for a walk through the process.
  
• After creating your own page, forward the link to family and friends and invite them to sponsor your day of meditation, learning, and radiating metta (loving-kindness) to this world which is so in need of healing.
• Organizing a day, a half day, or a talk can happen any time you find convenient.
  
• The Firstgiving site will remain open until December 17th, but please do not feel that your event must happen by September 17.
  

Thank you so much for caring about ordained women and wanting to support and protect them!

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