Mahapajapati Monastery

Four bhikkhunis observed Uposatha Day on November 3. We started morning chanting at 5am with Patthana (Conditional Relations), the last of 7 books of the Abhidhamma. We chanted all 24 Patthana (short form) At 5:30 in the evening, we chanted the 1st chapter of the Abhidhammattha Sangaha (Compendium of Consciousness) Uposatha Day has been observed since the time of the Buddha and occurs approximately every two weeks.

Monastery residents recently observed Uposatha Day. The Buddha taught that the Uposatha day is for "the cleansing of the defiled mind," resulting in inner calm and joy. Uposatha days are times of renewed dedication to Dhamma practice, observed by lay followers and monastics throughout the world of Theravada Buddhism. We welcome lay devotees to take precepts and participate in all activities. The next Uposatha Days are Nov. 15 and Nov. 30. The schedule is: 5am: Morning chanti...ng of the Patthana (The 24 modes of Conditionality as explained in the Abhidhamma) 5pm: Dhamma discussion 6pm: Chanting & meditation Ayya Gunasari's daughter, Doe offered lunch dana to the bikkhunis. Please email the monastery if you plan to attend. [email protected]

The monastery had a visit from a Bhante who is Ayya Suvanna's teacher. Here is Bhante, Ayya Gunasari, Ayya Suvanna, Ketuma, and Ayya Kosalla.

This is the lunch dana offered by Ayya Gunasari's daughter, Doe. The video is actually another lunch dana!

Greetings from Mahapajapati Monastery. We are enjoying cooler temperatures and clearer air. Ayya Gunasari says hello to all of you. She is eating well and getting out for walks each day but finds it difficult to communicate due to her stroke. We have had Ayya Dhammadhira for the last few months as a temporary abbesss, however, she will be returning to her home in Colorado soon. The board has decided that the first priority at this time is to make sure that Ayya Gunasari is co...mfortable and well looked after. We have arranged to have her friend and student, Kim Mears, who has caretaking/nursing experience to come stay for October and November. During this time, we will not have any overnight visitors so as not to strain the facility and also to allow time and space for Ayya Gunasari's family to visit. If you would like to bring groceries or a meal to the monastery, please contact us first by email. [email protected] Helpful dana items are: fresh fruit and vegetables, almond milk, tofu, dried fruit, eggs, pasta (some gluten free), salad greens, biodegradable dish and laundry soap. We have enough bottled water, rice, toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap. We will keep you updated on Ayya Gunasari and also on plans for the future of Mahapajapati Monastery. See more

Hi Everyone, Hope you all are doing well! Many of you are probably directly in touch with Ayya Gunasari now, but I wanted to let you know that she will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow, Tuesday, July 28. ... Po will bring her to Mahapajapati, sometime in the afternoon. She is doing well in all areas, except she still needs to drink thickened liquids (so she does not accidentally get thin liquids in her lungs, which would put her at risk for pneumonia). The day after discharge, a nurse from the Home Health Agency will come to visit Mahapajapati. She/he will check to see how mom is doing and look at the set up there. She can order more thickening for liquids and continue to track Mom’s swallowing, which they expect will gradually get better over time. Laurie, the social worker, is also scheduling follow-up appointments with Dr. Padilla, mom's cardiologist, and a neurologist, physical/occupational therapist, and speech therapist. That's the latest update. Maw, please forward this to the email group when you have a chance. Thank you all so much for your love and support! We are so grateful to you all! Mithet We will be setting up "video visiting" with Ayya so please refrain from coming to the monastery at this time.

Update on Ayya Gunasari from her children: We have wonderful news to share... Ayya is doing an amazing job of recovering from her stroke and surgery! Her speech and physical abilities have improved vastly in the past 24 hours. She can also read. Mithet, Po and I have all had conversations with her. Below is a message from Po who was able to visit her last night Po just reported that the occupational therapist is assessing mom and is pleased to report that mom is "fine with se...lf-care" Later today we will speak with her nurse as she is getting multiple tests this morning. When she returns to the monastery at some point, everyone will take all the necessary precautions to prevent exposure to COVID 19. We are so grateful to everyone at Mahapajapati Monastery as well as the board for their support and love Thanks again for all your prayers and blessings for Ayya! xo, Ayya's family See more

For those of you who have not yet heard, Ayya Gunasari had a stroke this past Tuesday, July 21. She was taken to the local hospital in Joshua Tree and soon transferred to Desert Regional Hospital in Palm Springs where she had surgery that same afternoon. In the past three days, Ayya has made much progress and rather amazing recovery! She will be spending another 10 days or so in the hospital for rehab. If you wish to send cards and letters, please send them to the monastery so Ayya can have them waiting for her when she returns. At this time no visitors are allowed in the hospital. Her children have been updating us about Ayya's progress as the hospital was getting too many calls! I will post more about Ayya's rehab as the days go by. Thank you all for your support.

Due to the Corona virus the monastery is temporarily closed to visitors. We look forward to seeing you in the future. You can contact Ayya Gunasari by email or letter. She will be happy to hear from you and will respond to your questions and concerns. If you wish to donate, you can do so by check or Paypal. Ayya Gunasari, the bhikkhunis and samaneris in residence and the board of Mahapajapati Foundation, wish you health and peace in these strange times. Our website is being ..."renovated" and we look forward to providing news and photos when we are able to. From January to March of 2021, Ayya Dhammadhira is planning to be in residence at Mahapajapati and offer a workshop: Essentials of Monastic Life. This unit of study is designed for anyone who is interested in or has committed to monastic life. It gives an overview on the purpose of monastic life - how it provides the support for walking the path of awakening and the role it plays in our modern world. This will either be done in residence or by Zoom or a combination, as Covid 19 concerns allow. See more

We are saddened by the news of Ayya Satima's passing. She passed away in Colorado and was being cared for by Ayya Dhammadhira. Ayya Satima was born in Sri Lanka and was a Montessori teacher in lay life. She had three devoted sons. Two of her sons passed away within a short time period which caused her much pain.She first became a Zen priest and then decided to ordain as a Therevada Bhikkhuni in Sri Lanka in 2006. Ayya Gunasari and Ayya Satima spent three weeks together in India in 2008 for the Tipitaka chanting and they saw each other from time to time through the years. Ayya Satima participated in all the ordinations held at the Dhammavijaya Monastery in Los Angeles.

As we near completion of our construction project, the board members met with Ayya Gunasari on July 28. The highlight of the meeting was hearing Ayya talk passionately about her struggles, responsibilities and dreams for the future of Mahapajapati Monastery. In 2007, a donor offered land for the monastery 80 acres in Pioneertown, CA. Although Ayya was hesitant to take on this huge responsibility, her strong determination to serve the Dhamma and especially to establish a p...lace of meditation and study for monastic and lay women won out over her reluctance. She has been serving as Abbess of Mahapajapati Monastery since 2008. Now at age 87, Ayya Gunasari is looking toward the future. Her dream for the monastery is to be a place of meditation, study and refuge. She is devoting the remainder of her energy and resources toward the completion of a large meditation hall, patios and walking path. At our meeting, Ayya Gunasari spoke to the board members in an open and friendly way. She clarified her view of responsibilities of both monastics and lay board members. The duty of the monastics is to spread the Dhamma and to communicate the needs of the monastery to the board members. The duty of the board members is to make it happen! She spoke at length of her gratitude to donors and her responsibility to them. She told the story of a very poor man, who upon seeing the Buddha pass by, gave him his only food, a small bowl of congee that his wife had prepared for his lunch. Later he discovered that his whole paddy field was covered with gold. She said that this story illustrates the meaning of donation. She is very grateful to all supporters regardless of the amount of the donation. As of now, we have spent $71,489.32 for construction. We estimate that we will need $40,000 to complete it. Still remaining to be done are: exterior stucco ($8000), cement patios ($10,000), completion of solar panel project ($10,000), furnishings including bookcases, room divider, tables and chairs, altar, mats, storage and seating benches ($10,000), meditation cushions ($1000) Please come visit to see for yourself what we have accomplished and to meditate, discuss Dhamma and contribute your time and energy to the healthy future of Mahapajapati Monastery.

Announcement Long-term Lay Resident Caretaker In light of the recent expansion of Mahapajapati Monastery, we are expecting an increase in both monastic and lay visitors in addition to a general increased level of activity.... We are looking for a lay person who wishes to deepen understanding and practice of Buddhism by living in a monastic setting. Long term residents will take part in the life of the community with regular periods of meditation, work, chores and occasional solitary retreat time. Applicants should be female and have basic experience of meditation and mindfulness practice. You should be able to work independently but also be willing to take direction from the Abbess. The role will include: Preparing the kutis for visitors Having basic maintenance skills Working independently and as part of a team of volunteers Supervising volunteers for household and gardening tasks Driving you must have a current drivers’ license and drive well (errands, medical appointments, etc.) Grocery shopping and kitchen coordination Familiarity with various ethnic cooking styles is a plus Offering approximately 30 hours of service per week You must be physically fit and in good health Have health insurance valid in California Applicants must be a legal resident of the U.S. or have a current visa when required. We would invite suitable applicants to stay at the monastery for periods of up to a week during the coming months, when space is available. Following a trial period of three months, the successful applicant may be invited to stay for one year initially, but this will be reviewed every three months. This is a volunteer, residential position. If you are interested, please apply to visit the monastery: http://www.mahapajapati.com/application-form.html