Kathina
"For the Benefit of Many"
Saturday, November 2, 2024
For more than 2500 years, this joyful tradition has been a time to acknowledge the friendship and mutual support of monastics and the lay community. All are welcome to join us for any part of the day you can attend.
"It is for the benefit of many that the Realized Ones arise--
the lay people who follow their instructions.
It is truly for their benefit that the sage realized awakening--
for the bhikkhunis and for the bhikkhus who see that they’ve reached certainty."
- Theragāthā 21.11
the lay people who follow their instructions.
It is truly for their benefit that the sage realized awakening--
for the bhikkhunis and for the bhikkhus who see that they’ve reached certainty."
- Theragāthā 21.11
This year's theme is "For the Benefit of Many".
With the right attitude, everything that we do related to the monastery and the Dhamma is for the benefit of many, regardless of the part we play. And in turn, great benefit blossoms in each of our lives. We celebrate this truth together today.
And all our venerable guests happen to be starting new monastic ventures for the benefit of many: Passaddhi Vihāra, Pārāyana Vihāra, the Ᾱloka Earth Room, Clear Mountain Monastery and an as yet unnamed monastic residence somewhere in Colorado.
With these nascent Dhamma communities gathering around solid, kind monastics, we all have the opportunity to contribute to this "benefit for many" started by the Buddha himself so long ago.
With the right attitude, everything that we do related to the monastery and the Dhamma is for the benefit of many, regardless of the part we play. And in turn, great benefit blossoms in each of our lives. We celebrate this truth together today.
And all our venerable guests happen to be starting new monastic ventures for the benefit of many: Passaddhi Vihāra, Pārāyana Vihāra, the Ᾱloka Earth Room, Clear Mountain Monastery and an as yet unnamed monastic residence somewhere in Colorado.
With these nascent Dhamma communities gathering around solid, kind monastics, we all have the opportunity to contribute to this "benefit for many" started by the Buddha himself so long ago.
The Day’s Agenda
10:30 Preparation for Meal Offering
Vegetarian potluck
11:00 Meal Offering & Rice Pindapata
Offering rice directly into the monastics' bowls
Lunch for the lay community
1:30 Ceremony including Zoom begins
Welcome & Introductions
Kathina Ceremony and Dhamma talks
3:30 Blessing Chants & Closing
All are welcome to attend at the KBV Meditation Center:
909 Coachella Ave, Sunnyvale, CA
To join us online: To join us online, use this Zoom link.
This year's Kathina Committee is headed by Sarada, Dilhara, and baby Asher Weerasinghe, with many other KBV community members contributing. If you would like to help, please contact Sarada at [email protected].
This year, we're very excited to welcome a full house of beloved monastic siblings:
Ayya Suvijjana and Ayya Niyyanika of Passaddhi Vihāra
Ayya Anandabodhi and Samaneri Junha of Pārāyana Vihāra
Ayya Santacitta of the Ᾱloka Earth Room (online)
Ajahn Nisabho of Clear Mountain Monastery
And Bhante Jayasara of New Jersey (and hopefully soon of Colorado!) will possibly attend again this year, as his schedule allows.
We look forward to sharing this joyful time in community with you all, whether you attend online or in-person.
Donations for the 2024 Kathina
In addition to projects like the bell tower, meditation walking deck for the Upekkha Kuti, and finishing the deck in front of the laundry room and bathroom, our main focus this year has been on fire clearance. With multiple community work days, blessing chanting around KBV's structures with the help of fellow monastics, and hiring fire clearance crews, the kutis and main cabin are becoming more well protected.
For this year's kathina, the proceeds will go towards the following projects, including more of the necessary fire clearance measures:
Fire clearance
Fourth Kuti with solar power
Fund for water well
10:30 Preparation for Meal Offering
Vegetarian potluck
11:00 Meal Offering & Rice Pindapata
Offering rice directly into the monastics' bowls
Lunch for the lay community
1:30 Ceremony including Zoom begins
Welcome & Introductions
Kathina Ceremony and Dhamma talks
3:30 Blessing Chants & Closing
All are welcome to attend at the KBV Meditation Center:
909 Coachella Ave, Sunnyvale, CA
To join us online: To join us online, use this Zoom link.
This year's Kathina Committee is headed by Sarada, Dilhara, and baby Asher Weerasinghe, with many other KBV community members contributing. If you would like to help, please contact Sarada at [email protected].
This year, we're very excited to welcome a full house of beloved monastic siblings:
Ayya Suvijjana and Ayya Niyyanika of Passaddhi Vihāra
Ayya Anandabodhi and Samaneri Junha of Pārāyana Vihāra
Ayya Santacitta of the Ᾱloka Earth Room (online)
Ajahn Nisabho of Clear Mountain Monastery
And Bhante Jayasara of New Jersey (and hopefully soon of Colorado!) will possibly attend again this year, as his schedule allows.
We look forward to sharing this joyful time in community with you all, whether you attend online or in-person.
Donations for the 2024 Kathina
In addition to projects like the bell tower, meditation walking deck for the Upekkha Kuti, and finishing the deck in front of the laundry room and bathroom, our main focus this year has been on fire clearance. With multiple community work days, blessing chanting around KBV's structures with the help of fellow monastics, and hiring fire clearance crews, the kutis and main cabin are becoming more well protected.
For this year's kathina, the proceeds will go towards the following projects, including more of the necessary fire clearance measures:
Fire clearance
- As a community, we have done a lot to make the hermitage safe from wildfires. We continually gather downed wood, limb up and trim small trees and brush, and have big burn pile days--hard work that's made fun by coming together as a community.
- But during the warm, dry months when burn piles are no longer allowed due to the risk of wildfires spreading, KBV has the need to hire professional fire clearance crews. These experts do an excellent and quick job of making the hermitage much freer of heavy fuel loads. They cut down large dead or dying trees, limb up branches to the correct fire-safe heights, clear brush, and chip everything possible in order to make it as secure from fire danger as possible.
- Checking around with multiple companies, currently the lowest cost to hire a crew of five with a large chipper for one full day is $2,600.
Fourth Kuti with solar power
- On top of needing more accommodations at the hermitage, a new kuti site located up on a high spot with good sun has the potential for solar power. Panels and a battery station on the kuti can generate enough electricity to power new kutis as well as the two smaller ones.
- There has already been some tree and brush clearance around the site, but more is needed to maximize the solar power and the safety from fire danger. Enter the professional fire clearance crews.
Fund for water well
- Even though it doesn't look like it'll be a problem this year, our small spring usually runs dry by late summer. There are still plans to explore the possibility of a well to ensure this basic need of a reliable water supply.
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If you would like to make a financial contribution, please visit our donations page. If you would like to provide other items of support, please go to our Kathina Wish List. Anumodana!
With metta and gratitude, The KBV 2024 Kathina Committee |