Retreat Time
The KBV bhikkhunis had some much-needed time off for practice, reading and listening to dhamma, and discussion, all while being beautifully supported by our amazing volunteers Olivia and Paula. Ayya Santussika and Ayya Cittananda are grateful for this precious offering, and are now feeling refreshed and ready to begin sharing the Dhamma again.
New Sutta Study Schedule
After a lot of feedback from the community, we've decided to move away from hybrid Sutta Study sessions, in order to provide more meaningful connection for each group. We will alternate between in-person sessions at the Palo Alto Friends (Quaker) meeting house and having Zoom-only sessions from the hermitage. Basically the 1st, 3rd and 5th Thursdays of the month will be online, and the 2nd and 4th Thursdays will be in-person. Details/dates can be found on our homepage and calendar.
Upekkha (Elder's) Kuti Progress
The Upekkha Kuti is currently being constructed! Pretty soon, Ayya Santussika will no longer be inhabiting the tiny bedroom off of the shrine room in the main cabin. She will finally have her own space for rest and practice, in quiet solitude. This kuti will also be used to house other elder monastics when they visit the hermitage. We're hoping it will be finished sometime in early February.
New Year's Day(long)
A hybrid (Zoom and in-person) daylong meditation retreat will be held at the hermitage on January 1st from 10am to 4pm. If you plan on coming in-person, please register here for updates on weather and road conditions. You can join online here. The event will be held outdoors due to the rise in COVID cases during the holiday season. We'll have a potluck meal offering, meditation, and Dhamma discussion using our traditional "Thus should you train" method for the new year. |
Ajahn Brahmali

We feel very honored to be hosting Ajahn Brahmali of Bodhinyana Monastery for about a week in January.
We have a lot of gratitude for his wisdom, practice, scholarship, and support of the Bhikkhuni Sangha.
We look forward to kicking off the year by spending time together with him as he shares the Dhamma.
You can find details of his teachings at KBV and elsewhere in the Bay Area on our homepage.
We have a lot of gratitude for his wisdom, practice, scholarship, and support of the Bhikkhuni Sangha.
We look forward to kicking off the year by spending time together with him as he shares the Dhamma.
You can find details of his teachings at KBV and elsewhere in the Bay Area on our homepage.
2023 Retreats
The Bhikkhunis of KBV will be teaching several daylong and residential retreats in 2023. Please check our calendar and the corresponding links below for details.
Aside from the New Year's Daylong, they'll lead a daylong retreat at Wat Buddhanusorn in Fremont on February 4 from 9:30 - 4:30.
Ayya Santussika will teach a residential retreat entitled "Becoming a Noble Disciple: Cultivating the Mind and Life of the Ariyasāvako", held at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies from May 12-17.
From June 2-15, Ayya Santussika and Ayya Cittananda will guide a longer retreat at Cloud Mountain for experienced practitioners on "The Buddha’s Gradual Path: Spiritual Progress in Lay Life". Cloud Mountain's website is not updated yet for this retreat, registration and description details should be on their site soon.
Later in June from the 23rd-28th, Ayya Santussika will team up with Ayya Santacitta to teach another Barre Center retreat, this time online. The retreat will cover "Skillful Living in a World on Fire: Grounded in the Noble Eightfold Path".
Aside from the New Year's Daylong, they'll lead a daylong retreat at Wat Buddhanusorn in Fremont on February 4 from 9:30 - 4:30.
Ayya Santussika will teach a residential retreat entitled "Becoming a Noble Disciple: Cultivating the Mind and Life of the Ariyasāvako", held at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies from May 12-17.
From June 2-15, Ayya Santussika and Ayya Cittananda will guide a longer retreat at Cloud Mountain for experienced practitioners on "The Buddha’s Gradual Path: Spiritual Progress in Lay Life". Cloud Mountain's website is not updated yet for this retreat, registration and description details should be on their site soon.
Later in June from the 23rd-28th, Ayya Santussika will team up with Ayya Santacitta to teach another Barre Center retreat, this time online. The retreat will cover "Skillful Living in a World on Fire: Grounded in the Noble Eightfold Path".
Anagarika Sarana
And last but definitely not least, we have exciting news about Anagarika Sarana! Her visa went through in record time, according to the immigration attorney, so the devas are definitely on her side. We are expecting her arrival on December 26th. She had a beneficial few months at Dhamma Vihara in Veracruz, Mexico while we waited for immigration processing. She looks forward to finally being able to train at KBV.
Reflections on Kindness

Upon coming out of retreat and engaging more with people again, what is striking is the varying degrees of kindness that can be found in the mind. Sometimes the mind is overflowing with kindness and other times ... well not so much. We see this in ourselves and others. Also, we may be kind to others and not very kind to ourselves. When we bring more attention to these varying degrees, maybe giving it a scale of 1 to 10, we might also become more aware of what increases kindness. How is our level of kindness affected by safety, kindness shown by others, meditation, generosity, discussing or listening to Dhamma, chanting, gratitude, happiness? What causes us to be more friendly, generous and considerate?
At some point in our practice, we recognize the vital importance of kindness. We don't want to say or do anything without it, especially when dealing with challenges. We start to notice that kindness is a natural outgrowth of spiritual development . We come to cherish it and encourage it in ourselves and everyone around us.
At some point in our practice, we recognize the vital importance of kindness. We don't want to say or do anything without it, especially when dealing with challenges. We start to notice that kindness is a natural outgrowth of spiritual development . We come to cherish it and encourage it in ourselves and everyone around us.