Passaddhi Vihara
A monastic residence in the Pacific Northwest
Located in Olympia, Washington.
PLEASE SEE useful things list below to help provide items needed in the new vihara.
Two Bhikkhunīs practicing for liberation have come to the Pacific Northwest to develop a new monastery dedicated to bhavana (the practice leading to liberation, the heart’s release, Nibbāna). Their initial rental location is in Olympia, WA
Meal Offerings
Alms Rounds
- Tacoma Alms Round – Friday, May 17th, 9:30 am At Khmer Theravadin Buddhist Temple, 1420 E 44th St, Tacoma, WA
- Olympia Alms Round – date and location To Be Determined
💥 Sign up to bring a meal to the vihara on the offerings calendar. 💥
Gift certificates to Olympia restaurants that are open before noon are also welcome. Examples:
Grocery cards (email to get address to send non-electronic cards) ready-to-heat/eat items may be used by the monastics directly and other groceries may be turned into meals by the kind people the monastics are staying with.
Ways you can help
support FOR
meal offerings And transportation is Needed.
Useful Things
Health
- Twice a day Eye Allergy Itch Relief drops (example that was suggested by doctor)
For the New Vihara
- 3 pump bottles unscented hand soap (example)
- pyrex or similar glass containers that can fit in a small microwave
- a few folding chairs
- 3 or 4 surge protector power strips (1 or 2 with a six foot cord)
- shower floor mat
- shower squeegee
- lamps for two bedrooms and one for main room
- two air purifiers (one is OFFERED)
- cleaning rags (example)
- masking tape
- ziplock bags
- dish pan
- white vinegar
- baking soda
- kitchen trash bin
- recycling bin
- small bathroom trash bin
- unscented kitchen trash bags (preferably compostables)
- large portable clothes drying rack (example)
- step ladder (example)
Pantry
- 3-in-1 coffee (example)
- Black tea
- Baker’s cocoa (just cocoa not sweetened or with added milk products)
- Honey
- Roasted nuts
- Seaweed
Rides
Ride needs will be posted on the offerings calendar and listed here.
- Friday, May 18, to the Cambodian Wat in Tacoma from the Park & Ride 💖OFFERED💖
- Sunday, May 18, to Olympia CMM mitta meetup 💖OFFERED💖
- Tuesday, June 11, Ayya Niyyanika to SEA-TAC for 10pm flight
- Tuesday, June 25, Ayya Niyyanika from SEA-TAC from 7:17pm flight
Meal Offerings
see details in above section.
We rejoice in your financial contribution!
Your support joins that of others in making monastic life possible in today’s world where rent, utilities, … etc are part of maintaining a monastic dwelling.
The QR codes below link to an account that is managed by volunteers who act as financial stewards. These stewards act on your behalf in seeing that Ayya Niyyānika (U.S. legal name: Michelle Raymond) and Ayya Suvijjānā are supported in their monastic life.
Zelle, bank deposit and Venmo are without fees.
When you donate please send an email to so we can acknowledge your generosity.
About the Bhikkhunis
Ayya Suvijjānā Bhikkhunī Therī
Ayya Suvijjānā began practicing meditation in 1976. Ayya started with Zen meditation and was a student of Kobun Chino Roshi in Los Altos, CA. In 1998 Ayya Suvijjānā was introduced to Vipassana at Santa Cruz Insight. Shortly after Ayya visited Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery and soon became a lay student of Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. Ayya moved to Ukiah to be closer to the monastery. In 2004 Ayya was called to monastic life and began her search for a monastery to train and visited Amaravati in 2005. She became a student of Ayya Tathālokā in 2006 at the first Dhammadharini Vihara in Fremont, CA. Ayya received full ordination as a bhikkhuni in August 2010 at Aranya Bodhi Hermitage. Ayya played a supportive role in establishing Dhammadharini and Aranya Bodhi Hermitage.
Ayya Suvijjānā left Dhammadharini in 2020, and has been traveling, spending blocks of time at monasteries in the USA, Australia, and New Zealand. She offered Dhamma teaching as part of monastic life when invited. Ayya’s love of the Dhamma, love of the monastic life, and love of the suttas has enriched many.
Ayya Niyyānika Bhikkhunī
Ayya Niyyānika is a fully ordained Buddhist monastic in the Theravada tradition. Ayya uses they/them pronouns.
They received their initial monastic training within the Dhammadharini community from 2014 through 2019 in Sonoma County, CA, USA and then was with the Aloka Vihara community, near Placerville, CA, USA for three years. Practicing within these monastic communities gave them a deeper understanding of renunciation, importance of Saṇgha, and enhanced their wish to fully realize the goal of monastic life.
The past year and a bit have been a time of travel, integration, and deepening in practice. They visited a variety of monastic and lay communities in the West and in Asia, taking time for retreat and study as well as community involvement.
For Ayya Niyyānika, living a life of wise and kind interdependence is critical to embodying an effective monastic life in today’s world. Embodiment based in compassion, wisdom, and equanimity is central to path development and is the focus of Ayya Niyyānika’s practice.
