Passaddhi Vihara is a monastic residence in the Pacific Northwest focusing on the great teachings of the Buddha and the training he laid out that is liberating, leading to the heart’s release, and the ending of suffering.
* Photo taken at Clear Mountain Monastery Saturday Gathering.
Ayyā Suvijjānā Bhikkhunī Therī
Bhikkhunī since 2010 (monastic training started in 2006)
Ayyā 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 took leave from Dhammadharini in 2020 returning for periods of time, 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 and focus on the teachings in the suttas has enriched many.
Ayya Niyyānika Bhikkhunī
Bhikkhuni since December 2017 (monastic training started in 2014)
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.
Both Ayya Suvijjānā and Ayya Niyyānika initially trained at Dhammadharini in Northern California. Ayya Tathālokā Mahatherī was pavattini (preceptor) for both Passaddhi Vihara bhikkhunīs and founding Abbess of Dhammadharini. Ayya Sobhanā was Prioress at Aranya Bodhi hermitage during Ayya Suvijjānā and Ayya Niyyānika years of training.
Passaddhi Vihara now joins the growth of the Bhikkhunī Saṅgha around the world.