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 1975. 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)
Niyyānika Bhikkhunī (they/them) shares Dhamma through Paḷī Text Sutta-based embodiment practices focused on loving-kindness, compassion, settling, and equanimity.
Ayya Niyyānika has aligned with a variety of identities and labels in this life. They explore identities as rafts for practice, i.e., ways to grow understanding of conditionality, becoming, letting go, and true safety. Some identity areas they have previously or continue to explore include: gender, sexuality, racial and ethnic heritage, addiction, neurodiversity, ability, and vocation.
The monastic label was taken up in 2014, with full ordination in December of 2017. Ayya finds monastic life a suitable place for them to practice and share Dhamma. Monastic life has taught them happiness amidst all things, even the dukkha of having a body and the struggles of the world. They share a path of happiness with others through practices that cultivate kind awareness, appropriate effort, radical acceptance, and letting go.
Ayya Niyyānika lives at Passaddhi Vihara in Olympia, WA.
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 Tathaloka is still residing at Dhammadharini / Aranya Bodhi. Ayya Sobhanā was Prioress at Aranya Bodhi hermitage during Ayya Suvijjānā and Ayya Niyyānika years of training. Ayya Sobhana is now at Empty Cloud Monastery.
Passaddhi Vihara now joins the growth of the Bhikkhunī Saṅgha around the world.