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2024 Almsgiving Ceremony

Published: October 5, 2024

Sunday, November 17th

Celebration

— ZOOM LINK for 3-4:30 pm PT —

Join in person or online as we celebrate the completion of Passaddhi Vihara’s first ever Vassa. This is a time for delighting in Dhamma through community time, generosity, and reflection. 

Andrew and Muditā Paterson are sponsoring the cloth and almsgiving offering ceremony on Sunday, November 17th.  All are welcome to join in shared rejoicing and support for Passaddhi Vihara.

The Passaddhi Vihara Support Foundation intends to extend the Vihara’s rental lease and continue to establish a place of monastic practice and Dhamma sharing in Olympia, WA.

Schedule

(Join in any/all of the three segments in person or join in the ceremony online)

I. OPEN HOUSE VIHARA (1:30 – 2:30 pm)

1:30 to 2:30 pm – The Vihara will be open to drop-in visitors.

If you haven’t yet seen the Passaddhi Vihara bhikkhunī’s peaceful dwelling this is a good opportunity to soak in and share the practice done here. The housing complex is across the street from the church venue for the Almsgiving Ceremony.

RSVP to info@passaddhivihara.org for the exact vihara address.

II. PARADE (2:30 – 3 pm)

elephant model on float in Thailand

In some countries the robe offering and other support items are carried to the ceremony by an elephant or under umbrellas. We won’t have a real elephant, nor a super fancy float, but it might be the perfect Pacific Northwest season for umbrellas. Bring your own umbrella pre-draped with decorations or garlands or get some decorations at the beginning of the parade route.

III. COMMUNITY GATHERING and CEREMONY (3 – 4:30 pm)

The gathering will include Dhamma sharing, robe cloth and requisite offering ceremony, and reflection.

Join the ceremony online or in person.

Location: Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation Church, 2306 E End St NW, Olympia, WA

Offerings Wishlist

Your presence at the ceremony is the best offering. Material offerings are optional based on your abilities and inclinations. The uplift of the heart is an offering and meritorious itself.

The main material support needed for the vihara is the requisite of lodging. j

Each month of the Vassa the lodging support was just enough. Anumodana – we did it! The Vassa was supported!

If the bhikkhunīs are to stay for the Winter Retreat period, it would be very helpful to continue to receive the funds for lodging. It is approximately $2000 a month. Three months lodging and utilities = ~$6000.

Useful Items for Robe making and Winter at the Vihara (not yet complete – check back soon)

  • Small table or desk that can support a heavy sewing machine
  • Small sized room dehumidifier (example) ~❤️~ OFFERED ~❤️~
  • Two small battery operated temperature/humidity sensor displays ~❤️~ OFFERED ~❤️~
  • JoAnn’s gift certificates for sewing notions
  • Iron ~❤️~ OFFERED ~❤️~
  • Ironing board ~❤️~ OFFERED ~❤️~
  • two sets of Twin sized flannel sheets ~❤️~ OFFERED ~❤️~
  • two Large (golf sized) umbrellas to use on Winter alms rounds (example) ~❤️~ OFFERED ~❤️~
  • 2025 wall calendar with easy to write in squares (example) ~❤️~ OFFERED ~❤️~
  • hair clippers (example)~❤️~ OFFERED ~❤️~
  • Mach3 razor blade refills (example) ~❤️~ OFFERED ~❤️~
  • AAA rechargeable batteries and charger  ~❤️~ OFFERED ~❤️~
  • citrus squeezer (example) ~❤️~ OFFERED ~❤️~

PLEASE write info@passaddhivihara.org to let us know of your intended offering so we don’t end up with multiple items.

The first Vassa of Passaddhi Vihara in Olympia, Washington State, USA was a wonderful start of a new monastery based in the Theravada Buddhist traditions of Dhamma sharing and monastic life. We celebrate together the interdependence of monastics and lay practitioners that keeps the Dhamma alive in a deep and liberating way.

Contact information: info@passaddhivihara.org

Written by: Suvijjānā Bhikkhunī, Niyyānika Bhikkhunī, Sianita Natalia, and Amber Siefer

This year, the Passaddhi Vihara Support Foundation began a fundraising campaign to purchase a property for Passaddhi Vihara in the Pacific Northwest.

The vision is to create a bhikkhuni monastery that offers refuge from the pressures of modern life, supports full-time monastic practice, and provides a sanctuary for the wider community. The property will foster peacefulness, loving-kindness, wisdom, and the conditions for realization and awakening.

2026 Vesak gathering

Monastics and lay people gather in Olympia’s Plaza Park for a celebration of Vesak

.As the Theravāda bhikkhunī sangha continues to grow in the Pacific Northwest, there is increasing need not only for qualified teachers and preceptors, but also for a stable monastic environment where training, practice, and community life can flourish over the long term. Bhikkhunis are generally defined as female monastics, compared to bhikkhus, who are generally male.

At present, there is not yet an established Theravāda bhikkhunī monastery in the Pacific Northwest with a permanent monastic property,” said Sianita Natalia, a lay person who serves as Passaddhi Vihara’s treasurer. “Supporting Passaddhi Vihara’s efforts helps create the conditions for a lasting residence, where Theravāda bhikkhunis can live, practice, train, and serve the wider community for generations to come.”

monastics and lay people group photo in front of the Farmer's Market

Monastics and lay people gather in Olympia’s Plaza Park for a celebration of Vesak

Currently two bhikkhunis – Suvijjānā Bhikkhunī and Niyyānika Bhikkhunī – reside, practice and teach at Passaddhi Vihara, which is currently housed in a rented Olympia apartment. These co-founders stated that a key reason for the planned property purchase is to better create supportive conditions for monastic development.

“Passaddhi Vihara’s foremost aim is to support development toward awakening for its current and future monastics. We focus on deep understanding of the dhamma and commitment to the path,” Niyyānikā Bhikkhunī said. “From that basis, at the pace of practice we will gradually build and grow a community of monastics, lay renunciants, and lay practitioners seeking sanctuary and refuge. Our aspiration is that the entire process of developing the monastery remains aligned with the path, and becomes a ground for awakening.”

2026 Vesak gathering

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The bhikkhunis plan to establish a monastery where monastics can dedicate themselves fully to the dhamma through practice, study, and community life. This requires secluded spaces for meditation, as well as shared areas where monastics can receive meal offerings and teach the dhamma.

Another aim is to create a place where lay practitioners can participate in meditation, reflection, and dhamma programs during scheduled hours. The monastery will serve as a sanctuary for quiet practice, with respect for the natural environment while also preserving the simplicity of monastic life. With clearly defined public and private areas, including a detached meditation hall, the property will support both monastic training and community practice.

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