เสียงธรรม The Noble Eightfold Path / Ajahn Sona

Ajahn Sona 20 Years a Monk

Modern Psychology vs. Buddhist Psychology (1)

Modern Psychology vs. Buddhist Psychology (2)

Ajahn Sona
Sep 13, 2020

 

Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery (‘Birken’) is a Canadian Theravada Buddhist monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah. Also known by its Pali name, ‘Sītavana‘ (translated as ‘cool forest grove’), the monastery provides a peaceful forest refuge for monastics and lay people who are seeking to deepen their understanding and practice of the Buddha’s Eightfold Path. Venerable Ajahn Sona serves as the monastery’s Abbot and senior monastic teacher. Born in Canada, with training in both the Sri Lankan and Thai forest traditions, Ajahn Sona’s teaching style weaves together ancient eastern wisdom with modern western sensibilities. Operating entirely off-grid, the monastery employs leading-edge clean technologies and is a model of green monasticism
Contact
Visit Enquiries:
bookings@birken.ca
General Enquiries:
meditate@birken.ca
Mailing Address:
Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery
7000 Smith Lake Forest Service Road
Knutsford, BC | V0E 2A0 | Canada

;- https://birken.ca/#top

 

Ajahn Soṇa is the monastery's founder and abbot.[1] Born in Canada in 1954, Ajahn Soṇa's background as a layperson is in classical guitar performance. His encounter with Buddhist wisdom as a young man initiated a spiritual journey that led him to become a lay hermit in the Coast Mountain region of BC for several years. He subsequently ordained as a Theravada monk in 1989 under Ven. Gunaratana, at the Bhavana Society in West Virginia, where his first years of training took place. Ven. Soṇa further trained for over three years at monasteries following Ajahn Chah in northeast Thailand, especially Wat Pah Nanachat. Upon his return to Canada in 1994 he helped found the original Birken Forest Monastery near Pemberton, BC and, as its spiritual guide, he has since led the monastery through each stage of its growth.
;- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birken_Forest_Buddhist_Monastery#Abbot

 

Stages of Enlightenment

Ajahn Sona
Jul 30, 2019
Stages of Enlightenment, in the series of talks on The Noble Eightfold Path, The Tenfold Path, and The Four Noble Truths. Ajahn Sona podcast: https://anchor.fm/ajahn-sona | This episode: https://anchor.fm/ajahn-sona/episodes...

 

Virtual Mindfulness Retreat (1): More than Just Awareness

Virtual Mindfulness Retreat (2): Focused Attention, Panoramic Awareness

Virtual Mindfulness Retreat (3): Objective Sense of the Body

Virtual Mindfulness Retreat (4): The Body as Nature

Ajahn Sona
Premiered May 4, 2020
Talk 4 (of 9) in the 10-day Virtual Retreat given by Ajahn Sona at Birken Forest Monastery, May 2020.

 

Virtual Mindfulness Retreat (5): Reengineering Perception

Virtual Mindfulness Retreat (6): The Second Arrow

Virtual Mindfulness Retreat (7): Moving Towards Lucidity

Virtual Mindfulness Retreat (8): How to Attend Wisely

Virtual Mindfulness Retreat (9): Landing at the Luminous Destination

Ajahn Sona
May 9, 2020

 

My Life, My Practice: Ajahn Sona in conversation with Pamutto Bhikkhu

Teatime at Birken: The Ten Perfections

Teatime at Birken: Illness Is No Surprise

Ajahn Sona
Apr 11, 2020
Teatime talk given by Ajahn Sona at Birken Forest Monastery on the topic of illness and loss during this time of the pandemic.
Recorded April 8, 2020.

 

Equanimity in the Time of the Pandemic

Jhāna (1): The Treasure Within

Jhāna (2): Samadhi Is Relief

Ajahn Sona
Aug 21, 2020

 

Jhāna (3): Happiness which leads to Happiness

Jhāna (4): What's Between You & Jhāna?

Jhāna (5): A Pleasure Not To Be Feared

Jhana (6): Breath Meditation, In Depth

Ajahn Sona
Aug 2, 2020

 

The Four Noble Truths

Ajahn Sona
Feb 28, 2020

 

The Ten Perfections: Loving-kindness

The Ten Perfections: Equanimity or How To Be Cool

Ajahn Sona Teatime Q&A

Ajahn Sona
Livestream Dhamma Q&A with Ajahn Sona from Whistler, BC.

 

Metta (2): Watching Ourselves Watching Others

Metta (4): The Quality of Mercy

Metta (5): Love Is Not Serious

Ajahn Sona
Oct 21, 2018

 

Metta (6): Go Bless Yourself

Metta (7): Seven-day Silent Symphony

Metta (8): Pat Your Head, Rub Your Stomach

Ajahn Sona
Oct 21, 2018

 

Where Is the Buddha Now?

Ajahn Sona 32 Years a Monk - Part 1

Ajahn Sona
Oct 25, 2020
Ajahn Sona continues where he left off in the video "20 Years a Monk", recounting experiences as a young monk in Thailand, through the establishment of the original Birken Monastery. Part 1 of 3.

 

The Rabbi and the Buddhist Monk

In conversation: Rabbi Shmuel Braun and Ajahn Sona, abbot of the Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery.
Back to the Shack

Natural Human and the Insane, Cruel Master

Ajahn Sona
Oct 28, 2020

 

Ajahn Sona 32 Years a Monk - Part 2

Ajahn Sona 32 Years a Monk - Part 3

Ajahn Sona
Nov 15, 2020

 

Vesak - The Buddha's Birthday: Dhamma Talk and Q&A with Ajahn Sona

Ajahn Sona
Vesak is the celebration of the birth, Enlightenment, and death of the Buddha, celebrated by Buddhists on the full moon of May. On this auspicious day, Ajahn Sona offers a Dhamma reflection and answers questions from around the world. Index:
00:00 - Intro
00:13 - Vesak Dhamma Talk
24:07 - Q&A begins
24:17 - What makes the Buddha different as a religious figure; why are reflections on the Buddha's birth, Enlightenment and death helpful to us now? 31:50 - Many sculptures of the Buddha show him with a hand gesture of touching the earth. What is the significance of this?
36:21 - I have both positive and negative feelings around bowing. Why is it that it is appropriate in Asian culture, but seems strange in Western culture?
41:42 - My family does not connect to meditation, but would connect to the greater Buddhist message. What does it mean to celebrate the Buddha in our culture, in this time?
49:45 - Is there increased opportunity for one to grow in Dhamma practice as they age?
55:05 - Can you speak to the development of patience?
58:37 - If Buddhism is about happiness, why did the Buddha choose to frame his teaching around suffering?
1:01:50 - Are there skillful ways to face the possibilities of sickness, death and loss?
Ajahn Sona's new book: "Life is a Near Death Experience - Skills for Illness, Aging, Dying & Loss" Available on Amazon throughout the world:
Amazon.ca - http://bit.ly/LifeAmazonCA Amazon.com - http://bit.ly/LifeAmazonUS
Ajahn Sona Podcast: Apple - http://bit.ly/AppleAjSona
Spotify - http://bit.ly/SpotifyAjSona
Podbean - http://bit.ly/PodbeanAjSona
To support more virtual Dhamma from Birken Monastery, visit: https://birken.ca/support/

 

Equanimity & Activism: Live Q&A with Ajahn Sona from Sun Peaks, BC

Ajahn Sona
Streamed live on Aug 8, 2021
Ajahn Sona gives a Dhamma Talk on "Equanimity & Activism" and answers questions from around the world.

 

Maranasati: Buddhist Reflections on Death

Ajahn Sona
Jul 17, 2021

 

Buddhist Cosmology (1): Space, Time and Being

Buddhist Cosmology (2): Asura Realm

Ajahn Sona
May 26, 2018