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After a full year as novices at Wat Pah Nanachat the two brothers Saccadhammo and Khemadhammo from Indonesia have been accepted as Bhikkhus in the Sangha on February 3rd, 2025. Their relatives and friends came from Bali to give them full support for their lives in the yellow robes. The Sangha of Wat Pah Nanachat wholeheartedly welcomes them in their midst and wishes them much peace and happiness in the Buddha’s system of training, the Dhamma-Vinaya.
On Jan 9th two new Samaneras (novices) started their training in the yellow robes in the Sangha of Wat Pah Nanachat. Samanera Dhīro from India, who, as a layman had been looking after the monks in the new monastery associated to Wat Pah Nanachat in Haryana Province northern India, and Samanera Yuttiko from one of the neighboring villages around Wat Pah Nanachat. We wholeheartedly welcome the two in the Sangha of Wat Pah Nanachat.
From Jan 3rd to 6th Luang Por Pasanno kindly offered to teach a mediation retreat at Wat Pah Nanachat in Thai language around the Bot area in the mornings and evenings, and during the day in the inner Sala, including walking mediation in the area of the cremation site. The monks and novices and many laypeople that took part in this period of focused and silent practice greatly appreciated the teachings and the unique opportunity to practice together.
With an evening of quiet meditation and chanting the Sangha of Wat Pah Nanachat celebrated the beginning of 2025 (2568). Luang Por Pasanno - visiting from Abhayagiri Monastery in California - lead the ceremonies and gave some Dhamma-teachings as a blessing for the new year.
On Monday, November 11th, 2024 Wat Pah Nanachat conducted a ceremony of “Going Forth” (Pabbajja), accepting two new novices (samaneras) in the sangha. May they live a life of happiness and peace in the yellow robes — for their own benefit and for the benefit of many other beings.
In the tradition of Ajahn Chah the yearly robe-offering ceremony called “Kathina” is usually marked by a large gathering of monastery-disciples for chanting, meditation and Dhamma-talks the night before the offering. Monks and laypeople from nearby forest monasteries join in. For laypeople there is free food-give-away offered by many volunteer-groups. In the morning, just before the actual Kathina ceremony, the sangha usually goes on a symbolic rice-almsround within the monastery. This year the seniormost Ajahn was Luang Por Liem from Wat Nong Pah Pong and Tan Ajahn Jayasaro, who came from his kuti in Korat.
The Kathina ceremony starts with a short, formal dedication in Pali. Then all laypeople who wish to contribute robe-material, place their offering in front of the sangha. The monks then determine who is to receive the robe that is to be made out of the offered cloth. This “Kathina”-robe needs to be finished before the next dawn. In Wat Pah Nanachat the sangha hand-sews the white cloth in a group effort, and then uses natural dye derived from Jackfruit-wood to give it the required ochre colour. The dye is been prepared ahead of time in a lengthy process of boiling down wood-chips for many hours. The wet robe is then dried, for example by the heat of small charcoal stoves. Eventually the finished robe is given in a formal sangha meeting to the designated recipient - usually the abbot.
From July 25-27th the Sangha and the lay community of Wat Pah Nanachat were engaged in a special practice period with long afternoon sessions in addition to the morning and evening meetings, in order to start the “Pansah”, the traditional rains-retreat together, and to mark the following three auspicious occasions:
The 75th birthday of Luang Por Pasanno, former abbot of the monastery on July 26th, and the 90th birthday of Luang Por Sumedho, Wat Pah Nanachat’s first abbot, on July 27th, and the 72nd Birthday of HM King Vajiralongkorn on July 28th, which was celebrated with special ceremonies and events not only in Wat Pah Nanachat, but all over the country. The Sangha and the lay community felt greatly inspired to be able to dedicate these days of silent meditation to these three most venerable beings, who we owe so much to, especially living in the midst of the rich Thai religious heritage as monks and laypeople from all over the world. May they keep healthy and well, allowing their great wisdom and compassion to continue to guard our community and from there spread the Dhamma throughout the Kingdom of Thailand and abroad.
On the afternoon of July 15th, 2024, the Sangha of Wat Pah Nanachat welcomed two new monks into the Sangha: Ven Thitako Bhikkhu from Israel and Ven. Khemarato Bhikkhu from India. May their practice in the bhikkhu’s system of training lead them to much peace and happiness within the Dhamma-Vinaya.
In the past week Wat Pah Nanachat has been offering teachings in meditation and Buddhist ethics to groups of students from Rachathani University and the local primary schools of Bung Wai and the surrounding villages.
The Sangha of Wat Pah Nanachat welcomes Samanera Cāgarato from Germany as novice. May he develop much peace and happiness in the monastic life, prospering in the Dhamma-Vinaya in our monastic community.
Visakha-Puja is usually marked by many people coming to the meal offering and Dhamma-Talk in the morning at Wat Pah Nanachat. After a day of quiet practice in the monastery, the evening is then dedicated to a communal recollection of the life of the Buddha. The original texts from the scriptures are read out by Sangha members and laypeople both in Thai and in English for all to rejoice in the Buddha’s birth, full awakening and final passing away.
The traditional Thai New Year Festival (Songkran) this year at Wat Pah Nanachat culminated with a blessing-ceremony in the Sala on April 14, with mutual asking for forgiveness between the Sangha and the lay-community. Afterwards each sangha-member was offered a full bath in a shielded off area in the center of the monastery between the trees, with the laypeople pouring in water from the outside and the monks sitting on a bamboo platform inside, clad in their bathing-cloths, being soaped and rinsed thoroughly by some of the male villagers under a continuous stream of cool water. There was a sense of great friendliness and joy in the air as all participants gradually got wetter and wetter. Also there were some more solemn opportunities to pour water over small statues of the Buddha and Venerable Ajahn Chah, and the hands of Ajahn Kevali, while quietly expressing gratitude, respect and good wishes for the upcoming new year.
In the morning of March 24th, 2024 the Sangha welcomed Samanera Aggadhammo from South Africa and Samanera Parakkamo from India taking on the training as Samanera in their midst. The Sangha wholeheartedly wishes them all the best in their practice at Wat Pah Nanachat.
On the occasion of 2024 marking the 72nd birthday (the 6th cycle of 12 years), of HM King of Thailand, the Thai Sangha-Administration organizes a traditional recitation of the protective verses (Parittas) each month. The Head of the Ubon Sangha-Administration, Tan Jaokhun Thepvarajahn lead this auspicious event in the new Uposatha Hall of Wat Pah Nanachat for the month of February.
On the full moon day of Magha, the third month of the ancient Indian lunar calendar, the Sangha traditionally comes together commemorating the teachings of the “Ovada-Patimokkha”. Together with the lay community they circumambulate one of the main Buddha-images or cetiyas in the monastery, holding flowers, candles and incense in their hands.
In the early morning of February 11th, 2025, the Sangha of Wat Pah Nanachat accepted Ven. Visarado from France into the community by conducting the sangha-transaction of giving upasampada with Ajahn Kevali as the preceptor. We wish him all the best for his new life as a Bhikkhu, a monk in the Thai-Theravada-Tradition.
With the traditional ceremony of Going Forth this morning the Sangha of Wat Pah Nanachat happily received the new novices Saccadhammo and Khemadhammo in their midst.
With the recitation of the traditional protective verses (Parittas) on new years eve on December 31st, 2023, the Sangha of Wat Pah Nanachat wishes all the monastery disciples and visitors a peaceful and happy new year 2024 C.E./2567 B.E.
From December 22nd to 25th Luang Por Pasanno (former Abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat and Abhayagiri Monastery in California) kindly conducted a retreat for the lay community of Wat Pah Nanachat, leading them in sitting and walking meditation in the inner sala and the area around the Uposatha Hall.
On November 17th to 18th Wat Pah Nanachat held the yearly Robe-Offering-Ceremony (Kathina), which the Buddha allowed for a sangha of at least five monks who have spent the rains-retreat together, so that they can sew and dye themselves new robes before possibly moving on to other places.
As is customary in the Ajahn Chah tradition, the resident and visiting monks and the lay community start the Kathina ceremony by coming together for evening chanting, Dhamma talks and practice throughout the night.
The next morning there is a symbolic almsround in the monastery in which the laypeople put plain cooked rice into the bowls of the monks and novices.
The ceremonial offering of the Kathina then cloth takes place before the meal. During the day the sangha will have to work on cutting, sewing and dyeing at least one piece of the triple robe set out of the cloth offered in the morning.
When the robe is finished, it gets given to one monk chosen by the community, by reciting the Sangha transaction for this purpose in Pali.
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