Remembering Anne Mahoney

What is it like to suddenly lose your meditation teacher?

Our Sangha is in shock. Our beloved teacher, Anne Mahoney passed away on September 30th. We all loved her. She was kind, thoughtful, and generous with her teachings. We were just finishing up a year long course on loving kindness (her favorite meditation) and had three months to go before finishing her other course on Growing Wisdom, finishing up her dhamma talks on the Paramis. We were excited and looking forward to her next courses. And then everything just stopped. I wanted time to stop too. We all needed time to take in what had happened, time to adjust and regain some sort of balance. But time does not stop and as the days roll by, the shock wears off and grief sets in hard.

A remarkable and multi-faceted woman, Anne’s dhamma talks were insightful, relatable, and filled with examples of her own life. She was always very clear, making sure that we all understood the principles behind the Buddhist teachings. As a skilled psychologist she contributed that experience along with her knowledge of the dhamma to her teaching. She patiently answered any and all questions and was available any time to clarify her teachings.

Anne wasn’t shy in talking about death. She constantly reminded us that everything is impermanent. That has been my mantra for the past weeks and it keeps me focused on the dhamma. I studied with Anne for over 25 years. I hear her voice in my head telling me that everything I need to know is inside of me. And so, even though she is gone, I still sit, I still meditate and I reflect on the Buddha’s teachings.

Where does our Sangha go from here?  I’m not sure but I know there are options and we are meeting and planning how to go forward with our loss. No, it will not be the same but with our devotion to hearing and learning about the dhamma, we will figure it out.

Thank you, Anne, for everything you have given to us. You have enhanced our lives. May you be happy and peaceful and be reborn in a higher realm.

Metta Always,

Sharon McClare

Dhamma Lineage Stories Series - Session One with Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg

On October 12, hundreds of meditators from over 30 countries tuned in to hear Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein share stories about their foundational Dharma teachers and their own spiritual journeys. Joseph and Sharon, along with Jack Kornfield, were among the original founders of Insight Meditation Society near Barre, Massachusetts, which opened in 1976. The practices and teachings they brought to North Americans at that time are rooted largely in Theravada Buddhist teachings as taught to them by venerated teachers from Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India.

In the 1970s, Joseph and Sharon travelled to Asia seeking spiritual guidance with various teachers, eventually meeting each other at a meditation retreat. They encountered and studied under deeply realized and venerated teachers, including Burmese meditation master Mahasi Sayadaw (who created somewhat of a revolution in Theravada practice through his focus on serious practice for laypeople), Anagarika Munindra, Dipa Ma, Sayadaw U Pandita and SN Goenka. Sharon’s and Joseph’s stories brought these teachers to life, telling about their personalities, teaching styles, wisdom, and dedication to bringing the Buddha’s teachings to all.

As practitioners of meditation and the Buddha Dharma in the world today, it’s important for us to acknowledge and pay respect to the Asian roots of our practice and the teachers of our teachers. The vision for the Lineage Stories series is to honour and express gratitude to the Asian roots of the practice; to give a sense of these teachings being handed down generation to generation; and to give current practitioners a sense of carrying this precious gift forward.

Over at least the next two years, the *Prairie Sangha, in partnership with Insight Meditation Society Online, will offer more sessions with other respected Insight Meditation (Vipassana) teachers who will share the stories of their foundational teachers. To register for the series or a particular session, please go to https://ims.dharma.org/bundles/lineage-stories. Please note, the first session sold out, so register early!

*The Prairie Sangha is a group of practitioners representing five sanghas across the prairies: Two Rivers Insight Meditation Community of Winnipeg, Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community, Regina Insight Meditation Community, Edmonton Insight Meditation, and Calgary Insight Meditation Society who have come together to offer the Lineage Stories series… and possibly future endeavours still to be envisioned.

News from Canmore Theravada Buddhist Community (CTBC) By Sanghamitta

(From early 2022) The Canmore Theravada Buddhist Community is overjoyed to report that after eight years of groundwork, we have a resident nun arriving the beginning of December this year.  She is Ayya Ahimsa, a Canadian nun originally from Vancouver.  She began her Buddhist journey with lay groups in the Vancouver area, attended Birken, became a steward at Sati Saraniya and eventually an anagarika and samaneri.  She then moved to Aloka Vihara and became a Bhikkhuni with Ayya Gunaseri as her preceptor.  And now she wishes to move to Canmore to support our community with teachings and to further her own practice with significant time for meditation.

 Currently we have Ayya Brahmavara in residence.  She has decided to extend her two month stay here to a three month stay, leaving mid July.  She will return mid October 2023 for a couple of months.  She plans to spend time with senior Bhikkhunis for the next few years and then settle somewhere.  We hope she chooses Canmore.  So far she is feeling this is a conducive place for practice…..so fingers crossed.  Ayya’s teachings have been very well received and her sunny personality is wonderful to be around.  Her schedule is here and her teachings are on you tube. Ayya Brahmavara will be offering a three day retreat in June…..details to be announced shortly in an upcoming newsletter.  Since covid numbers are dropping steadily we will invite 15 people to attend live and the rest on zoom.

 A Cambodian-Canadian samaneri will be joining us on May 22nd for 40 days.  She is training with Ayya Tatāloka for her Bhikkhuni ordination this fall….but due to visa regulations has to be back in Canada for 40 days.

 And we may have Ayya Niyyanika with us for part or all of the winter retreat, Jan - Mar 2023.  She will not be teaching.  This will be time for her personal practice.  Her stay here has not yet been confirmed.

A Visit to Sati Saraniya Hermitage, A Training Monastery for Theravada Buddhist Bikkhunis ~ By Lyne Rivest

This last May, I had the opportunity to stay at the Buddhist nuns’ community close to Perth, Ontario. After landing at the Ottawa airport, I was greeted by a cheerful Anagarikā named Acalā. Accompanying her was a visiting American 8-precept nun by the name of Khemanandī who drove us to the Hermitage which is located 1.5 hours southwest of Ottawa in rural Lanark County. The hermitage is home to the Canadian Bhikkhuni Sangha. Read More

Part 2: Anger As An Indicator of What Matters to You by Jacquie Clarke

As I meditate, I become aware of my patterns with emotions. Anger comes in various strengths, ranging from mild irritations to raging furies. What I have come to know through meditative studies and behavioural psychologies is that anger is a natural response to situations that seem unfair, where rules have been broken, or you feel threatened. Anger polarizes my stance. Anger is a focussing emotion. Read more