Tuesday 21st December
An Audience with Ajahn Pasanno
Abbot of Abhayagiri temple, California
at Baan Aree Library
Happily Ajahn Pasanno is back in Thailand again this cold season, and will give a talk in English for us at the great dhamma centre Baan Aree, near Ari BTS (map below).
The topic is still open. If you have a suggestion for a topic please enter it via the comment box at the end of this blog. We’ll pass 2 or 3 of the suggestions on to Ajahn Pasanno soon.
The event is free of charge and no need to book in advance. Donations will be passed on to Abhayagiri Temple, California. However, to guarantee a seat indoors, arrive early!
6:00 pm Arrive, gather and mingle (there’s a coffee shop at Baan Aree)
6:45 – 7:30 pm Dhamma Talk
7:30 – 8:15 Q&A
Venerable Ajahn Pasanno
Ven. Pasanno Bhikkhu took ordination in Thailand in 1974 and during his first year as a monk he was taken by his teacher to meet Ajahn Chah, with whom he asked to be allowed to stay and train. One of the early residents of Wat Pah Nanachat (International Forest Monastery in NE Thailand), Ven. Pasanno became its abbot in his ninth year as a Bhikkhu. Under his leadership Wat Pah Nanachat developed considerably, both in physical size and in reputation. Ajahn Pasanno became a well-known and highly respected monk and Dhamma teacher in Thailand. On New Year’s Eve of 1997 Ajahn Pasanno moved to California to share the abbotship of the newly opening Abhayagiri Monastery, where he still resides.
Many of Ajahn Pasanno’s books or dhamma talks in both Thai and English are available on the internet. Some books from the Ajahn Chah lineage will be available for free distribution too.
Location
Baan Aree Library is a thriving dhamma site with library, meeting hall, and lots of excellent events organised in Thai. The Library itself is open daily from 9 am – 7 pm and has a few books in English, including much of the Tripitaka (Scriptures). The new Dhamma Hall is airconditioned and set in the attractive grounds, with many very reasonably priced vegetarian food stalls open in the daytime.
We owe a debt of gratitude to Baan Aree as the place where our Little Bangkok Sangha first started with the generous offering of great facilities free of charge for the English speaking community in Bangkok. Our group would not have gotten going otherwise.
Baan Aree has regular Dhamma meetings in Thai which are listed at their Thai website: http://baanaree.net/ .
The Library is directly on the Skytrain line. Go to Ari BTS station and walk back towards the victory monument about 20 meters and you should see the passage way to Baan Aree Library on the right hand side.
Do arrive early and meet with some of the regulars in the coffee shop in the compound. Baan Aree car park is accessible from the rear (Soi Ari 1) where you see the sign for ‘ BANANA FAMILY PARK ‘. Bus routes 8, 28, 29, 38, 54, 63, 74, 77, 108, 157, 177, 502, 503, 509, and 510 all pass by. Get out at Ari BTS Station.
click map to enlarge:
click map below for a wide area view of Baan Aree location:
Baan Aree, Bahn Aree, Bahn Ari, Baan Ari are all the same thing – just various transliterations from the Thai. The Skytrain station is usually written ‘Ari’, while the Library itself usually renders it as ‘Baan Aree’ .
I’d like to attend. Do I have to book a place?
No booking necessary – I should have stated that in the announcement. I will add it in.But get there early for a good seat – we had 230 for Ajahn Jayasaro – and Baan Aree only hlds 140 – everyone else sits outside, which is quite pleasant this time of year. The speakers are clear outside too.