Hello Dhamma Friends,
The Aranya (Wilderness) Refuge Project organizers have exciting news to share.
We are now a registered Society in British Columbia and we are applying to become a registered Canadian Charity. Our name is:
Aranya Refuge Theravada Buddhist Monastery
Aranya Refuge Theravada Buddhist Monastery will continue to provide requisites for the monks from Metta Forest Monastery (Wat Metta) to practice and study and to share the Buddha’s teachings on Vancouver Island. Until the monks are permitted to travel to Canada, we will be offering online teachings from Taan Ajaan Geoff, abbot of Wat Metta.
We wish to acknowledge the generous support we received to make these first steps possible. Several Dhamma organizations shared information with us. Volunteers devoted many hours to develop draft documents, and we received generous financial support for legal expertise to ensure that we have a sound foundation for being a Society and to become a registered Canadian Charity. Anumodana.
November 2021 - Monastery for a Month on Vancouver Island with Ajaan Geoff
We are very happy to announce that Taan Ajaan Geoff has accepted our invitation to visit for the month of November 2021. He will be accompanied by a second and possibly a third monk from Wat Metta.
The monks will stay at Earthspring Sanctuary. Earthspring is near Victoria, BC and offers 123 acres of forested land -- an ideal place for the monks to practice and study. There will be opportunities for the public to come for day visits, offer food, participate in solitary and group meditations, and receive Buddhist teachings.
We recognize that our plans will depend on provincial and federal health guidelines that could affect the monks' ability to travel, and for there to be in-person group gatherings.
Look for future updates on ways to participate.
2021 Online Day-long Teachings - More Good News!
We are grateful that Taan Ajaan Geoff has agreed to offer two day-long online teaching events that Aranya Refuge will organize. The dates are:
July 10, 2021
Dec 29, 2021
Registration will open one month prior to the date of the event.
The topic of the teachings to be announced at a later date.
Financial and Material Support
We welcome financial contributions from those who feel inspired to support the development of Aranya Refuge Theravada Buddhist Monastery. Visit the Contribute page on the website for more information. Please note that until we become a Charity we cannot offer receipts for tax purposes.
However, a Giving Group for Aranya Refuge has been established with the Canadian charity CHIMP (Charity Impact) so that you can receive a tax receipt. Once Aranya Refuge attains charitable status, funds held in the CHIMP account will be transferred to Aranya Refuge Theravada Buddhist Monastery.
Directions for how to contribute to the Giving Group can be found here.
Information for how to share Food and Material support for the November 2021 visit will be announced closer to the time.
For more information, contact us at info@aranyarefuge.org
Taan Ajaan Geoff Talks from Dec 30 2020
Selves and Not-Self
Recordings from Taan Ajaan Geoff’s online teaching on Dec 30, 2020, can be found here.
We sincerely appreciate the generosity from Taan Ajaan Geoff in sharing teachings and answering questions from the 200 + participants attending from more than 20 countries.
With gratitude from the new Board of Directors:
Brock Brown (President)
Russ Callaghan (Vice President)
Christie Geiss (Treasurer)
June Fukushima (Secretary)
Jacqui Balfour (Director)
Supporters:
Anita Basu
Kiko Brown (Bookkeeper)
Delaine Fleming (By-laws Committee member)
Farrell Fleming (Former Director - Aranya Refuge Project)
Bernie Geiss (Governance Advisor)
John Jordan (Former Director - Aranya Refuge Project)
Irfan Pirbhai (Website and Newsletter)
Kiran Shahbaz (Website and Newsletter)