Role of Compassion and Loving Kindness on The Noble Eightfold Path | Ayya Karunika | 17 October 2024
Ayya Karunika explains where compassion (Karuna) and lovingkindness (metta) is found on the Noble Eightfold Path and how these two Brahmavihara practices are essential factors to practice the path to enlightenment. Also explains the answer to the question 'Why are we here?' and what to do after the end of a long retreat. Talk given on 17 October 2024.
Bhikkhuni Ayya Kārunikā is currently the Abbot at Santi Forest Monastery, NSW, Australia and the spiritual director for New Zealand Bhikkhuni Sangha Trust, Hamilton. Ayya Karunika started her monastic life in 2010 and she received her full ordination as a bhikkhunī in 2014 at Dhammasara Nuns monastery in Western Australia where she lived and trained for over a decade with Ajahn Hāsapaññā. She has been a student of Ajahn Brahm and Ajahn Brahmali for over 2 decades.
Ayya Kārunikā is able to articulate the Buddhist teachings in a way that is practical and comprehensible to people of all ages and has experience in conducting retreats for both adults and youth. While she has a PhD in Microbiology and worked as a scientist, she has also been the building project manager for the construction of the Dhammasara Nuns Monastery main building complex and has worked with many volunteers over the years. Ayya Kārunikā was born in Sri Lanka but has been living and working in Australia for over 2 decades.
She has a passion to share her experience and knowledge and loves working with people and also doing creative projects. She is dedicated to supporting the growth of Bhikkhunis around the world and is currently involved in projects to support the establishment of places for Bhikkhunis in Theravada forest tradition in Australia, New Zealand, Poland and Sri Lanka.
Please visit the Santi Forest Youtube Channel and Santi Forest Monastery website
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Buddhist Council of WA - Caring for our communities | Boon Tan | 5 September 2025
00:00 Guided meditation by Sandra Henville
30:39 Talk by Boon Tan
Speaker Profile: Boon Tan has been a long time follower of BSWA since the 90’s when the former Ajahn Jagaro was the spiritual director. He volunteered in the BSWA committee between 2014 to 2020 at the invitation of one of the committee, firstly as Assistant Treasurer and then Treasurer. He has represented BSWA on the Buddhist Council of WA since 2014, holding the role of committee member, President and now as Treasurer. Since 2022, he has represented BSWA and BCWA at the Federation of Australian Buddhist Council, contributing as both Secretary and Treasurer. Despite those roles, you will usually see him behind a camera and he has probably aimed at you at some time!
Every year, the monastic community (Monks and nuns) go on a three month retreat called the “Rains Retreat” from mid July to mid October. During this period, they do not visit our centres for teachings as it’s a time for deepening their own practice. While the monks and nuns are away, we will have some interesting guest speakers coming in to give the Friday Night talk.
Dust in Our Eyes 2025 (Rains Retreat Speakers' Series 2025) Hear stories of everyday dhamma as told by monastics and lay practitioners from various Buddhist traditions.
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BSWA teachings are available:
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How Can We Sleep While Our Beds Are Burning? | Venerable Chokyi | 8 August 2025
Cultivating the Patience of a Burrowing Frog | Kathryn Choules | 15 August 2025
Kathryn began meditating over 30 years ago at the Armadale group (AMG) of BSWA and continues to join the now online group as a regular member. She has practised in Theravadan, Tibetan and Zen/Chan traditions. She is the founder of “Mind and Movement”, and is a certified teacher of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s program, “Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction” (MBSR). Kathryn is recognised as a Senior Teacher by the Meditation Association of Australia. Kathryn has been slowly retiring from her meditation related work but continues to support a local secondary school implementing a whole school approach to Mindfulness-based Social and Emotional Learning.
Every year, the monastic community (Monks and nuns) go on a three month retreat called the “Rains Retreat” from mid July to mid October. During this period, they do not visit our centres for teachings as it’s a time for deepening their own practice. While the monks and nuns are away, we will have some interesting guest speakers coming in to give the Friday Night talk.
Dust in Our Eyes 2025 (Rains Retreat Speakers' Series 2025) Hear stories of everyday dhamma as told by monastics and lay practitioners from various Buddhist traditions.
Support us on https://ko-fi.com/thebuddhistsocietyofwa
BSWA teachings are available:
BSWA Teachings
BSWA Podcast Channel
BSWA DeeperDhamma Podbean Channel
BSWA YouTube
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Free Will - a Failed Fantasy | Drew Bellamy | 22 August 2025
Drew is a former President and Secretary of the BSWA in the years of 2014-2018. During this time Drew implemented many changes at the BSWA including property purchases and a re-structure of the Committee into sub-committees and the employment of paid staff to better service the growth in size the Society had experienced in the previous 10 years.
Drew is a family man and business man who won an industry award in 2021 from the State Government for innovation in the mining sector.
Since stepping down as President Drew has been a regular on the scene at the BSWA and has been invited as a Lay Speaker and to date has given 9 Dhamma talks.
Drew’s talk last year, ‘Monks on Mars’ followed a trajectory of Buddhism in the future, which was a sequel to his talk the year before ‘Dhamma and the Dinosaurs’ that was a Buddhist examination of deep time. Tonight’s talk ‘Free Will - a Failed Fantasy’ is a look at the experiences of a lay person existing in the human realm looking to change their future.
Every year, the monastic community (Monks and nuns) go on a three month retreat called the “Rains Retreat” from mid July to mid October. During this period, they do not visit our centres for teachings as it’s a time for deepening their own practice. While the monks and nuns are away, we will have some interesting guest speakers coming in to give the Friday Night talk.
Dust in Our Eyes 2025 (Rains Retreat Speakers' Series 2025) Hear stories of everyday dhamma as told by monastics and lay practitioners from various Buddhist traditions.
Support us on https://ko-fi.com/thebuddhistsocietyofwa
BSWA teachings are available:
BSWA Teachings
BSWA Podcast Channel
BSWA DeeperDhamma Podbean Channel
BSWA YouTube
Dharma talks from the tradition of Buddhist meditation master Ajahn Brahm and Australian Forest Sangha of monks and nuns presented by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia
Netherlands