Dhamma Q&A live from Birken (Ajahn Sona)

Live from Birken: Dhamma Q&A with Ajahn Sona

(Ajahn Sona) Streamed live on June 15, 2025: Dhamma Questions & Answers. Join Birken Monastery on Sunday as Ajahn Sona answers Dhamma questions from listeners around the world. Questions may be submitted during the live chat (opens around 8:00 am on the day of streaming) or in advance, here: bit.ly/LivestreamQnA. Ajahn Sona Podcast: AppleAjSona, SpotifyAjSona, PodbeanAjSona. Question & Answer Archive: birken.ca/qaa/qaa.php.

• Not self (anattā) makes no sense. Can you explain?

Free 10-day mindfulness meditation retreat

Ajahn Sona, May 1-10, 2020, Birken Forest, BC; Dhr. Seven, Ananda (DBM), Wisdom Quarterly

Virtual Mindfulness Retreat (1): More than Just Awareness

Scythian/Shakyian Buddha (Gandhara)

(May 1, 2020) What is Buddhist "right mindfulness" or samma-sati? It differs from what psychology and the world in general are now taking the term to mean. It has two main components of attention and acceptance, attending to what is and allowing it to be. We dispassionately watch and observe without getting involved or entangled in the contents. This is right understanding and right effort, parts of the Noble Eightfold Path, of which "right mindfulness" is crucial.

Talk 1 (of 9) in the 10-Day Virtual Retreat given by Ajahn Sona at Birken Forest Monastery, May 2020. The audio-only version is streamed on Ajahn Sona's podcast: anchor.fm/ajahn-sona.

About the retreat

The Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipatthana): a virtual retreat with Ajahn Sona and Ajahn Sudanto. All events (schedule below) stream on Ajahn Sona's YouTube channel (youtube.com/ajahnsona).

May 1-10, 2020
(all times PDT, subject to change)

• 5:30 - 6:40 AM - morning puja and meditation
• 2:30 - 4:00 PM - sitting and walking meditation
• 4:00 - 5:00 PM - teatime Dhamma Q&A
• 7:00 - 8:00 PM - evening puja and meditation
• 8:15 - 9:00 PM - Dharma talk by Ajahn Sona

Organized by Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery, British Columbia, Canada, and Pacific Hermitage, Washington, Pacific Northwest, USA for the benefit of meditators worldwide. It's FREE. There is no cost to join. Participate in all or some activities, as your schedule permits.

• Visit Birken's website for the most up-to-date information
• Creating a retreat environment at home: retreat website
• Submit teatime Dharma questions with Ajahn Sudanto

Theravada Buddhism: Preserving the Buddha

Movingyh - There are different Buddhist schools. What is the difference? Answered by the abbott at Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery, Canada

Highly Recommended

Some Interesting Websites

By the Bhavana Society, USA

• Access to Insight
  www.accesstoinsight.org This is probably the single largest collection of readings on Theravada Buddhism on the Internet. It contains hundreds of scriptures and Dharma books as well as an extensive links page to other sites.
• Sadhu!
  www.dhamma.ru/sadhu A directory of links related to Theravada Buddhism.
• Audio Dharma
  www.audiodharma.org A collection of audio recordings from Theravada/vipassana and Zen tradition
• Journal of Buddhist Ethics
  jbe.gold.ac.uk Offers free download of the Sri Lankan version of Pali Canon and post-canonical writings (in Pali). Articles and book reviews are targeted to college students and their professors.
• Abhayagiri
  abhayagiri.org Theravada Buddhist monastery in the tradition of Ajahn Cha. Abbots Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro
• Metta Forest Monastery
  www.mettaforest.org Theravada Buddhist monastery. Abbot, Ajahn Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
• Birken Forest Monastery
  www.birken.ca Theravada Buddhist monastery in the tradition of Ajahn Cha. Abbot, Ajahn Sona
• Bodhi Monastery
  www.bodhimonastery.net A non-sectarian Buddhist monastery. There is a large collection of sutta study classes by Bhikkhu Bodhi available for download from the site.
• Insight Meditation Society and Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
  dharma.org Offers meditation retreats and study workshops.

The Bhavana Society is open to the public as a lay meditation center, Buddhist monastery, and nunnery (offering ordination) located in the woods in West Virginia, USA. Bhante G, a renowned instructor, is the center's abbot.