Objects of Development | 5 Day Retreat | Bhante Joe

[et_pb_section fb_built= 1 _builder_version= 4.16 global_colors_info= {} ][et_pb_row _builder_version= 4.16 background_size= initial background_position= top_left background_repeat= repeat global_colors_info= {} ][et_pb_column type= 4_4 _builder_version= 4.16 custom_padding= ||| global_colors_info= {} custom_padding__hover= ||| ][et_pb_text _builder_version= 4.27.8 background_size= initial background_position= top_left background_repeat= repeat global_colors_info= {} ]

Open to BSV Members & Non-Members

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url= https://bsv.member365.org/public/event/details/73e8b770095a7cd7db2819de78f55d34f12157a8/1 button_text= Register button_alignment= center _builder_version= 4.27.8 _module_preset= default global_colors_info= {} ][/et_pb_button][et_pb_text _builder_version= 4.27.8 background_size= initial background_position= top_left background_repeat= repeat hover_enabled= 0 global_colors_info= {} sticky_enabled= 0 ]

About the Teacher:

Bhante Joe is a Canadian Buddhist monk ordained and trained in the Thai Forest tradition of Ajahn Chah. He first joined a Zen Buddhist temple in Toronto, where he studied under the guidance of Samu Sunim. While there, reading about Theravāda Buddhism, a question arose strongly in his mind: Why aren’t there any arahants in the world anymore? The answer that came was simple and direct: because nobody is living like they did at the time of the Buddha anymore.

Not long afterward, he encountered books from the Thai Forest Tradition, including Luangta Mahā Bua’s Paṭipadā, which described the lifestyle, training, and attainments of Ajahn Mun’s early disciples. Deeply inspired, he recognized in them a style of practice that seemed to preserve the same spirit and aim as the practices at the Buddha’s time, and to lead to the same results.

Soon after, he met Ajahn Viradhammo and learned about the newly opened Tisarana Buddhist Monastery, the first Thai Forest monastery in Canada able to train monks in English. He joined the community as an anāgārika in 2008 and received higher ordination there in 2010.

He later spent time training at Wat Pah Nanachat in Thailand. In 2019, he came to Sri Lanka with the wish to meet the reclusive forest monk Ñāṇadīpa Bhante and to find solitary places for meditation. Through a rare stroke of good fortune, he was able to spend several months in regular weekly Dhamma discussions with Ñāṇadīpa Bhante during the final year of that great monk’s life. Bhante Joe recorded those teachings and later compiled them into the book To the End of Body and Mind.

Since 2019, Bhante Joe has remained based in Sri Lanka. After Ñāṇadīpa Bhante’s passing, he has mostly spent time living alone or with small groups of monks, wandering through forest areas and seeking out quiet places for practice.

His teaching emphasizes the Vinaya, the Suttas, and the training methods of the Thai Forest masters, such as Ajahn Mun, Luangta Mahā Boowa, and Ajahn Chah, while also drawing inspiration from exemplary Sri Lankan practitioners such as Ñāṇadīpa Bhante and Ñāṇavimala Bhante.

About the Retreat:

This retreat is designed for lay practitioners and offers practical training in the theory and practice of Theravāda Buddhist meditation. It is suitable for all experience levels—for beginners who want to establish a solid foundation, as well as for experienced meditators who want to deepen their practice and explore different meditation themes.

Over the course of the retreat, participants will have the opportunity to: • Understand the basic principles behind training the mind • Build proficiency in foundational samatha and vipassanā practices across several core meditation topics • Learn how to choose a meditation topic that fits their temperament and situation • Identify and adjust everyday factors outside formal practice that strongly affect meditation, and streamline them so they support practice • Optionally connect with a community of fellow practitioners after the retreat ends

Vegetarian lunches will be provided.

Room Bond:

Accommodation for this retreat is offered as a mix of single and twin‑share rooms, depending on your preference and availability.

Single Room Twin-Share

BSV Member $400 $300

Non-Member $480 $380

Not a member? Join here

Venue:

Sanctuary of Stillness (SOS) Meditation Retreat Centre, 107 Beaches Lane, Newbury, AUSTRALIA

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]