Ceremony and ritual realign us with the Way, with the Dharma, with health and well-being. They help to clear what is accumulated, generating toxicity, pain, and suffering. In the Bodhisattva Way, what’s personal or collective doesn’t really matter. Personally there is a lot of psychological spiritual work around defining boundaries—what belongs where. But ultimately, when there’s suffering, we attend to it where it arises, whether it’s ours or wherever it came from. And sometimes we can’t, and we just leave it there, but we can still offer compassion. Even that adds a drop to the stream, helping to dissolve what came before.
Thanissara, MA
Residential Retreat Teacher
Thanissara embarked on her Buddhist practice within the Burmese school in 1975. The encounter with Ajahn Chah inspired her to ordain, leading to 12 years as a Buddhist monastic. During this time, she was a founding member of Chithurst Monastery and Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in the UK.
For over 35 years, Thanissara has been a guiding force in facilitating meditation retreats globally. Holding an MA in Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy Practice from Middlesex University & the Karuna Institute in the UK, she brings a wealth of expertise to her teaching and guidance.
In collaboration with Kittisaro, she co-established Dharmagiri Sacred Mountain Retreat—a meditation center and Non-Profit co-initiating and contributing to various Community Development projects in rural KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Their joint efforts extended to founding Chattanooga Insight in Tennessee and Sacred Mountain Sangha Non-Profit in California.
These organizations host retreats, trainings, classes, and events, emphasizing depth Dharma, the Kuan Yin Dharmas, and Awakening Activism for our current times.
An accomplished author with works spanning poetry to numerous articles, Thanissara's more recent book is "Time To Stand Up, An Engaged Buddhist Manifesto for Our Earth." Over the last ten years, she has completed several trainings and retreats focused on Indigenous wisdom from South American lineages, fostering awakening within a Gaian Cosmology.
Thanissara currently centers her attention on listening to the guidance emerging from the synergy of Dharma and the wisdom of nature. This serves as transformative medicine for our collective evolutionary journey, particularly during these times of profound shifts shaping the very fabric of our global existence.
Thanissara's Upcoming Programs
Retreat | On-Land
November 22 - November 30, 2024 | Friday - Saturday | 8 nights
Reclamation of the Sacred: Journey into Refuge, Presence, and Love
In helping us to deepen our refuge and reconnect with what is most precious and sacred in this life, this retreat draws from teachings and practices that open us to the heart of compassion. Informed by a synthesis of Theravāda Buddhism as transmitted through the Thai Forest Tradition and the teachings of Ajahn Chah, and Mahāyāna practices and teachings around Quan Yin’s compassionate Bodhisattva Path, this retreat includes devotional practices, Dharma talks, meditation instructions, Yoga sessions, and meetings with teachers.
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Thanissara through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.