Well, it feels like things are getting back to a kind of ‘normal’ here again lately, with the covid restrictions easing greatly and no community transmission in NSW for quite some time…
Long may it continue …
In truth (Dhamma) however, change is the ‘normal’ in the conditioned world, so this means we can actually expect things to continue in the anicca-vein! And just to prove that point, though on a positive note, we want to share with you some news of the changes ahead in the Santi community this year.
From mid-April, we will be welcoming some Bhikkhunis from Dhammasara Monastery who are coming to live at Santi. Dhammasara is the community where Ayya Nirodha trained in Western Australia. As their nuns’ community has grown to full capacity in recent years, they need to make more room at Dhammasara to allow new nuns to train there, so we’ve invited them to come to Santi, to expand and develop Bhikkhuni community here too. This move will benefit both the East coast and the West coast, and support the growth of the Bhikkhuni community in Australia overall.
Ayya Jitindriya and Venerable Jayasara, who have been managing Santi for the last few years, will be supporting the Bhikkhunis to settle in and to gradually take on the responsibilities here over the next 6 months or so. Some of the bhikkhunis have resided at Santi before so are quite familiar with the place.
The seed of this new development took root over a year ago, however with the onset of the pandemic and border closures the movement of the nuns eastward was delayed.
Eventually, once all feels settled at Santi with these changes afoot, Ayyas Jitindriya and Jayasara will then be moving to a small retreat hermitage further south (about a 3½ hour drive from Santi), called ‘Viveka Hermitage’. They both wish to cultivate more of a focus on meditative practice in solitude, so the small hermitage setting they are developing will support this endeavour.
“Now we are getting older and less able to take care of such a large property like Santi, we are happy to be able to gradually handover the responsibilities and leadership here to the bhikkhunis (a younger and more vigorous group at that!)… who will be able to develop Santi further and grow a full-functioning Bhikkhuni forest monastery here. This was always the vision for Santi since it was given into the hands of the nuns’ sangha, so this new development is a wonderful outcome for everyone involved.”
Ayyas Jitindriya and Jayasara will of course be staying in touch with Santi and the community here after they move to the hermitage, and will be able to support whenever needed.
In other anicca-news, Ayya Nirodha was due back to Santi next month, however, she has recently decided to extend her stay in Thailand for another year. She is happy and well, and in a very conducive setting for Dhamma practice (at Ajahn Gunha’s monastery), but given the covid situation and international borders still being closed, she felt it was best to stay where she is for now, until early next year.
As the anicca-dhamma of change continues to unfold, and to teach us — (no doubt it is the case in all of our lives!) — we here at Santi wish you all the very best for the year ahead… (though it unfolds only in each moment, and nowhere else but here and now)… May we all practice to be right here to see it! 😊
The conditioned mind can often feel fear with change…
But, without change, there would be no amazing butterflies!
