Venerable Ajahn Brahm recently completed a tour of London, Canada, and Hamburg, in which he explored spirituality in the West through Dhamma talks and meditation instruction. The British-born Theravada monk launched his visit, which ran from 15–27 October, on home territory, with a talk on “Kindfulness” organized by The Buddhist Society in London. This inspiring talk explained how “mindfulness” and “kindness” combined as “Kindfulness” can become the power behind successful meditation.
Venerable Ajahn Brahm. From ajahnbrahmintoronto2012.blogspot.hk
In Canada, on 18 October Ajahn Brahm led a one-day meditation retreat organized by the Ajahn Brahm Meditation Group in Toronto. Those who joined the program did so with the aim of discovering their spiritual side by practicing deep meditation, in order to find a balance in their stressful lives. Some of the participants expressed their gratitude to the organizers: “I just want to personally thank you very much for organizing this wonderful weekend with Ajahn Brahm,” said one retreatant, Ariya. “I was very impressed with the event. . . . Attending his retreat and two of his other talks made my trip from Boston totally worthwhile.” Annujan Wignes, who had applied for the retreat but was too late to get in, also commented: “I hope Ajahn Brahm will return . . . to Toronto so I can sincerely listen to his teaching one day.”
Three public talks, from 17–19 October, also formed part of Ajahn Brahm’s Toronto visit. Held at the University of Toronto, Halton Peel Buddhist Cultural Society, and Toronto Mahavihara, the talks were on the themes “Why practice self-compassion?,” “What is right livelihood?,” and “Loving-kindness, compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity,” respectively.
On 20 October, Ajahn Brahm gave a lecture on “Women and Gender Equality in Theravada Buddhism,” hosted by the Faculty of Religious Studies of McGill University in Montreal. A student-organized conference entitled “Conversation on Consciousness” was held on the same day, with cognitive scientist and vegan activist Stevan Harnad, religious studies scholar and vegan activist Marion Achoulias, and phenomenologist Philip Buckley presenting alongside Ajahn Brahm. The aim of the conference was to encourage dialogue between experts in diverse fields with an interest in conscious experience. Two themes were addressed: (1) “How should our knowledge about consciousness guide our treatment of animals?” and (2) “What can the investigation of subjective experience, i.e., meditation, teach us about consciousness?.”
Ajahn Brahm then moved on to Halifax, where from 21–23 October he gave three lectures at Dalhousie University, organized by Biology professor Arunika Gunawardena and professor of Psychology & Neuroscience Dennis P. Phillips, with the support of Dalhousie Multifaith Centre, on “How to be happy,” “Forgiveness,” and “Your relationships with the world,” as well as a guided meditation session on loving kindness.
Returning to Europe, Ajahn Brahm traveled to Hamburg, where on 25 October he led a meditation retreat at Bao Quang Pagoda and the next day, gave two talks on “Buddhism in the 21st century, challenges and opportunities” and “Buddhism in daily life–how does it work?.” The talks were given at the Anna Siemsen Auditorium of the University of Hamburg, and organized by the Supreme Court in cooperation with the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies.
Ajahn Brahm currently serves as abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery near Serpentine, Western Australia. He is the author of several books, including Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond and The Art of Disappearing. He is also actively involved in the re-establishment of the Theravada Bhikkhuni sangha.