Equanimity at the Six Sense Doors | Ven. Canda Bhikkhuni
Channel: Clear Mountain Monastery
Date: 2024-03-17

In this talk, Ven. Canda, an honored guest visiting from the U.K., speaks about how to develop equanimity by analyzing contact at the sense doors, and developing poise in relation to it. Understanding the conditioned nature of the experience allows us to dispel its power to push us into greed or aversion, and allows us to maintain a stance of gentle care towards the world.

To support and learn more about Ven. Canda and the Anukampa Grove Bhikkhuni Vihara, visit https://anukampaproject.org/

Bhikkhuni Canda was born in Chesterfield, England, in 1975. She came into contact with the Buddha's teachings in India in 1996 at the age of twenty, through the Vipassana tradition as taught by S.N. Goenka. During her first retreat she decided to devote the rest of her life to ending suffering through practising the Buddha's teachings.

For the next seven years she meditated and gave service on numerous retreats, mostly in India and Nepal, as her aspiration to renounce lay-life intensified. However, ordination opportunities for women were so rare that she was unable to find any suitable monastery. Eventually, while undertaking an Ayurvedic Medicine degree in London, she heard about a promising monastery in rural Burma called Thephyu Tawya, and took temporary ordination there with Sayadaw U Pannyajota at the next opportunity. In 2006, after graduating, she returned to ordain for the long-term, and spent the next four years in intensive meditation and service under Sayadaw's guidance. During this time Ven Canda also encountered the Thai Forest Tradition through Ajahn Mahaboowa in Thailand, and became increasingly drawn to samatha practice as a means to develop deeper insight.

By 2010 the ascetic lifestyle, climate and diet in Burma had taken its toll on Ven Canda's health, leading to a return to the West. This happily coincided with the chance discovery of Ajahn Brahm's teachings. His emphasis on love, kindness and letting go resonated so deeply and immediately that learning directly from him became a new goal. After 2 years as a wandering nun in Europe Ven Canda finally had the opportunity to travel to Australia and has been living there since 2012. She joined the Dhammasara community. 

In October 2015 Ajahn Brahm asked Ven Canda to take steps towards establishing a monastery in UK, to increase equality in practice and ordination opportunities for women. She is currently practicing wherever support is available, with a view to settling in England when conditions are ripe.

Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project was founded by Venerable Canda in 2016 at the request of her Teacher and Spiritual Adviser Ajahn Brahm. Anukampa aims to promote the teachings and practices of Early Buddhism and to develop an inclusive, harmonious "Forest Monastery," where women can train towards full (bhikkhuni) ordination. Anukampa means the wise compassion that alleviates suffering and its cause. Ven Canda has also been serving a growing community of international Dhamma practitioners throughout the pandemic, through regular and accessible online teachings that emphasise kindness and letting go as a way to deepen stillness (samadhi) and the path for liberating insight to arise into suffering, impermanence and non-self.

To join via Zoom on Saturdays, visit Clear Mountain Monastery's website and click on the link for the Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/events/saturday/ )

To participate in the Saturday chanting, use the pdf found here: 
https://cdn.amaravati.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/30/Chanting-Book-Vol-1-Web.pdf

Tune in with fellow practitioners every Wednesday evening from 6 - 6:45 pm or Saturday morning from 9:30 am - 11 am for a Dhamma Talk and Q&A with Ajahn Kovilo or Ajahn Nisabho. Saturday mornings begin with a thirty-minute meditation. Wednesday evening Q&A's are followed by a discussion on Zoom from 6:45 pm - 7:30 pm. See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!