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    Birken Upāsikā Secluded Study Program

    for Dedicated Lay Buddhist Practitioners Around the World


     “This teaching…is for the secluded, not those who enjoy company.” – AN 8.30

    Starting in 2023, Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery will launch a new Birken Upāsikā Secluded Study program combining elements of our earlier online program and other resource materials by Ajahn Sona. All initiates to this pilot program must complete the entire one year training to be invited to join existing Upāsikā Graduate groups and access the Upāsikā Graduate website and archives (proof of program completion will be required).

    Birken Upāsikā Secluded Study trainees will have the same assignments as previous Online Upāsikās groups, yet will not be able to make comments or ask questions of Ajahn Sona on the Upāsikā webpage, nor engage with other Upāsikā Secluded Study trainees individually or in groups. It is only after graduation that these initiates will learn who else was in their cohort during the past year.

    Instead of online engagement, all Secluded Study trainees will be encouraged to seek answers to their questions through the following resources:

    • Monthly source assignment materials which will be uploaded to the password protected website on the first of each month (January-December)
    • Ajahn Sona’s YouTube Channel
    • Ajahn Sona Q&A Directory (link will be available on trainees’ website)
    • Ajahn Sona’s books and articles
    • External research sites such as Sutta Central and Access to Insight
    • In person visits to Birken and/or other branch monasteries in the Ajahn Chah tradition, subject to each monastery’s health and safety guidelines concerning COVID-19

    Please see below for more information and to apply.

    Program Overview

    Program Structure:

    For over 2,500 years, the four-fold assembly of Buddhist monks, nuns, laywomen and laymen have closely supported each other on the Buddha’s path to liberation. The Pali term “upāsikā” (laywoman) or “upāsaka” (layman) can be translated as “one who sits close by”. It has come to refer to dedicated lay Buddhist practitioners who join with monastics in the practice of the Dhamma and who commit to the Three Refuges and Five Precepts.

    Building on models established at other Western monasteries in the Ajahn Chah Thai Forest Tradition, Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery (‘Birken’) established the Birken Upāsikā Program for Dedicated Lay Buddhist Practitioners in 2015 to provide a formal training structure for lay people to practice and study together under the mentorship of Ajahn Sona (with over 30 years in the robes, he is now referred to as ‘Luang Por’ (‘Venerable Father’) by his closest disciples – a traditional honorific for senior monks of the Thai Forest Tradition) and in close relationship with the monastery. Graduates of the first three onsite training cohorts (2015/16; 2016/17 and 2018/19) and our 2021 and 2022 online trainees are now known as Graduate Upāsikās and continue to meet online through a dedicated alumni website. In January 2023, Birken will launch our new pilot program for upāsikā trainees through our Birken Upāsikā Secluded Study Training Program for Dedicated Lay Buddhist Practitioners Around the World.

    The central teaching theme of this one-year training program is a systematic study and practice of The Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path, using a core text by Bhikkhu Bodhi (“The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to the End of Suffering”) and corresponding Dhamma talks by Luang Por Sona. Beyond this central theme, monthly assignments deal with the broad topics of meditation, sutta study, chanting, online and monastery etiquette, forms and conventions of the Thai Forest Tradition, and the symbiotic relationship between the monastic Sangha and lay practitioners. Meditation instruction highlights Luang Por Sona’s methods for meditation on the breath (anapanasati), death (maranassati), loving-kindness (metta), and walking meditation. Luang Por Sona also weaves in other essential teachings and relevant aspects of Buddhist history, with an emphasis on understanding samatha and vipassana practices in a historical context.

    Participants are encouraged to foster a close relationship with Luang Por Sona through his teachings as their spiritual mentor during the first year of the program. After completing the initial year of Upāsikā Secluded Study training, new upāsikās are encouraged to join existing Graduate Upāsikā groups around the world that are affiliated with Birken, as well as participate in the Graduate Upāsikā website for continued study and community sharing.


    Program Objectives:
    • To provide dedicated lay practitioners with a formal spiritual training structure that will aid in the deepening of individual practice and self-discipline.
    • To cultivate lay practitioners’ conceptual and experiential understanding of the Teachings of the Buddha, as well as the forms and conventions of Birken and the Theravada Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah.
    • To strengthen the symbiotic relationship between Birken’s ordained Sangha (Luang Por Sona) and affiliated lay practitioners (upāsikās).
    • To foster a supportive community of ‘kalyānamittas’ (spiritual friends) for like-minded lay people affiliated with Birken.

    The Upāsikā Commitment:

    By committing to the Birken Upāsikā Secluded Study Program, participants will aspire to:

      • Take the Three Refuges and the Five Precepts as the foundation of their spiritual life (see below).
      • Take the Theravada Thai Forest Tradition (Ajahn Chah lineage) as the focus of their Buddhist practice.
      • Commit to Luang Por Sona’s teachings, modes of practice, and guidance for the duration of the program.
      • Commit to practice formal meditation daily.
      • Designate one ‘Day of Observance’ per week, on which a heightened importance is given to their spiritual practice (e.g. following the Eight Precepts (see below) and making more time for meditation on the weekly lunar days and/or the selected ‘Day of Observance’).
      • Commit to actively engage with the online monthly assignments (recorded Dhamma talks, assigned chants, and assigned readings).
      • Provide support to the Sangha, according to their means and abilities.
      • Commit to complete the full one year of Upāsikā Secluded Study training.
      • After the successful completion of this first year of this training, participants will then have the opportunity to join established Graduate Upāsikā groups and continue their online studies at the Graduate Upāsikā  website.

    Taking the Three Refuges and Five Precepts:
    Three Refuges:
        1. To the Buddha, I go for refuge.
        2. To the Dhamma, I go for refuge.
        3. To the Sangha, I go for refuge.
    Five Precepts:
        1. I undertake the precept to refrain from taking the life of any living being.
        2. I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not given.
        3. I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct.
        4. I undertake the precept to refrain from false and harmful speech.
        5. I undertake the precept to refrain from consuming intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness.
    Eight Precepts:
        1. I undertake the precept to refrain from taking the life of any living being.
        2. I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not given.
        3. I undertake the precept to refrain from any kind of sexual activity.
        4. I undertake the precept to refrain from false and harmful speech.
        5. I undertake the precept to refrain from consuming intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness.
        6. I undertake the precept to refrain from eating at inappropriate times.
        7. I undertake the precept to refrain from entertainment, beautification, and adornment.
        8. I undertake the precept to refrain from lying on a high or luxurious sleeping place.

    FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

    Q: If I am accepted into the program, may I share the password and website with my family and friends so we can study together?
    A: No. If you are accepted into Birken’s Upāsikā Secluded Study program only you will have permission to access the website and teachings. If you share the website and password with anyone else you will be asked to leave the program.

    Q: About how many hours of study time should I plan on each month?
    A: Generally there are about 3-5 hours of reading, video viewing, chant/audio listening and recitation assignments each month. Some people may choose to go over their assignments several times in the month while others may just review them once. That will be up to you and your daily schedule as well.

    Q: I see there is a commitment to devote one ‘Day of Observance’ per week to the Eight Precepts and additional meditation. Does it matter what day of the week that is?
    A: Whatever day in the week works for you, your family, and your lifestyle is perfectly fine. You may want to devote a different day each week, again depending on your life circumstances. The importance is in making the commitment although there may be times when it is not possible. Setting the intention is the most important thing.

    Q: I’m involved in other Buddhist online discussion groups. Can we start one for this program?
    A: Ajahn Sona has carefully curated and developed the contents of this program and it is not open to outside discussion. You are welcome to be part of other outside groups, but you do not have permission at any time to reference Birken and/or the Upāsikā program in your comments or discussions.

    Q: I know other Birken Upāsikās. May I join them in their in-person and/or online groups?
    A: Unfortunately no. Only graduates of our previous Upāsikā training programs may participate in the Birken Upāsikā groups. Upon proof of successful completion of the Birken Upāsikā Secluded Study Program you will then be invited to join our Upāsikā Graduate program and its Upāsikā groups.

    Q: You mention proof of successful completion of the program? How will be prove that?
    A: Proof of completion will be through quarterly online surveys emailed to all trainees by way of your assignment newsletter so that participants stay active and up-to-date in their studies. All four surveys for the year must be submitted by no later than December 15 for participants to be considered for the Graduate Upāsikā program.

    Q: I have this great app that I’ve developed. May I share the information with Ajahn Sona for consideration to add it to the Birken Upāsikā Secluded Study Program?
    A: Many times in the past Upāsikās have suggested or offered either their own or others apps, documents, and websites. Again this program is not open to other views and opinions; only those that have been carefully developed by Ajahn Sona over the past 7+ years of the Upāsikā Program. If you foresee this being a problem it may be best not to apply for the program at this time.

    Q: You say that comments will not be open during the one year program. How can we ask Ajahn Sona a question?
    A: There will be online etiquette guidelines posted on the program website which will delineate the parameters of the program as well as menu links to all resources and means of asking questions of Ajahn Sona. These will include an online Q&A directory, his extensive library of YouTube Dhamma talks, and the opportunity to submit questions during our YouTube Livestream Q&As. Please do not email or submit questions or comments to Ajahn Sona outside of these guidelines.

    Q: I missed the deadline to apply. Can I still join the Secluded Study program?
    A: Unfortunately, no. The program has been set up to run from January-December of each calendar year. Please watch for an announcement next summer regarding the upcoming Birken Upāsikā Secluded Study Program.

    Registration for our 2023 Upāsikā Secluded Study Program is now closed

    Information about our next Birken Upāsikā program will be posted here in summer 2023. To be notified when registration opens, please subscribe to Our Newsletter.

    Should you have any further questions, please email the Upāsikā coordinator.

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    Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery is a registered Canadian charitable society and is supported entirely by donations or ‘dāna’ (generosity). All teachings, accommodations, and meals are offered free of charge. It is left to the good will and discretion of visitors and well-wishers to decide how they might support the work of the monastery.

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    bookings@birken.ca

    General Enquiries:

    meditate@birken.ca

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    Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery
    7000 Smith Lake Forest Srv Rd.
    Knutsford, BC | V0E 2A0 | Canada

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