Birken Upāsikā Secluded Study Program
for Dedicated Lay Buddhist Practitioners Around the World
Birken’s Upāsikā Secluded Study program combines elements of our earlier online program and other resource materials by Ajahn Sona. All initiates to this 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 throughout the year will be required).
Birken Upāsikā Secluded Study trainees have the same assignments as previous Online Upāsikās groups, yet will not be able to make comments, ask questions of Ajahn Sona on the Upāsikā webpage, nor engage with other Upāsikā Secluded Study trainees individually or in groups. 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 also 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
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 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 website. In January 2023, Birken launched our new 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 Ajahn 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 Ajahn Sona’s methods for various types of meditations.
After successful completion of 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 (Ajahn 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 inform themselves about:
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- The Three Refuges and the Five Precepts as a foundation for the spiritual life (see below).
- The Theravada Thai Forest Tradition (Ajahn Chah lineage) as the focus of their Buddhist practice.
- Ajahn Sona’s teachings, modes of practice, and guidance for the duration of the program.
- The practice of 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).
- Commit to complete and submit all four quarterly Program Completion Surveys.
- 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:
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- To the Buddha, I go for refuge.
- To the Dhamma, I go for refuge.
- To the Sangha, I go for refuge.
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Five Precepts:
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- I undertake the precept to refrain from taking the life of any living being.
- I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not given.
- I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct.
- I undertake the precept to refrain from false and harmful speech.
- I undertake the precept to refrain from consuming intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness.
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Eight Precepts:
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- I undertake the precept to refrain from taking the life of any living being.
- I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not given.
- I undertake the precept to refrain from any kind of sexual activity.
- I undertake the precept to refrain from false and harmful speech.
- I undertake the precept to refrain from consuming intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness.
- I undertake the precept to refrain from eating at inappropriate times.
- I undertake the precept to refrain from entertainment, beautification, and adornment.
- I undertake the precept to refrain from lying on a high or luxurious sleeping place.
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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 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 Program Overview 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. 2025 is the final year of Birken’s Upāsikā Secluded Study Program. No further applications will be accepted.
Registration for the final year of Birken’s Upāsikā training program is now closed
After 10 years of formal Upāsikā training, Ajahn Sona has decided 2025 will be the final year of this unique training program. Registration for this last iteration is now closed. All submitted applications will be reviewed by the end of October 2024. You may expect to receive notification by email if you have or have not been accepted into the program by no later than November 1, 2024.
Please note that acceptance into the program is based on the content of your application, not when your application was submitted. If you have not received a notification email within the time specified above, please contact the Birken Upāsikā Program Coordinator to be sure your application form has been received.
The final Birken Upāsikā Secluded Study program will begin on January 1, 2025 when all selected trainees will be notified by email with your private website link, password, and more information.
Should you have any further questions, please email the Upāsikā coordinator: upasika@birken.ca.
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Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery
7000 Smith Lake Forest Srv Rd.
Knutsford, BC | V0E 2A0 | Canada