Sunday, while many are celebrating Father’s Day, I will be at Abhayagiri Monastery participating in the annual Upasika Renewal Day. I’ll be traveling there tomorrow with several others from Portland Friends of the Dhamma. It will be my first visit to Abhayagiri.
We plan to arrive by 5:30, in time to share tea and conversation with the monks. Saturday morning will be given to working around the monastery, taking care of whatever needs doing. The afternoon will provide lots of time for meditation.
On Sunday morning, I, as a new upasaka, will formally take the Three Refuges and Five Precepts. Those who have gone before will take them as a group.
The rest of the day will be devoted to meditation and talks on the Dhamma by guest teacher Ajahn Jayasaro. He will speak on Education in Buddhism, exploring how Dhamma teachings can be used educational settings from the home to schools to professional training.
An upasaka (male) or upasika (female) is a lay person who commits to the Three Refuges and Five Precepts, and joins with monastics in practice of the Dhamma. Read more about the Upasika Program here.
