About this episode
Kittisaro and Thanissara have been married since 1992. They spent 7 years as guiding teachers of the Buddhist Retreat Centre KwaZulu S. Africa and then went on to found Dharmagiri Sacred Mountain Retreat on the border of Lesotho and South Africa. They co-founded several HIV/Aids Outreach Programs and currently support Kuluingile Project, a home for children left vulnerable due to HIV/Aids run by Sister Abegail Ntleko, award winner of the Dalai Lama Unsung Hero Award. They lead retreats in S.Africa, UK, U.S.A and Israel and regularly host one to three-month retreats at Dharmagiri. They currently reside in Sebastopol, CA. Kittisaro is from Tennessee, USA. He graduated from Princeton as a Rhodes Scholar. He ordained with Ajahn Chah in 1976 in the Thai Forest Tradition. He was a monk for 15 years and helped found several monasteries in the UK. His practice has also been informed by the Chinese school of Master Hua since 1980. Kittisaro completed two one year silent self retreats and is co-author of 'Listening to the Heart.' He has taught extensively since the 1980's and is a core teacher at Insight Meditation Society, MA, founding teacher of Chattanooga Insight, TN and affiliated teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, CA. Thanissara is from an Anglo-Irish family in London. She started Buddhist practice in the Burmese school in 1975. She spent 12 years as a Buddhist nun in the Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah where she was a founding member of Chithurst Monastery and Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in the UK. Thanissara has an MA in Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy Practice from the UK. She has taught extensively since the late 1980's, is the author of several books, including two poetry books. Her latest is Time to Stand Up: An Engaged Buddhist Manifesto for Our Earth. Books: Listening to the Heart: A Contemplative Journey to Engaged Buddhism Time to Stand Up: An Engaged Buddhist Manifesto for Our Earth -- The Buddha's Life and Message through Feminine Eyes (Sacred Activism) Empty Hands, A Memoir: One Woman's Journey to Save Children Orphaned by AIDS in South Africa (Sacred Activism) The Heart Of The Bitter Almond Hedge Sutra Website: dharmagiri.org Discussion of this video in the Batgap Community Facebook Group. Transcript of this interview Interview recorded Oct. 28, 2017. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Background of Kittisaro and Thanissara 00:04:27 - Background and Experiences 00:07:52 - Setting up a non-profit and training programs for the planetary emergency 00:11:29 - Bringing the Buddhist Community on Board 00:14:47 - Profound Impact on Consciousness Shifts 00:18:44 - Mandela's Courageous Act 00:22:27 - The Tipping Point and Profound Shifts 00:25:29 - Overcoming Overwhelm and Finding Balance 00:29:21 - Unlocking the Power of Deep Intelligence 00:32:28 - Standing Rock and the Energy Revolution 00:36:00 - Reducing Consumption and Shifting to Plant-Based Diets 00:39:53 - Mindsets and Awareness 00:43:21 - Surrendering to Sickness and Opening to the Teaching 00:47:11 - Lying Down Meditation and Letting Go 00:50:35 - Permission to Die 00:54:02 - The Power of Different Meditation Techniques 00:57:21 - The Shift from Warrior to Lover Archetype 01:01:05 - The Living and Responsive Universe 01:04:33 - Being Embodied in the Web of Life 01:08:01 - Universal Love and Compassion 01:11:12 - Challenges of Spiritual Upbringing in the West 01:14:27 - The Importance of Calling Out Inappropriate Behavior 01:17:33 - Breaking the Silence, Revealing the Shadow 01:20:58 - The Importance of Impeccable Awareness 01:24:29 - Returning to Primary Patterning 01:27:48 - The Role of Spiritual Practice in Emotional Suppression 01:31:24 - The Balance of Male and Female 01:34:53 - Embracing the Both And Paradox 01:38:16 - Buddha as a Human Being 01:41:38 - A Profound Inner Awakening 01:45:00 - Thank You and Goodbye