Both–And: Exploring the Internal, External, & That Which Goes Beyond: A Weeklong Meditation Retreat with Ayya Anandabodhi and Ajahn Kovilo with Bellingham Insight (In-Person on Samish Island)

Join Ayya Anandabodhi & Ajahn Kovilo for a 6-night, 7-day residential retreat, hosted by Bellingham Insight Meditation Society (BIMS) on Samish Island from Sunday, Sept. 20th to Saturday, Sept. 26. Note that Clear Mountain’s weekly Saturday gathering in Seattle will still be held as usual with Ajahn Nisabho hosting.

The Buddha’s teachings invite us to look closely at our experience—not just what happens within us, but how we interface with the world around us, and the freedom of integrating, harmonizing, and feeling through both
worlds. This retreat aims to bridge these dimensions by integrating deep internal knowing, relational or environmental awareness, and meditations that point toward the unconditioned. By exploring this “both–and” nature of practice, we can cultivate a spacious presence and profound insight, enriching our spiritual journey and overall well-being on the path.

To register, visit Bellingham Insight’s Retreat Page, at https://www.bellinghaminsight.org/retreats/.

Register

Biographies
Ayya Anandabodhi
Ayya Anandabodhi was born and raised in Wales, UK. She first encountered the Buddha’s teachings in her early teens, which ignited a deep confidence in the Buddha’s insight, and a wish to understand his teachings more deeply. Ayya began monastic training in 1992 at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England under the guidance of Ajahn Sumedho and the community of nuns. In 2009 she moved to the USA with a wish to create more opportunities for women monastics, receiving full Bhikkhunī Ordination in 2011. Ayya loves to share the Dhamma. Her practice is guided by early Buddhist scriptures, living in community, and through nature’s pure and immediate Dhamma. Ayya is the founder of Pārāyana Vihāra in Port Townsend, WA where she currently resides.

Ajahn Kovilo
Ajahn Kovilo encountered meditation through the Goenka tradition & entered the monastery in 2006, receiving full ordination from Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro at Abhayagiri Monastery in 2010. He spent the next decade training in Ajahn Chah monasteries in the U.S. and Thailand, completing all levels of the Nak-Tham Exams in Thai while there. In 2020, after a year at a Pa Auk Sayadaw monastery, he enrolled at Dharma Realm Buddhist University to study Pāli and Mahāyāna practices. Ajahn Kovilo served as the editor of Stillness Flowing & Gold Wrapped in Rags, & is the compiler/translator of Thus Should You Train Yourselves & The Wellbeing Cascade. Ajahn Kovilo now lives in North Bend, WA devoted to Clear Mountain full time.