Dharma Circle at Baan Aree

The Little Bangkok Sangha is happy to announce the next meeting of the Dharma Circle, a series of in-person meetings at Baan Aree, the beautiful location so generously made available to us by the Baan Aree foundation. The meeting will be held on Monday 26 January 2026 from 06:30 - 8.00 PM Bangkok time.

We will be reading together from 'Pāramī: Ways to Cross Life's Floods' by Ajahn Sucitto from pages 11 to 29 (Chapter on Crossing the Floods). The Parami - or 'Perfections' - are transcendent virtues which Buddhist Dharma invites us to cultivate in order to reach enlightenment. In this incredibly accessible book, Ajahn Sucitto sets out daily life practices that give the mind a firm ground in Dharma. Comprising simple qualities like patience, generosity and truthfulness, they can be skillfully applied to the 'flash-points' in the day in order to steer the mind out of unhelpful and distressing currents and on towards peace, clarity and nirvana. The book is available for free download here: https://www.holybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/Parami.pdf .

Understanding how important good friends are in supporting the noble path, Buddha's disciple Ananda declared "This is half of the holy life: admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie." To which the Buddha replied: "Don't say that Ananda. Don't say that. Admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life."

The Dharma Circle is an open space to come together for an evening of reading, discussion, and meditation. The purpose of the Dharma Circle is to study and reflect on Buddha Dharma together. The idea is to maintain a community of friends to support our practice and application. Everyone is welcome, from beginners to scholars. Please note that the Dharma Circle is not a taught course but simply a reading group. It is not necessary to have attended previous sessions and you may drop in on individual sessions.

Ajahn Sucitto, born 4 November 1949, is a British-born Theravada Buddhist monk. He was, between 1992 and 2014, the abbot of Cittaviveka, Chithurst Buddhist Monastery in the UK. Sucitto was born in London and ordained in Thailand in March 1976. He returned to Britain in 1978 and took up training under Ajahn Sumedho at the Hampstead Buddhist Vihara. Ajahn Sucitto regularly visits and teaches in Thailand and you can learn more about him here: https://ajahnsucitto.org/

Baan Aree is a Thai Buddhist Center, please wear something that is comfortable to sit in, and avoid tight-fitting clothes, shorts, sleeveless tops, and short skirts. As Thailand is mourning the passing of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother, the Thai government asked people to cooperate in wearing black or non-vibrant tones for a period of 90 days, if possible.

There may not be sufficient drinking water on site, therefore you may bring your own water in a closed container. No other food/drinks are allowed in the main room.

There is no charge for this event, however, the Little Bangkok Sangha follows the Buddhist custom of Dana (generosity). The venue is offered as an act of generosity, and if participants wish, they may reciprocate by making donations towards the venue's costs. A box for Dana will be provided.

The Dharma Circle will be facilitated by Aarti Kapoor, who is a Buddhist practitioner and long-term member of the Little Bangkok Sangha. She runs a human rights consultancy, where she integrates practice with vocation.

Programme
6:00 pm Baan Aree opens
6:30 pm Opening meditation
6:45 pm Reading and Discussion
7:35 pm Closing meditation
7:55 pm Session ends
8:00 pm Baan Aree closes

Baan Aree is located conveniently close to the Ari BTS station. Please click on the Google map to find your way: https://goo.gl/maps/1FuCuvCtNdPMAL4F9