Truth is one, paths are many!

At the heart of all religions lies the same unique Truth. Yet, the way this Truth has been formulated within different religious communities and cultures over millennia has led to a spiritual estrangement among people of diverse faiths. To bridge this gap of understanding and promote greater harmony, many efforts have been made in the form of interreligious dialogue.

As this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Mahasamadhi of Swami Abhishiktananda (1973-2023), one of the major 20th-century pioneers of interreligious dialogue, an exceptional programme will take place at Ajatananda Ashram from 23 to 26 November. This will be a four-day Interreligious Retreat-Seminar on Dhamma and Non-duality, a rare exchange between two ancient traditions─Theravada Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta. It will be a great blessing to have Ven. Ajahn Pasanno, abbot emeritus of the Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery (USA) as our main speaker and guest of honour.

This 3rd Edition of the Interreligious Retreat-Seminar will consist of daily Talks by Ven. Ajahn Pasanno on essential spiritual themes from the perspective of Theravada Buddhism. Each talk will be followed by a dialogue with Swami Atmananda Udasin, who will speak from the perspective of Advaita Vedanta, and a Q&A session with the audience.

The purpose of having an event which is at the same time a seminar and a retreat, is to facilitate a deep dialogue at the level of the heart and give more emphasis to the experiential dimension rather than the academic and philosophical one.

The talks and dialogues during the programme will alternate with prayers, sacred chanting and meditation sessions. Yet, silence will be maintained throughout the Retreat-Seminar, to ensure an atmosphere conducive to mindfulness and introspection.

An important highlight of this programme will be a Dhamma Talk by Ven. Ajahn Pasanno on nibbāna (nirvāna) at the daily evening Satsang at Sivananda Ashram, one of the most ancient and reputed ashrams of Rishikesh, founded by the sage H.H. Sri Swami Sivananda in 1936.

Another exceptional event will be an interreligious concert of sacred chants, bringing together representatives of several religious traditions to celebrate the oneness that lies at the heart of all religions.

Finally, to conclude these four days of spiritual communion, two Talks will be offered on the theme of Meditation. The first Talk will be given by Ven. Ajahn Pasanno and it will explore the topic of meditation from the perspective of Theravada Buddhism.  The second Talk will explore the theme from the perspective of Jnana Yoga and Advaita Vedanta, and it will be offered by our Special Guest, H.H. Sri Swami Padmanabhananda, General Secretary of The Divine Life Society, Sivananda Ashram. The two Talks will then be followed by a dialogue between the speakers.

The Interreligious Retreat-Seminar will then come to an end with the Concluding Addresses of representatives from several religious traditions and a Bhandara (common lunch) shared by the bhikkhus, sannyasis and all the participants.

Ven. Ajahn Pasanno is one of the most senior disciples of Ven. Ajahn Chah, the renowned Buddhist master of the Thai Forest Tradition.

Born in Canada in 1949, he was drawn to the wisdom of the East in his early 20s and soon after finishing his studies, he travelled to Thailand where he was deeply impressed by the Buddhist tradition of Theravada.

At the young age of 24, Ajahn Pasanno took ordination at Wat Pleng Vipassana in Bangkok with his first preceptor Ven. Phra Khru Nanasirivatana. He soon brought him to Ven. Ajahn Chah in whom he instantly recognized his master and decided to stay and train under his guidance at the International Forest Monastery, Wat Pah Nanachat. One of its early residents, Ven. Ajahn Pasanno became its abbot in his ninth year. During his incumbency (1982-1996), Wat Pah Nanachat developed considerably, both in physical size and reputation.

Spending twenty-four years living in Thailand, Ajahn Pasanno became a well-known and highly respected monk and Dhamma teacher. Prior to leaving Thailand, he was appointed an official preceptor with authority to preside over ordinations of samaneras and bhikkhus. He moved to California in 1996 to share the abbotship of Abhayagiri Monastery with Ven. Ajahn Amaro. In 2010, he became the sole abbot of Abhayagiri for the next eight years. In the spring of 2018, he stepped back from the role of abbot. He now serves as the guiding elder for the community at Abhayagiri.

Ajahn Pasanno is the author of more than 15 books available in several languages which are all accessible online at the Abhayagiri Monastery website: abhayagiri.org. You can also visit forestsangha.org for more information.

PLEASE NOTE: Registration is required to attend this non-residential Retreat-Seminar.

Thursday 23 November

Morning
9:00-11:00 a.m. Participants’ Check-in and badge collection (1st session)

Afternoon
1:00-2:00 p.m. Participants’ Check-in and badge collection (2nd session: for those who could not register online only!)
2:00 p.m. Door opening
2:30 p.m. Chanting of the suttas — Lighting of the lamp
3:00 p.m. Introductory Talk by Ven. Ajahn Pasanno about Most Ven. Ajahn Chah’s Life and Teachings (+ Q&A)
5:00 p.m. Silent Tea (Garden)
6:00 p.m. Meditation session (50 min)
7:00 p.m. Prayers and chanting

Friday 24 November

Morning
8:15 a.m. Chanting of the suttas
8:30 a.m. Dhamma Talk on Effort and the notion of Grace, followed by dialogue with Swami Atmananda and Q&A

Afternoon
2:00 p.m. Dhamma Talk on Monastic Renunciation/Sannyasa, followed by dialogue with Swami Atmananda and Q&A
4:00 p.m. Silent Tea (Garden)
5:00 p.m. Meditation session (50 min)

Evening programme at Sivananda Ashram
7:30 p.m. Chanting
8:00 p.m. Dhamma Talk on Nirvana
9:00 p.m. Universal Prayers
9:30 p.m. End of the programme

Saturday 25 November

Morning
8:15 a.m. Chanting of the suttas
8:30 a.m. Dhamma Talk on Anattā and Ātman (The No-self and the Self), followed by dialogue with Swami Atmananda and Q&A

Afternoon
2:00 p.m. Dhamma Talk on The Role of the Master/Guru, followed by dialogue with Swami Atmananda and Q&A
4:00 p.m. Silent Tea (Garden)
5:00 p.m. Meditation session (50 min)

Evening
6:30 p.m. Interreligious Concert (2:30 hrs)
Sacred chanting from the Hindu, Theravada, Tibetan, Sikh, and Sufi traditions
(Free event open to all)

Sunday 26 November

Morning
8:20 a.m. Chanting of the suttas — Lighting of the lamp
8:40 a.m. Dhamma Talk by Ven. Ajahn Pasanno on Meditation in the Theravada Tradition and the Teachings of Most Ven. Ajahn Chah
9:20 a.m. Talk by H.H. Sri Swami Padmanabhananda (General Secretary of Divine Life Society, Sivananda Ashram) on Meditation in the Jnana Yoga and Advaita Vedanta tradition
10:00 a.m. Dialogue between Ven. Ajahn Pasanno and Sri Swami Padmanabhananda
10:30 a.m. Concluding Addresses — Vote of Thanks (by Swami Atmananda Udasin) — Bhandara (Common lunch of bhikkhus and sannyasis with all the participants)

The daily Talks and dialogues will be given in English with simultaneous translation into Hindi and French.

To be able to follow the translation, you will need your smartphone. Remember to take earphones or headphones with you and if possible install the VLC Media Player application in advance (follow these links: for Android or iPhone).

All the programmes organized by Ajatananda Ashram are offered free of charge. In line with tradition, the spiritual teachings offered during this Interreligious Retreat-Seminar are offered on a conscious donation basis.

Any conscious donation you may wish to offer will be most gratefully accepted. Your offering will enable the continued operation of the Ashram and allow the teachings to continue and inspire spiritual seekers on the Path.

However, in order to cover the basic operational costs for the Retreat, we do need to ask for a nominal participation fee, although no one will ever be turned away if they are unable to pay the full fee:
– Foreigners: €40.
– Indian nationals and foreign students: 1,000 INR / €12.

If you wish to participate in this exceptional Interreligious Retreat-Seminar, we kindly recommend you to register as early as possible in order to secure your place (given the capacity limit of the Satsang Hall) by filling in the registration form below. This will also allow us to better calculate the number of participants and to make the necessary logistical arrangements.

As per requirements from the local authorities, we kindly ask foreign participants to provide us with a copy of their passport and visa, as well as a scan of their entry stamp.
To do so, please upload a scanned copy of your passport and visa within the registration form.
Alternatively, you can bring a printed copy with you on Thursday 23 at the moment of registration check.