BBMG Rains Retreat Speakers 2026
During the Rains Retreat period each year, the BSWA Boundless Meditation Group invite guest speakers each Tuesday. Please see the schedule for 2026 below.
During this year’s Rains Retreat period—from 4 August to 20 October—the Boundless Meditation Group is delighted to continue inviting both experienced lay practitioners and monastics to share teachings. We hope these meditation sessions will serve as a refuge for people around the world, creating a supportive space and community for all those interested in the Dhamma during the Rains Retreat.
Session Details:
Join Zoom Meeting – BSWA Boundless Meditation Group – 2026
Click here to return to the Boundless Meditation Group page
Speaker profiles:
| Week | Date | Speaker |
| 1 | 4 August | Richard Thomas |
| 2 | 11 August | Peter Harvey |
| 3 | 18 August | Geetha Mendis |
| 4 | 25 August | Dennis Sheppard |
| 5 & 6 | 1, 8 September | Viveka |
| 7 | 15 September | Sayalay Sabbamitta |
| 8 | 22 September | Ananda Thilakasiri |
| 9 | 29 September | Kathryn Choules |
| 10 | 6 October | Sol Hanna |
| 11 | 13 October | Ayya Karunika |
| 12 | 20 October | Sandra Henville |
Richard Thomas
Richard started meditating in the early ’80s and discovered BSWA around 1993. He has attended several 3 month Rains retreats, stayed at Bodhinyana and completed retreats at Kyaswa monastery in Myanmar.
He was the editor of the book “Emptiness and Stillness”, which marked Ajahn Brahm’s 60th birthday, and produced the 70th birthday video “A Life of Kindfulness”, available on YouTube.
He has taught the “Introduction to Meditation” course at Dhammaloka.
Peter Harvey
Born in 1951, Peter Harvey studied Philosophy at the University of Manchester, UK, where he also learned about Buddhism and Samatha meditation from Lance Cousins. After some studying in India he went on to get his PhD from Lancaster University in 1981 under Ninian Smart. This study of anatta was later published as The Selfless Mind: Personality, Consciousness and Nirvana in Early Buddhism (Curzon, 1995). He is also the author of An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices (1990 and 2013) and An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics: Foundations, Values and Practices (2000), both published by Cambridge University Press. His papers on Theravada Buddhism have appeared in many peer-reviewed journals, but his contributions to the broader Buddhist studies include Common Buddhist Text, an anthology of Theravāda, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna texts published and distributed by Mahachulalongkorn-Rajavidyalaya University of Thailand. He co-founded UK Association for Buddhist Studies with professor Ian Harris, and has been an editor of the journal Buddhist Studies Review.
He taught at the University of Sunderland before his retirement in 2011. A Theravāda Buddhist since 1972, he has taught Samatha meditation in the UK since 1977, and since 2015, teaches this online. He is a member of the Samatha Trust, whose root teacher, Boonman Poonyathiro, also once taught Ajahn Brahm, of Australia.
Geetha Mendis
Geetha joined the BSWA at its inception 50 years ago. Her family were recent arrivals from Sri Lanka at the time, from a traditional Buddhist background. Geetha became interested in the Dhamma and meditation in her teens when she was studying Buddhism in high school. Her later studies at Medical School was a precious opportunity to study the human condition in various aspects and reinforced her interest in the Buddhist teachings. She is now retired from her practice in Psychiatry and endeavouring to devote her time more fully to Dhamma practice.
Dennis Sheppard
Dennis is a past BSWA president and was recently made an honorary member. He reflected on Ajahn Brahm’s journey with the BSWA in the recent anniversary celebration for his 50th year in robes.
Dennis has been involved with Buddhist community since 1978, joining with the BSWA as a young man interested in meditation and spiritual practice, his dedication lead him to serve multiple terms as president, as well as serving in several other capacities including designing several buildings for both monastics and the lay community.
Viveka
Viveka (the name given to her by Ajahn Brahm) has been a Buddhist for most of her life and a full time practitioner on 8 precepts, living mostly in seclusion, since 2009. She is accredited by the BSWA as an advanced Dhamma teacher and she was a moderator at sutta central for several years. Prior to renunciation she had a professional background in Psych and mental health.
Sayalay Sabbamitta
Sabbamitta Silashin first encountered Buddhism with Tibetan teachers in her mid-twenties. Later, after discovering the Suttas, she became interested in Early Buddhism. For about thirty years she practiced Dhamma with a group of friends while working as a doctor and psychotherapist. She received important inspiration from teachers of the Tibetan Drukpa Kagyu lineage and later from Ajahn Brahm and Bhante Sujato.
After extended stays in monasteries of the Thai forest tradition, she took Anagarika ordination with Vimala Bhikkhuni in 2017. She helped with the establishment of Tilorien Monastery in Belgium, while at the same time supporting her parents. On 20 November 2021, she was ordained as a Silashin according to Burmese tradition by Sayadaw Kusalasami, encouraged and supported by her mentor, Santacitta Bhikkhuni.
Sabbamitta Silashin is living with her father. Currently, she is working on German translations of texts of the Pali canon and is part of the core team of Voice.suttacentral.net, a text-to-speech application for listening to the Suttas.
Ananda Thilakasiri
Ananda was born in Sri Lanka into a Buddhist family & frequented the village temple with his grandfather from a very young age yet, came to practise meditation only after meeting the then Ajahn Jagaro & Ajahn Brahm, around 1987. He has been meditating for little over 25 years and considers Ajahn Brahm, Ajahn Brahmali & Bhante Sujato as his spiritual teachers, trainers & guides. He gratefully acknowledges their teachings, including the personal advice he received from Luang Por Ajahn Ganha when, they (Ananda & his wife Shamalee), visited Luang Por in Thailand.
He and his family started visiting Bodhinyana and Dhammaloka regularly in 1991 and he has served the BSWA as a committee member in 1996, as the Treasurer in 2010 & then, more recently, as the Secretary in 2022. Currently, Ananda coordinates & leads the BSWA Rains Sutta Discussion Group, on every 2nd & 4th Sunday from August to October, at Dhammaloka Centre Nollamara.
He has also contributed to Buddhist communities overseas in various ways and is a student of early Buddhist texts from the Dvipitaka, (Suttapitaka & Vianayapitaka), relying mostly on English translations by Bhante Sujato & Ajahn Brahmali on SuttaCentral. He regularly attends Dhammaloka Sutta classes & Sutta Retreats at Jhana Grove.
Ananda gratefully acknowledges the support that he receives from the members of his family, who go to great lengths to help create conditions conducive to his practice.
Kathryn Choules
Kathryn began meditating over 30 years ago at the Armadale group (AMG) of BSWA and continues to join the now online group as a regular member. She has practised in Theravadan, Tibetan and Zen/Chan traditions. She is the founder of “Mind and Movement”, and is a certified teacher of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s program, “Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction” (MBSR). Kathryn is recognised as a Senior Teacher by the Meditation Association of Australia.
Sol Hanna
Sol Hanna has been a dedicated Buddhist practitioner since 1993 and is the producer of the Everyday Dhamma Network.
Over the past two decades, Sol has played a pioneering role in digital Buddhist publishing. Serving in key volunteer leadership roles with the Buddhist Society of Western Australia (BSWA)—including President, Vice President, and long-term committee member—he helped establish the BSWA’s first website, launch its first online Dhamma talks and podcast (2004), and create the BSWA YouTube channel (2006).
Today, Sol focuses his efforts on modern Dhamma initiatives, including podcasts and Substack through the Everyday Dhamma Network. He resides in the Margaret River region with his family, where he convenes the local Buddhist group, BAMBI, and serves as a lay teacher of meditation and Dhamma alongside resident monastics led by Ajahn Sunyo.
Outside of his Dhamma teaching and volunteering, Sol works as a local secondary school teacher, tends a flourishing permaculture farm, and supports BAMBI’s vision to establish a monastery and support forest monastics in Western Australia’s South-West region.
Bhikkhuni Ayya Kārunikā has recently been appointed as the Abbot of the Santi Forest Monastery, NSW, Australia. She is also the spiritual director for New Zealand Bhikkhuni Sangha Trust, Hamilton. She has been in monastic life for over 15 years and she received her full ordination as a bhikkhunī in 2014 at Dhammasara Nuns monastery in Western Australia where she lived and trained for over a decade with Ajahn Hāsapaññā. She has been a student of Ajahn Brahm and Ajahn Brahmali for over 2 decades.
Ayya Kārunikā is able to articulate the Buddhist teachings in a way that is practical and comprehensible to people of all ages and has experience in conducting retreats for both adults and youth. While she has a PhD in Microbiology and worked as a scientist, she has also been the building project manager for the construction of the Dhammasara Nuns Monastery main building complex and has worked with many volunteers over the years. Ayya Kārunikā was born in Sri Lanka but has been living and working in Australia for over 2 decades.
She has a passion to share her experience and knowledge and loves working with people and also doing creative projects. She is dedicated to supporting the growth of Bhikkhunis around the world and is currently involved in projects to support the establishment of places for Bhikkhunis in Theravada forest tradition in Australia, New Zealand, Poland and Sri Lanka.
Sandra Henville
Meditation and spiritual inquiry have enriched Sandra’s life over the last 20 years. Her meditation classes take you on a journey to the deep and quiet places within us all. Sandra was first introduced to Buddhism while doing an internship in Sri Lanka many years ago. Her love of the Dharma and meditation shines through with weekly meditation classes at her workplace and appearances at BSWA as part of the Kalyana Friendship Group. As part of her personal commitment, Sandra maintains a daily practice and undertakes regular retreats with the Perth Insight Meditation Group under the tutelage of a range of well-known international and national teachers.