Newsletter: November 2025

The past six weeks have been quite active at the monastery: the monks returned from a long journey to western Norway, and the monastery also hosted two special events: the cloth-offering ceremony in the kathina season (Pha Pah), and the 10-year anniversary of the monastery.

Journey to the West

On the evening of Sunday, 21 September, Luang Por Kumphong, together with two monks from Wat Ubolmanee, arrived at Skiptvet Buddhist Monastery after travelling from Grimo a few days earlier. They stayed the night with us, and the next morning, the Skiptvet monks joined them on their onward journey in their nine-seater van, likely bringing it close to its weight limit.

That first day, we travelled all the way to Trondheim, staying overnight at Wat Bodhidham Trondheim. The following day included some sightseeing — a visit to the cathedral and the Royal Regalia museum — before continuing on to Ålesund, where we spent the night at Wat Bodhidham Ålesund. The next morning, we went for a short hike on the town’s heights, before setting off after the meal for Wat Ubolmanee. After several ferry crossings, we arrived at the monastery late in the evening.

The next day, guided by long-term supporters of Wat Ubolmanee, most of us undertook, under a clear blue sky, the well-known “Dronningstien” hike, a great opportunity to exercise and enjoy the stunning mountain views.

The following day, we began our return journey, stopping in Ålesund once again to take part in a Thai Festival Day. In a large hall rented for the occasion, we met again with some of the bhikkhus from Wat Bodhidham Ålesund, and went for alms-rounds inside the hall, where many food stalls had been set up.

After that final meal in Ålesund, we made our way back to Skiptvet – enjoying the beautiful sight-seeing spots that the Norwegian fjords have to offer – arriving back at the monastery late in the evening.

Ending the Vassa

The Sangha formally ended the Vassa on 7 October with the traditional Pavāraṇā ceremony. In the evening, the bhikkhus shared short reflections on the period of time they spent together (audio of the talks: Ajahn Kongrit, Ajahn Gambhῑro).

Cloth Offering Ceremony (Pha Pah) in the Kathina Season

The following weekend, on Sunday, 12 October, a large group of lay people gathered to participate in our cloth-offering ceremony of the Kathina season. Ajahn Gambhῑro offered the Dhamma reflection in English on that day, followed by Ajahn Kongrit in Thai (download audio).

Two upper robes (jiworns) had been hand-sewn and were offered on that occasion: one for Tan Ādicco, and another for Ajahn Kāncano (at Dhammapala Monastery in Switzerland, that Ajahn Kongrit was about to visit to attend their own Kathina festival). It was beautiful to see so many of the monastery’s friends take part in this project, and contribute to a material offering so essential in the bhikkhus’ daily life.

10-Year Anniversary of Lokuttara Vihara

Two weeks later, on Sunday, 26 October, Skiptvet Monastery hosted another large gathering, this time to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Lokuttara Vihara. For this special occasion, Ajahn Gavesako, one of the members of the first sangha to inhabit the property in 2015, had arrived a few days earlier from Italy. It was a great opportunity for long-term supporters to reconnect with Ajahn Gavesako, and also for him to spend time in the kutis he helped design several years ago: back then, the monks lived in Portakabin-type containers, only one of which still remains today, now serving as guest accommodation.

To mark this special milestone, Yada had the idea of creating an exhibition of the many Buddha statues (Buddha-rūpa) that the monastery possesses. They were accompanied by leaflets in three languages explaining the various mudrā (hand-gestures or postures) as there are many more Buddha images than the ones with which people are generally familiar.

We were pleased to see that most of the original members who started this project were able to attend, in particular; Per-Otto Wold, Thomas Larsen and Shantana Berg (if you wish to have more information about the history of the monastery and how it came to settle in Skiptvet, please see this, which was helpfully composed by Thomas). Likewise, we are grateful to Mr. Peerapatra Puspavesa the Advisor and Head of Consular Affairs who attended the event on behalf of the Royal Thai Ambassador to Norway. The audio of the talks given that day, by various lay people and by the Ajahns, can be downloaded here.

2026 Calendar

Thanks to Ajahn Gambhῑro’s editing skills and extensive experience in publishing books and calendars, we have produced the ‘official’ Skiptvet calendar for 2026, using photos from the past decade. This calendar thus features many of the people and communities who have lived here, and is a beautiful and helpful item to have in one’s dwelling. We printed a few hundred copies, so if you stop by Skiptvet one of these days, please do not hesitate to take as many as you like, for yourself and for your friends and family.

If you are unable to visit, or if you’d like to have access to the digital version as well, you can download the full-res PDF (177MB) here. If this link doesn’t work, please try this one. We also made a lower-res version (15MB) available here or here.

Student visits

Askim Videregående Skole

On 10 October, Ajah Kongrit and Ajahn Gambhῑro went to Askim Upper Secondary School to meet with 5 different classes of students. We talked about the monastery, monastic life and the Buddha’s teachings.

Kirkelund skole

On 13 October, forty-five 9th-grade students from Kirkelund skule in Skiptvet visited the monastery to learn about our lifestyle at the monastery.

Akademiet Fredrikstad VGS

On 4 November, 45 students from Akademiet Fredrikstad Upper Secondary School came to visit us at the monastery. We showed them the white sandstone Buddha image, the stupa, and we then all gathered in the meditation hall and explained various Buddhist principles, and a little bit about our daily routine.

There were also several small groups and individual students who came to interview us for their school project.

Special guest visit

Luang Por Lai, who ordained as a samanera under Luang Por Chah (now 46 years as a monk) from Wat Pah Khantidhamma, Lamphun, Thailand, paid us a visit with Ajahn Rocano, from Nepal (27 vassā) on the 6th of November. They were accompanied by two monks from Wat Ubolmanee, and all stayed overnight at the monastery. The next day, all the monks went on the regular Friday alms-round in Fredrikstad, and the four visiting monks departed shortly after the meal.

Dhamma reflection

Putting oneself in the other person’s shoes

Ajahn Kongrit

When living with other people, regardless of the number, when personalities and temperaments clash, everyday life together often leads to feelings of discomfort (literally, “wrong in the ear, grating to the eye”). Sometimes, you just feel an instant aversion to someone upon seeing them.

In Thai, there is a saying, “The elements do not align”. In the language of the dhamma, this is expressed as: “Creatures associate and connect according to their elements (Dhātu).” The term "elements" (Dhātu) here encompasses traits such as temperament, likes, dislikes, interests, responsibility, attention to detail, and other similar qualities.

It can sound strange, but people with similar personalities often find it even harder to tolerate one another. For example: people who like to give orders, be coercive, offer suggestions, teach, advise, act like a hero, or are loud and boisterous without regard for the situation or appropriateness. These individuals often dislike it when others try to order, compel, instruct, or overshadow them. They become irritated when someone acts in such a manner, feeling that the other person lacks propriety (a sense of Kala-desa or time and place). This is despite the fact that they themselves habitually act in this exact manner, often without realising it, or perhaps knowing deep down they dislike what they are doing but continue out of habit. Furthermore, no one dares to give feedback or advise them, either because the opportunity doesn't arise, or because the opportunity is given but any feedback is immediately deflected, like falling into a trap. In this situation, no one dares to offer feedback, as they judge that it would likely cause more harm than good to the one who gives feedback. If someone slips up and offers feedback, the response often comes back abruptly, like: "Why?" or "What did I do wrong?" The person who offered the feedback is then left speechless.

“Dhātusova, bhikkhave, sattā saṁsandanti samenti.” “O Monks, creatures associate and connect according to their elements.” SN 14.23: Asamāhita Sutta, Saṃyutta Nikāya

Perhaps it is for these reasons that such people view their usual conduct as normal. Especially in cases where they are aware of their behaviour but feel they are a "privileged case”; they will become even more resentful if they encounter someone exactly like themselves. The primary impact falls upon those around them, who are forced to grudgingly concede the person as “a special person” or “a special case.” They then avoid close contact, meetings, arguments, or joint activities to prevent unnecessary conflict.

Most people desire peace and a warm, friendly atmosphere and wish to live in such an environment. However, these atmospheres do not arise on their own; they rely on cooperation and concerted effort to be created and sustained. If the majority strives to foster a good atmosphere, but we only do what we like, investing the least amount of effort, the "elements will not align" dynamic will soon emerge, starting with ourselves. We will become the person who is incompatible with everyone else.

Achieving smoother cohabitation with less conflict is actually not very difficult, especially if we recognize that we cannot live alone and still rely on others or the society we live in. It simply requires paying a little more attention to detail. Before acting or speaking, one only needs to practice “putting oneself in the other person’s shoes” (literally, “taking his heart and putting it into our heart”).

It is a simple matter of thinking:

• “If he did to me what I am about to do to him, how would I feel?”

• “If he spoke to me how I am about to speak to him, how would I feel?”

To practice this, you do not need to know or cite advanced Dhamma, such as which volume or which Sutta of the Tipitaka it comes from, what that word means in Pali, where its root word is derived, how others misuse it, or what that particular revered teacher said. Such references will only be effective if the people we live with are truly understanding and united. Otherwise, we ourselves may become a good person, a person of Dhamma, whom no one wants to be near or live with because of the ironic title "special case person”