Bhante Joe Atulo | Metta Convention (Sydney) Talk: For the Sake of the Goal: Wilderness Monks Across Traditions and Their Lessons for Us (2:00 pm – 2:30 pm, GMT +11, AUS)

Join Bhante Joe in this Dhamma Talk: There is something striking about the lives of the great forest practitioners. Living in remote wilderness areas, contending with wild animals, illness, and their own inner demons, they point us to a path that leads away from the world and toward a goal worth renouncing everything for.

​This talk examines the lives of wilderness practitioners in the Theravāda, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna traditions. It explores the common elements of their practices to see what we might learn in order to follow their achievements and reach the end of suffering. (Sydney, Australia.)

Bhante Joe in Australia

Bhante Joe’s Biography

Bhante Joe was born in London, Ontario, in 1983. Growing up, he was interested in business and computers. A spiritual vocation seemed extremely unlikely. However, in high school, he was given a book as a joke, and after reading the four noble truths, he was converted. In high school and university, Bhante attended the Toronto Zen Buddhist Temple. He eventually moved in and in 2006, he took up full-time training at the Temple. However, an attraction to Theravada Buddhism pulled him towards the Thai Forest Tradition. He attended a day-long retreat with Ajanh Viradhammo in 2007. He found his way to Tisaraṇa Monastery and was ordained as an anagārika in 2008. In 2010, Bhante Joe was ordained as a bhikkhu with Ajahn Viradhammo as his preceptor. He trained at Tisaraṇa, with one year in Thailand, until 2015. In 2015, his teacher released him from dependence. He spent six months at a monastery in California and then returned to Canada to stay in the Toronto area. Bhante Joe stayed in the Toronto area from 2016 until 2019. In Toronto, he associated with the Toronto Mahavihara and the West End Buddhist Temple. In November 2019, he went to Sri Lanka, where he currently resides.