Ayya Niyyānika

Niyyānika Bhikkhunī (they/them) shares Dhamma through Paḷī text Sutta-based embodiment practices focused on lovingkindness, compassion, settling, and equanimity.

Ayya Niyyānika has aligned with a variety of identities and labels in this life. They explore identities as rafts for practice, i.e., ways to grow understanding of conditionality, becoming, letting go, and true safety. Some identity areas they have previously or continue to explore include: gender, sexuality, racial and ethnic heritage, addiction, neurodiversity, ability, and vocation.

The monastic label was taken up in 2014, with full ordination in December of 2017. Ayya finds monastic life a suitable place for them to practice and share Dhamma. Monastic life has taught them happiness amidst all things, even the dukkha of having a body and the struggles of the world. They share a path of happiness with others through practices that cultivate kind awareness, appropriate effort, radical acceptance, and letting go.

Ayya Niyyānika lives at Passaddhi Vihara in Olympia, WA.