Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery
Encyclopedia
Abhayagiri, or Fearless Mountain in the canonical
language of Pali
, is a Theravadin Buddhist monastery
of the Thai Forest Tradition
in Redwood Valley
, California
. Its chief priorities are the teaching of Buddhist ethics
, together with traditional concentration
and insight meditation
techniques, as an effective way of dissolving stress
.
, the monastery has its origins in the 1980s when the UK-based Ajahn Sumedho
, foremost western disciple of the Thai meditation
master Ajahn Chah
, started getting requests to teach in California. Visits by either himself or one of his senior monks or nuns resulted in the Sanghapala Foundation being set up in 1988. The monastery's 120 acre (0.4856232 km²) were given to the foundation by the devotees of Chan
Master Hsuan Hua
, founder of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas
in Talmage
, before he died in 1995.
At the time of writing there were a dozen renunciates in permanent residence: two abbot
s, two anagarika
s or postulants, two samanera
s or novices and six fully ordained bhikkhu
s. Male residents live in small huts nestled in the forest. Female residents live in a house which was separately donated to the monastery. Guest teachers come from the forests of Thailand
as well as England
.
The daily schedule, in keeping with tradition, is rigorous. Most residents, monastics and lay visitors and alike, rise well before sunrise. Morning puja
, as it's known, is at 5am and lasts an hour-and-a-half. This is followed by a half-hour work period, and a breakfast of oatmeal. There are then three hours of physical labor, ending with lunch, which has to be consumed before midday. There follows free time for study, meditation and/or walking the extensive network of trails that wind about the mountainside. At about 5pm tea is served, sometimes followed by a Dhamma reading and, later, by a further puja. On lunar observance days, which mark the four moon quarters, this lasts until 3am the following morning.
Canonical
Canonical is an adjective derived from canon. Canon comes from the greek word κανών kanon, "rule" or "measuring stick" , and is used in various meanings....
language of Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
, is a Theravadin Buddhist monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of the Thai Forest Tradition
Thai Forest Tradition
The Thai Forest Tradition is a tradition of Buddhist monasticism within Thai Theravada Buddhism. Practitioners inhabit remote wilderness and forest dwellings as spiritual practice training grounds. Maha Nikaya and Dhammayuttika Nikaya are the two major monastic orders in Thailand that have forest...
in Redwood Valley
Redwood Valley, California
Redwood Valley is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California. It is located southwest of Potter Valley, at an elevation of 722 feet . It comprises the northern portion of the Ukiah Valley. It is about 8 mi north of Ukiah and 12 mi south of Willits. Potter Valley is to...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Its chief priorities are the teaching of Buddhist ethics
Sila
Śīla or sīla in Buddhism and its non-sectarian offshoots, is a code of conduct that embraces self-restraint with a value on non-harming. It has been variously described as virtue, good conduct, morality, moral discipline and precept. It is an action that is an intentional effort...
, together with traditional concentration
Anapanasati
Ānāpānasati , meaning 'mindfulness of breathing' , is a form of Buddhist meditation now common to the Tibetan, Zen, Tiantai, and Theravada schools of Buddhism, as well as western-based mindfulness programs.According to tradition, Anapanasati was...
and insight meditation
Vipassana
Vipassanā or vipaśyanā in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the true nature of reality. A regular practitioner of Vipassana is known as a Vipassi . Vipassana is one of the world's most ancient techniques of meditation, the inception of which is attributed to Gautama Buddha...
techniques, as an effective way of dissolving stress
Dukkha
Dukkha is a Pali term roughly corresponding to a number of terms in English including suffering, pain, discontent, unsatisfactoriness, unhappiness, sorrow, affliction, social alienation, anxiety,...
.
Origins
About 13 miles (20.9 km) north of UkiahUkiah, California
The average high temperature is 73.5 °F . Average low temperature is 46.1 °F . Temperatures reach 90 °F on an average of 65.6 days annually and 100 °F on an average of 14.4 days annually. Due to frequent low humidity, summer temperatures normally drop into the fifties at night. Freezing...
, the monastery has its origins in the 1980s when the UK-based Ajahn Sumedho
Ajahn Sumedho
Luang Por Ajahn Sumedho is the senior Western representative of the Thai forest tradition of Theravada Buddhism. He was abbot of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery just north of London from its consecration in 1984 until his retirement in 2010...
, foremost western disciple of the Thai meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
master Ajahn Chah
Ajahn Chah
Venerable Ajahn Chah Subhaddo was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition....
, started getting requests to teach in California. Visits by either himself or one of his senior monks or nuns resulted in the Sanghapala Foundation being set up in 1988. The monastery's 120 acre (0.4856232 km²) were given to the foundation by the devotees of Chan
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
Master Hsuan Hua
Hsuan Hua
Hsuan Hua , also known as An Tzu and Tu Lun, was a Chan Buddhist monk and a contributing figure in bringing Chinese Buddhism to the United States in the 20th century....
, founder of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas
City of Ten Thousand Buddhas
The City Of Ten Thousand Buddhas is an international Buddhist community and monastery founded by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, an important figure in Western Buddhism...
in Talmage
Talmage
-People:*Algernon Talmage, British artist*Charles George Talmage, FRAS , British astronomer*David Talmage, American immunologist*James E...
, before he died in 1995.
Lifestyle
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
s, two anagarika
Anagarika
In Theravada Buddhism, an anagarika is a person who has given up most or all of his worldly possessions and responsibilities to commit fulltime to Buddhist practice. It is a midway status between monk and layperson where one takes on the Eight Precepts for the entire anagarika period, which could...
s or postulants, two samanera
Samanera
A samanera ) may be translated as novice monk in a Buddhist context. The literal meaning is 'small samana', that is, small renunciate where 'small' has the meaning of boy or girl. In the Vinaya monastic discipline, a man under the age of 20 cannot ordain as a bhikkhu, but can ordain as a samanera...
s or novices and six fully ordained bhikkhu
Bhikkhu
A Bhikkhu or Bhikṣu is an ordained male Buddhist monastic. A female monastic is called a Bhikkhuni Nepali: ). The life of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis is governed by a set of rules called the patimokkha within the vinaya's framework of monastic discipline...
s. Male residents live in small huts nestled in the forest. Female residents live in a house which was separately donated to the monastery. Guest teachers come from the forests of Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
as well as England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The daily schedule, in keeping with tradition, is rigorous. Most residents, monastics and lay visitors and alike, rise well before sunrise. Morning puja
Puja (Buddhism)
In Buddhism, puja are expressions of "honour, worship and devotional attention." Acts of puja include bowing, making offerings and chanting...
, as it's known, is at 5am and lasts an hour-and-a-half. This is followed by a half-hour work period, and a breakfast of oatmeal. There are then three hours of physical labor, ending with lunch, which has to be consumed before midday. There follows free time for study, meditation and/or walking the extensive network of trails that wind about the mountainside. At about 5pm tea is served, sometimes followed by a Dhamma reading and, later, by a further puja. On lunar observance days, which mark the four moon quarters, this lasts until 3am the following morning.
See also
- Ajahn Amaro
- Amaravati Buddhist MonasteryAmaravati Buddhist MonasteryAmaravati is a Theravadin Buddhist monastery at the eastern end of the Chiltern Hills in south east England. The centre, in practice as much for ordinary people as for monastics, is inspired by the Thai forest tradition and the teachings of the late Ajahn Chah....
, UK - Bodhinyana MonasteryBodhinyana MonasteryBodhinyana is a Theravadin Buddhist monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition located in Serpentine, about 60 minutes drive south-east of Perth, Australia.- Abbot :...
, Australia - Bodhivana Monastery, Australia
- Chithurst Buddhist MonasteryChithurst Buddhist MonasteryCittaviveka, popularly known as Chithurst Buddhist Monastery, is a Theravada Buddhist Monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition. It is situated in West Sussex, England in the hamlet of Chithurst between Midhurst and Petersfield...
, UK - Birken Forest Buddhist MonasteryBirken Forest Buddhist MonasteryBirken Forest Buddhist Monastery, or Sītavana , is a Theravada Buddhist monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition near Kamloops, British Columbia. It serves as a training centre for monastics and also a retreat facility for laypeople...
, Canada - Wat Pah NanachatWat Pah NanachatWat Pah Nanachat is situated in a small forest in north-east Thailand about fifteen kilometres from the city of Ubon Rachathani. The late Ajahn Chah established the monastery in 1975 to serve as a training community for non-Thais along traditional monastic lines. Its monks, novices and postulants...
, Thailand