About the Abbey
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Vision
"The flourishing of the Buddha's teachings in a particular place is determined
by the existence of fully ordained monks and nuns and male and female lay practitioners.
Thus the existence of monks and nuns and the practice of Vinaya, the Buddhist monastic
discipline, are very important."
Vision (en Español)Throughout the ages, monasteries have been centers of Buddhist learning and practice, places that have benefited monastics, lay practitioners, and society. Sravasti Abbey continues that tradition, providing a quiet environment conducive for Buddhist study and meditation. Fully ordained monastics, novices, and trainees live here. We welcome visiting lay and monastic practitioners who wish to live, work, and practice in a community setting. The monastics of Sravasti Abbey endeavor to live generously through dedicating our lives to the Buddha's teachings, practicing them earnestly, and offering them to others. We trust that people will value our way of life and work and will respond generously by providing what is needed to live and to spread the Dharma in a modern society. Together with the lay community, we will build facilities where all of us can study and practice the Buddha's teaching. The Monastic TraditionBuddhism began in India with Buddha Shakyamuni's enlightenment over twenty-six centuries ago. Passed from one generation of practitioners to another, the Buddha's teachings flourished throughout Asia and have recently spread to the West. Since the Buddha's time, monastics have been responsible for preserving the teachings.
Until now, Buddhism in the United States has been focused on Dharma centers where lay students learn the Buddha's teachings. Now that these are well established, it is time to build monasteries where women and men can study, practice, and train in the monastic lifestyle. At Sravasti AbbeyAs Buddhism spread from one country to another, it has adapted to new cultural customs and evolved different external forms. In this area Sravasti Abbey is innovative. For example, gender equality and social service are key elements of community life. Most chanting is in English.
Monastics and lay practitioners are trained in leading meditation, discussions, and rituals. We cultivate inter-religious dialogue and offer service to the community through activities such as spiritual counseling and prison work. By nurturing individuals' unique talents within a traditional monastic setting adapted to the present American culture, we strive to embody the Buddhist values of non-harming, mindfulness, compassion, inter-relatedness, respect for nature, and service to sentient beings—all directed towards the enlightenment of all beings. The Abbey cultivates happy, well-balanced practitioners and a healthy community through a balance of study, meditation, and service. A community that models good communication and conflict resolution skills and is comprised of individuals who live simply and cultivate ethical discipline, love, compassion, and wisdom is an inspiration to society at large.
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By living a life of simplicity as exemplified by the Buddha and described by the
Vinaya, monastics provide a healthy challenge to society's concepts of success,
power, and consumption. They exemplify community life centered around spiritual
practice, and in doing so, they have sustained the Buddha's teachings to the present
day.
We value service as a foundation for study and practice. In addition to regular
public teachings at the Abbey, monastics teach in other locations, and the Abbey
acts as a resource for Dharma centers. We write Buddhist books and articles and
transcribe and edit our teachers' discourses.