Western Theravda organisations - propagation?

[pilgrim]

Reviving an old thread to update it with recently established western monasteries ( or those being established).

USA
New England - Temple Forest Monastery http://forestmonastery.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Florida - Sarasota Forest Monastery http://www.sarasotaforestmonastery.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Europe
Norway - Skipvet Monastery http://skiptvet-vihara.weebly.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Slovenia - Samanadipa https://www.facebook.com/samanadipa?fref=ts" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Australia
Newbury Forest Monastery - http://nbm.org.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Any others?

[samseva]

Reviving an old thread to update it with recently established western monasteries ( or those being established).

USA
New England - Temple Forest Monastery http://forestmonastery.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[...]

Thank you, pilgrim.

[Khalil Bodhi]

We're trying a couple of new things here in NYC:

http://manhattanmeditation.org/
http://buddhistinsights.com/

The latter especially is being carried with a view to create a permanent center (probably in Queens) where monastics can live and teach. If you're in the NYC area check out our Meetups for several upcoming teachings by Bhante Suddhaso and Bhante Saddhasara.

http://www.meetup.com/Manhattan-Buddhis ... ion-Group/
http://www.meetup.com/BuddhistInsights/

[BlkMettaCat]

I've been following Buddhist Insights and Bhante Suddhaso on Instagram. They are doing a lot of great things

[pilgrim]

Does anyone have any experience with Wat Sacca in Berlin?
http://michaelgeissler.jimdo.com/english/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"We are a friendly small monastery of the Thai forest tradition under the auspices of T.A. Jayasaro (the former abbot of Wat Pah Nana chat, the international training monastery of Ajahn Cha in Thailand). Our main focus is to make the most original instruction of the Buddha accessible to practitioners......Our resident monk is Ajahn Piyadhammo. Born in Berlin, he has initially been trained in Wat Pah Nana Chat. Afterwards he lived for many years in monasteries of Asia and North America. "

[dhammarelax]

Which western Theravada organisation is most enthusiastic about Dhamma propagation?

I was just surfing the site of FPMT Mongolia ( http://www.fpmtmongolia.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and am quite impressed with the work they are doing. This led me to wondering if there are Western Theravada organisations which are similarly enthusiastic or focused on Dhamma propagation. I can't think of any really, and that begs the question why? There is certainly opportunities in Cambodia and other countries.

Can you mention what impressed you the most? I think the establishment of meditation centers or monasteries deserves a new section here at Dhammawheel.

smile all the time
dhammarelax

[pilgrim]

Like I mentioned in the OP, I was impressed with the motivation and initiative to establish the Dhamma where it was needed or in new lands and the effort made to teach the Dhamma to the local population. This differs a little from the Theravada approach of waiting for a community of Buddhists to develop which then invites monks over. But that OP was written 3 years ago. Since then, I observed there have been a small number of initiatives, the latest being Ven Hiriko's new hermitage in Slovenia.

Also Ven Yuttadhammo's new monastery is promising.
https://www.youcaring.com/sirimangalo-i ... tre-516926" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Zom]

The problem is - Dhamma is not needed in the West (massively), and, as it seems, will never be. Usually westerners are interested in modern meditation, but they prefer to have it out of any religious context, including buddhist. This is why Dhamma propagation via meditation is a wrong and fruitless approach which brings, as I see it, more harm than benefit, to our religion.

[pilgrim]

The problem is - Dhamma is not needed in the West (massively), and, as it seems, will never be. Usually westerners are interested in modern meditation, but they prefer to have it out of any religious context, including buddhist. This is why Dhamma propagation via meditation is a wrong and fruitless approach which brings, as I see it, more harm than benefit, to our religion.

I'm not a westerner so my views may not be well informed, but so far my perception seems to contradictory. It seems meditation is the largest door to the Dhamma in the west. It has changed the attitude of westerners towards the religion to be more positive. Also I was just reading the bios of the monks at Abhayagiri and other monasteries recently and it seems that the Goenka retreats are mentioned more than any other influence as the primary intro to the Dhamma.

[Zom]

I'm not a westerner so my views may not be well informed, but so far my perception seems to contradictory. It seems meditation is the largest door to the Dhamma in the west. It has changed the attitude of westerners towards the religion to be more positive. Also I was just reading the bios of the monks at Abhayagiri and other monasteries recently and it seems that the Goenka retreats are mentioned more than any other influence as the primary intro to the Dhamma.

From what I see, those who are interested in meditation, almost never adopt Buddhism (there are some cases, but these are quite rare). Most of people whom I do know as buddhists came to it because of special inner search, but not because they were interested in meditation. Concerning the attitude - well, this may be true to some extent, however, still, people won't adopt buddhist views simply because "it's got a meditation". Nowadays the only popular religion is science - and if we are to see people massively converting to Buddhism - this will happen only when the science will manage to approve main Buddhists dogmas such as (at least) rebirth and non-material consciousness.

And buddhist meditation is becoming a secular trend of fashion. It is destined to become a new yoga, which is now widely seen as purely physical exercises for health. This is already happening all over the world.

[samseva]

Also Ven Yuttadhammo's new monastery is promising.
https://www.youcaring.com/sirimangalo-i ... tre-516926

Thank you for that.

[dagon]

I'm not a westerner so my views may not be well informed, but so far my perception seems to contradictory. It seems meditation is the largest door to the Dhamma in the west. It has changed the attitude of westerners towards the religion to be more positive. Also I was just reading the bios of the monks at Abhayagiri and other monasteries recently and it seems that the Goenka retreats are mentioned more than any other influence as the primary intro to the Dhamma.

From what I see, those who are interested in meditation, almost never adopt Buddhism (there are some cases, but these are quite rare). Most of people whom I do know as buddhists came to it because of special inner search, but not because they were interested in meditation. Concerning the attitude - well, this may be true to some extent, however, still, people won't adopt buddhist views simply because "it's got a meditation". Nowadays the only popular religion is science - and if we are to see people massively converting to Buddhism - this will happen only when the science will manage to approve main Buddhists dogmas such as (at least) rebirth and non-material consciousness.

And buddhist meditation is becoming a secular trend of fashion. It is destined to become a new yoga, which is now widely seen as purely physical exercises for health. This is already happening all over the world.

It would appear to me that the propagation of the dhamma has always been a case of providing exposure to the dhamma and those with "only a little dust in their eyes" taking an interest. People come to Buddhism from many different starting point - all of which are as valid as the next. Seeds sown in this life many not come to imitated germination and may not even occur in this lifetime.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Zom,

Good points. Meditation has been secularized, co-opted as a means to non-Dhammic ends, and now any correlation between Buddhism and science will arguably do more to further the religion of science, than it will to further Buddhism.

What does, and has always differentiated Buddhism from all else is the presence of the Buddha's Dhamma - i.e. Right View.

Using meditation as a lure may have worked in previous decades, but it may be best now simply for Buddhism to play to its strengths - even if that foregoes any sense of potential mass appeal. Besides, the true Dhamma will never be understood by the majority anyway, as the Buddha once lamented...

“Enough now with teaching
what
only with difficulty
I reached.
This Dharma is not easily realized
by those overcome
with aversion and passion.

What is abstruse, subtle,
deep,
hard to see,
going against the flow —
those delighting in passion,
cloaked in the mass of darkness,
won't see.”

Metta,
Paul.

[befriend]

spirit rock has the community dharma leader program. this is from the spirit rock website spiritrock.org
Beginning in April 2015, the Community Dharma Leaders Program (“CDL5”) will support Dharma leadership at the community level, especially emphasizing daily-life practice. Program teachers Eugene Cash, Gina Sharpe, Larry Yang and Pamela Weiss are committed to shaping a program that will include the comprehensive training and competencies needed to:
1.Lead sitting groups;
2.Teach beginning classes and daylong retreats;
3.Develop community-based sanghas and dharma organizations;
4.Expand access to the teachings beyond previously served populations;
5.Embody the skills needed for attunement, empathy and sensitivity to the role of teacher, the communities being taught and within the context of team teaching.
6.Facilitate rites of passage and develop competency with Buddhist ritual; and
7.Explore community outreach to people and communities heretofore underrepresented

[pilgrim]

Buddhism without the element of meditation is already commonly found in the west but have not proved to be popular. They are called ethnic temples.