Origins and Founders
The Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery is located at 16201 Tomki Road, Redwood Valley, CA 95470, about 16 miles north of Ukiah, CA. The name “Abhayagiri” means “Fearless Mountain” and this monastery is named after the ancient Abhayagiri Monastery in Sri Lanka, which was famous for welcoming practioners and teachers from many different Buddhist traditions, much like its American counterpart. The monastery was first conceived as an idea in the 1980s by the British Buddhist monk, Ajahn Sumedho. Ajahn Sumedho is the foremost western disciple of Ajahn Chah, the famous Thai Buddhist monk who is known for establishing Theravada Buddhism in the West. The Abhayagiri monastery is the first monastery in the United States to be created by followers of Ajahn Chah. Though it was first conceived in the 1980s, it was not built until 1995. While the monastery was thought up by Ajahn Sumedho, it was built by Ajahn Amaro. Six months after the monastery’s establishment, Ajahn Pasanno came to join Ajahn Amaro as co-abbot. Ajahn Amaro is known as the most senior Western disciple of Ajahn Chah in the United States. In 2010, Ajahn Amaro left for England to become an abbot at the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery he had helped set up with Ajahn Sumedho, and to take over for Ajahn Sumedho as the sole abbot. In 2018, Ajahn Pasanno left for a year long-sabbatical, leaving the monastery in the hands of two new co-abbots: Ajahn Karunadhammo and Ajahn Naniko. When Ajahn Pasanno returns, he will return as the Guiding Elder and not as an abbot. As of the summer of 2018, there are two co-abbots, 13 fully ordained monks, two novices, and four postulants. Based on the monastery’s website, the monks are a mix of Caucasian and Asian men.
The chief priorities of the monastery are: “teaching of Buddhist ethics, together with traditional concentration and insight meditation (also known as the Noble Eightfold Path), as an effective way of completely uprooting suffering and discontent.” The Abhayagiri Monastery is open to both men and women. While it is forest dwelling, the monastery exists in many dimensions. It acts as a dwelling place for the community that resides there year-round, as a place of meditation for those who visit regularly, and as a welcome place for visitors and the greater community. At the monastery, there are monks (bhikkhus), novices (samaneras), postulants (anagarikas), and laypeople (upasaka and upasika). The sanghas at Abhayagiri Monastery live their lives according to the Vinaya. The monastics are alms-mendicants and live lives of celibacy. They carry only a set of robes and an alms bowl and eat only one meal a day, only take medicine when they are ill, and live in a secluded sheltered dwelling for meditation and rest. The residents of the monastery are dependent on the laypeople.
Theravada Buddhism and the Thai Forest Tradition
The Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery is part of the Thai Forest Tradition, which is part of Theravada Buddhist monasticism. So, let us start broadly with Theravada Buddhist monasticism. Theravada Buddhism means “the Way of the Elders.” Theravada claims to come from the descendant of the original disciples of the Buddha and claims to be the orthodox form of Buddhism. It is grounded in the teachings recorded in the Pali Canon. Theravada Buddhism spread to Sri Lanka c. 210 BCE and then to Thailand. There are two monastic paths to Theravada Buddhism: village temples and forest retreats. The Abhayagiri Monastery follows the forest retreat path (specifically the Thai Forest tradition). Forest temples are mainly secluded places (note that the Abhayagiri Monastery is located 16 miles from the nearest large town). Monastics at forest temples are always in meditation, in pursuit of Enlightenment. The Thai Forest tradition is a lineage of Theravada Buddhism and was started/rebirthed by Ajahn Mun at the beginning of the twentieth century. It strictly upholds the original monastic rules that the Buddha had laid out. Buddhist monks under this tradition practice meditation at all times, in order for their minds to become aware and to reach Enlightenment. Laypeople are very important parts of the Thai Forest tradition. Monastics rely on the laypeople for food and the materials they need to live their lives, such as their robes and alms-bowls – though they live with very few possessions. The forest monks follow the prescribed 227 rules of conduct – which includes celibacy and limits on eating.
The Physical Monastery
Under the leadership of co-abbots Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno the monastery has greatly expanded in its facilities. The creation of the Abhayagiri Building Committee also contributed to the expanding of the monastery over the years since its conception. 25 monastic huts were built under their leadership, as well as the Dhamma hall, a kitchen, office spaces, a laundry room, bathrooms for lay women and men, and the infrastructure for the forest dwellers. They have also built the Monks’ Unity Building (MUB) which offers the monks access to bathrooms, meeting rooms, a laundry room, a kitchen, and a storage room. After Ajahn Amaro left in 2010, a Reception Hall was built – a two-story complex that was officially completed in 2018.
View from the MUB (picture by Reginald White)
A Typical Day at the Monastery
A typical day as a monastic at the Abhayagiri Monastery is quite rigorous. There is a very consistent pattern for the day-to-day schedule. The day typically starts at 3-4 AM for the community members who live in their own dwelling places in the forest of the monastery. This time in the morning is meant for general clean-up of the facilities, individual meditation and chanting, study, and yoga. At 5 AM the morning puja begins in the Dhamma hall or on a meditation platform in the summer. The morning puja consists of chanting in English and Pali and followed by an hour of silent meditation. At 6:30 AM the chore period commences, followed by breakfast at 7 AM. From 7:30-10:30 AM, the planning of the day’s three-hour work period happens, as well as the three-hour work period. The monks’ mealtime is at 11 AM, where they are offered food by the laypeople. The monks cannot accept or eat any food after midday. Around 1 PM, after their meal and subsequent clean-up, the monks return to their individual dwelling places for individual practice. 5:30 PM is evening teatime followed by the evening puja at 7 PM, which includes chanting in Pali and another hour of silent meditation. On Saturday evenings, the puja is followed by Dhamma talk.
Each week, there is an Observance Day called Wan Phra. The schedule is less rigorous on this day, allowing time for individual, quiet contemplation. After the evening puja, the community remains together from 10 PM to 3 AM until the morning chanting at 3 AM. On the following day, there is an open schedule to make time for rest and individual contemplation.
The Monastery in the Community and Women
The Abhayagiri Monastery has many connections in its community, both local and international. Abhayagiri has 22 associated monasteries in 11 different countries. The monastery has guest teachers come from forest monasteries in Thailand, England, and other countries in Europe and Australia. Their closest neighbor is the Pacific Hermitage in the Columbia River Gorge in the state of Washington. The Pacific Hermitage is a branch of the Abhayagiri Monastery and was established in the summer of 2010. The Buddhist monks of the Pacific Hermitage rely on the laypeople in the town of White Salmon, Washington for their food and act as a spiritual source to the town. The current abbot of Pacific Hermitage is Ajahn Sudanto, who was previously a monk at Abhayagiri.
Abhayagiri also has associate lay groups along the Pacific Coast in the United States and Canada. Most of the lay groups are focused on meditation, but also include Dhamma discussions, yoga classes, and retreats. These lay groups are less about providing the monastics of the Abhayagiri Monastery with their necessities and more about the Abhayagiri Monastery provided the lay community with spiritual support and guidance.
The Abhayagiri Monastery is not a facility for ordained women, though there are accommodations for nuns and laywomen. On their website, they offer a variety of other monasteries for women who are interested in joining the monastic community.
Coronavirus Pandemic Response and Changes
On the Monastery’s website, they offer a variety of virtual events and resources for those who want to stay engaged but cannot because of the current coronavirus pandemic. They offer a daily YouTube livestream for chanting and meditation, video teachings from several monasteries in England, Dhamma teachings, and Dhamma talks to help those struggling with the ongoing pandemic. These talks include mindfulness exercises, how to deal with distressing situations, and how to address doubts in troubled times.
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