Set against the serene New England backdrop of Grafton, Massachusetts, the New England Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center, or NEBV & MC for short, is a flourishing Buddhist temple, school, and community. The NEBV & MC emphasizes that anyone is welcome to learn about Theravada Buddhism, regardless of their background, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, political affiliations, or profession.
Established in 2004 under the Venerable Aluthgama Dhammajothi Thero, the New England Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center was created to provide Buddhist philosophy and spiritual guidance to the town of Grafton as well as the wider New England community. In contrast to the tropical climate of the founder’s native home of Sri Lanka, the Venerable Aluthgama Dhammajothi Thero chose central Massachusetts to build the temple. Grafton is a semi-rural town that resides outside of the city of Worcester. The town has a population of about nineteen and a half thousand people, the majority of whom are white (“QuickFacts: Grafton Town, Worcester County, Massachusetts” 2019). Yet, clearly, the Venerable Aluthgama Dhammajothi Thero saw the need for a strong Buddhist community in Massachusetts, as the temple has only grown since 2004. It now has a congregation of over 200 families and is currently raising money to help build a new vihara and meditation building in front of their current temple.
The current resident monk, the Venerable Debokkawe Pannasiri, also immigrated from Sri Lanka, originally calling home Angunukolapelassa in Hambanthota. He was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1998 and received his higher ordination in 2005. Since arriving as the resident monk at the NEBV & MC in Grafton, MA, he has helped perpetuate the temple’s mission through teaching meditation classes, hosting discussions of Buddhist philosophy and guidance based on Dhamma teachings, and holding special instructional classes for young children and teenagers.
The New England Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center practices the Theravada tradition. On their website, the temple emphasizes that it teaches from the “doctrine of the elders” which represents the school of Buddhism inspired by the Pali Canon (or Tripitaka.) The Tripitaka is the oldest, most complete surviving record of Buddha’s teachings and lies as the foundation of Theravada tradition. Because of this, Theravada Buddhism claims to follow closely the original doctrines and practices taught by the Buddha. The temple therefore regularly practices the chants of sutras, or scriptures, which are recited by its resident monks in Pali, the ancient language from Buddha’s time.
Because the temple follows such an old school of Buddhism, it is especially interesting that the NEBV & MC is not the only community promoting the Theravada Buddhist tradition in the New England and tri-state area. There is also the New York Buddhist Vihara, the Staten Island Buddhist Vihara, the Long Island Buddhist Meditation Center, and the Connecticut Buddhist Vihara. Each of these temples is connected through The Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations. This group is Sri Lanka’s diplomatic representatives who oversee the country’s mission to the United Nations. In March of 2019, The Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the U.N. in New York arranged a Buddha pūjā, a Dhamma Sermon, and almsgiving at the New York Buddhist Vihara in Queens. Resident monks of each temple, including the Venerable Debokkawe Pannasiri, gathered to celebrate “Thripitaka Week”, pictured below.
The presence of Theravada Buddhism in New England and the wider tri-state area appears to be thriving, which the NEBV & MC demonstrates in the many events they regularly host. Their website’s calendar is a rainbow of color with events nearly every day. Recurring every Wednesday and Friday evening, the temple hosts a guided meditation session for adults. In these hour-long sessions, attendees are guided by monks to meditate on their mindfulness. After their meditation, time is reserved for questions and discussions surrounding Dhamma. Weekly events also include Dhamma school for children ages four through eighteen and Buddha Vandanā (Chanting) and Seth Pirith. During the Vassana Season, there are additional weekly programs where attendees meditate following the Dhamma sermon.
The temple also celebrates Monthly Sila observances as well as annual Buddhist religious celebrations such as Vesak and Katina ceremonies. Perhaps most enticing to new congregants is the temple’s summer Dhamma camp for children, Pali language classes, and special meditation retreats put on by both resident and visiting monks. Over the past year, the temple has managed to adapt to the ever-changing situations of the Covid-19 pandemic. They have hosted many virtual sessions, with weekly meditations occurring over zoom, and now appear to be carrying on in-person with masks.
The NEBV & MC’s Dhamma school is a very popular component of the temple and meditation center. The goal of the Dhamma School is to provide the students with an understanding of the doctrine of Buddha so that they grow into knowledgeable, virtuous Buddhists. For example, each class begins by seeking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and the Sangha by reciting the five precepts in Pāli. The Dhamma school runs throughout the year and currently has 35 regular attendees. The classes are taught by the temple’s monks as well as volunteers from the community. Depending on the age of the children, students are taught everything from the Five Precepts and the Four Noble Truths to Vesak day messages and Dana. The students and their teachers can be seen in the image below, taken on the last day of Dhamma school in December of 2017.
The Dhamma school is just one of the many ways in which members of the NEBV & MC community represent Buddhism. There are also temple conduct meditation retreats, Sil programs, Dhamma discussions, annual Buddhist celebrations, and prayer ceremonies as well as cultural activities such as the Sri Lankan New Year. The meditation center itself is another popular component of the NEBV & MC, which heavily emphasizes mindfulness. The temple uses concepts from the Satipatthana Sutta to teach mindfulness meditation. The Sathipattahana Sutta describes the four foundations of established mindfulness. This includes Kayanupassana (Contemplation of the body), Vedanupassana (Contemplation of feelings), Chittanupassana (Contemplation of mind), and Dhamupassana (Contemplation of mind contents). Students at the Dhamma school are also taught meditation, including loving-kindness meditation (Maithri Bhavana) and Breathing Meditation (Sathi Bavana).
Interestingly, the NEBV & MC website speaks to how they wish to equally serve both Buddhist and non-Buddhist communities living in the New England area. While many of their congregants are native Sri-Lankans, some have only ever lived in Massachusetts. The NEBV & MC provides these residents with their first encounter with Buddhism. In one local newspaper article about the temple, Richard Price, a Grafton resident, explains why he has been coming to the temple for so many years. Price emphasizes how the temple’s focus on mindfulness for ourselves and kindness toward others resonates with so many different people. Price mentions that the temple has been particularly important to him considering the current stress, challenges, and isolation brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Neela de Zoysa, a Sri Lankan-American who now lives in Sudbury, Massachusetts, was also interviewed for the local newspaper’s article. She similarly spoke to how the temple, “…occupies a central role in the spiritual and social life of the Sri Lankan migrants… in the greater Boston area and across New England.” (Peruzzi 2020). The NEBV & MC provides community, meditation, and teachings for a mix of congregants, including Sri-Lankan immigrants and life-long Massachusetts residents.
The Buddhist community has grown tremendously thanks to the meditation center, popular Dhamma school, and welcoming community. In fact, it has grown so much that the temple now needs to expand its current meeting space to house the 200 or so families that come. However, the New England Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center is a non-profit organization that relies on charitable donations to maintain the center, its programs, and its resident monks. The temple is still raising money for its expansion plans, and unfortunately, the pandemic has resulted in a decrease in donations.
Despite difficulties with the pandemic, the NEBV & MC remains a flourishing Theravada Buddhist temple and meditation center. It primarily promotes mindfulness meditation and also teaches central elements of Theravada Buddhism, including the Four Noble Truths, sīla (which comprises of right speech, right action, and right livelihood along the eight-fold path), and the five precepts taught by Buddha (wisdom, kindness, patience, generosity, and compassion). With its emphasis on welcoming and accepting all people to the temple, regardless of background, race, or even religion, the NEBV & MC has grown tremendously since its founding 17 years ago.
By Isabel Willams
References
Peruzzi, Brett. 2020. “Buddhist Temple in Grafton Offers Calm from Present Storm.” The Community Advocate, June 30, 2020. https://www.communityadvocate.com/2020/06/30/buddhist-temple-in-grafton-offers-calm-from-present-storm/.
“QuickFacts: Grafton Town, Worcester County, Massachusetts.” 2019. United States Census Bureau. 2019. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/graftontownworcestercountymassachusetts.
“The New England Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center.” n.d. https://www.nebvmc.org/.