Introduction
Located in Parker, Colorado, just south of Denver, lies the Colorado Forest Monastery of Luangta Maha Boowa. This quaint Monastery is nestled in the snowy hills of a rural area of Colorado, providing gentle seclusion while still allowing a great deal of involvement with the surrounding lay population. This monastery houses a small community of about eight monks, all originally from Thailand. There they trained at a variety of temples including Wat Laulong, Wat Charoen, and the Dhammamongkol temple of Bangkok before moving to the US to serve at the Forest Monastery of Luangta Maha Boowa. While the monastery typically caters to the local Thai-American community and many of the services are offered in Thai, all are welcome at this monastery. The Monastery was founded in 2012 in order to serve the local community, regardless of their religious affiliation. It functions as community meeting space, education center, and as evident on their website, the monks and lay community seek to create a welcoming and inclusive space based around the mission of spreading the Buddha’s message to all.
Mission
The Mission of the Colorado Forest Monastery of Luangta Maha Boowa, according to their website is as such:
“ The guiding principal of the temple is to be a counselor for the followers and also for all of the non-Buddhists in the community, and to assist them all both mentally and spiritually.”
“To provide a place that serves as a gathering point for the entire community to learn and practice the Theravada Buddhist Forest tradition.”
“To establish, preserve, and share the Theravada Buddhist Forest tradition lead by the revered and well known monk named Luangta Maha Boowa, who since passed away in February 2010.”
The monastery is committed to inclusion allowing visitors and practitioners from all walks of life regardless of race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or class.
Tradition and Lifestyle
This community practices Theravada Buddhism, one of three original sects to survive to the present day. Buddhaghosa is considered the Father of Theravada Buddhism. He collected the entire Buddhist canon written in Pali, and created the “Path of Purification”, or a specific set of practices created to help monks reach enlightenment through morality, meditation, and wisdom. There are two main monastic paths for Theravada Buddhists, the Village Temples and Forest Temples. Those who choose a village temple lifestyle typically do not plan on achieving awakening in their lifetime, but devote themselves to making merit, studying Buddhist texts, and connecting with the local community. The Colorado Monastery of Luangta Maha Boowa (CFMOL) is a Theravada Forest Monastery. These communities are typically smaller and more isolated, and the monastics there work very hard to achieve awakening in their lifetimes. The CFMOL is unique in its approach as a Forest Temple because of their deep connection to the local community.
This community emphasizes the cultivation of a number of qualities, predominantly awareness, kindness, and compassion. In order to grow in these qualities, the community focuses on developing patience and hard work, morality, loving kindness and compassion, and mental development and meditation. These monastics have no specific God or deity whom they pray to but focus on practical approaches which the laity and monastics alike can use to better their daily lives. This community believes in the impermanence of all things and that through this impermanence, change is possible for all. They advise that all people be treated as one’s siblings and promote inclusion and loving kindness. They believe that through focusing on developing these qualities they can gain insight into the true nature of reality and eventually achieve enlightenment. While the community holds events for merit making, their media rarely references Karma or the cycle of rebirths, instead focusing on the many benefits Buddhism brings to this life. Their focus on moral development and spiritual traditions outside of meditation are distinct from many Buddhist traditions in the United States which focus primarily on meditation and personal development. It is clear that this monastery greatly values its community and promotes a more collective and traditional practice.
Founder
While the Colorado Monastery itself was founded in 2012 by several followers of Luangta Maha Boowa, the Monastery credits Luangta Maha Boowa as their founder, leader, and inspiration. Luangta Maha Boowa was born in the Udon Thani province of Thailand to two Buddhist parents. He was born on August 12th 1913 and given the name Boowa or “Bua” meaning lotus flower. He was deemed extraordinary by friends and family before birth and was born with his umbilical cord slung over his shoulder like an Alms-Bowl strap. His father urged him to join the local monastery when he was of age, partially in order for him to have a good birth in the next life. While he originally intended to study for only two years, his brief stint as a monastic became a lifelong practice and mission. Luangta Maha Boowa obliged and upon ordination, received the name Nanasampanno meaning “accomplished with insight”. After finishing his studies, he became a wandering monk, traveling from town to town, committed to meditation. He was determined to study under Ajahn Chah, a renowned Thai Theravada Monastic and teacher. After many months, he was able to track Ajahn Chah down and was allowed entry to his monastery. After years of intense training and meditation, Luangta Maha Boowa achieved enlightenment at 36 years of age.
At his teacher’s request, he began instructing young monks and eventually settled down and established the forest monastery “Wat Pa Baan Taad” where he served as abbot. Luangta Maha Boowa was revered as a strict and determined teacher. While he mostly taught Thai monks, for a time he took on monks from the western hemisphere until he stopped due to their “misbehavior”. He kept his circle of students small and required the utmost dedication from them. He shared stories and Dharma talks with his monks and with the community of the surrounding village. He even established a radio station to spread the Buddha’s teachings. When an economic crisis hit Thailand, Luangta Maha Boowa founded the “Thais Help the Thai Nation” project, generating over half a billion US dollars for the cause. Two years after his death, his followers created the Colorado Forest Monastery of Luangta Maha Boowa in the United Sates to preserve and spread his message to the American population.
Education and Community Engagement
The monks of this community are deeply committed to the education and betterment of their local lay community, and in turn the community expresses a deep gratitude towards the monks, viewing them as teachers and friends. The monks offer daily chanting sessions which they share with the lay community. They are held in the evenings and last an hour and a half. There are also opportunities for merit making with the monks, where through donations and other practices, lay folks can create good karma with the potential to achieve a good birth following their death. Monks occasionally visit the homes of the lay community for potlucks, offerings, and community engagement, where they often offer blessings. The monastery also offers individual sessions for lay folks to develop meditation skills at the Monastery and to cultivate the values of the community. These sessions are offered in English and Thai, one simply needs to reach out to the monks for scheduling.
Robe Offering Ceremony (Kathina Day)
Theravada Forest monks typically practice a rains retreat, where they enter relative isolation as a community and meditate intently for about three months. At the end of this retreat, the laity give alms and offer donations of new robes to express their love and gratitude to the monks. There is a large celebration with food, prayer, and chanting. The laity even help dye the robes their characteristic orange hue. This usually takes place in October and is an exciting time for the community to get together.
The Community’s Make-Up and Relationships with Other Communities
The community maintains contact with monasteries in Thailand, frequently referencing them and staying up to date with their activities through the community’s Facebook page. There they have over 1,600 followers. They appear to have a small but devout community of followers, with a few dozen depicted attending their monthly events. The majority of these attendees appear to be Thai or of Thai descent, and much of the monastery’s media is written in Thai. The monastery serves a wide age range, and children are welcome at services, potlucks, and events. In 2014 the Thai Princess her Highness Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visited the temple and offered alms and prayers.
How the Community Receives Funding
As is traditional of Theravada Buddhist communities, the monastery is funded primarily by donations from the lay community. The community uses these donations as a way of making merit in addition to thanking the monks for their prayers, hospitality, and teachings. The monastery holds a gathering every month to raise funds for the monastery. The laity are invited to eat, pray, and offer alms. Meditation and chanting are also observed.
Resources
The Monastery’s Official Website: http://www.luangta.us/newhome/?lang=en
The Monastery’s Active Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=611131185630842&set=a.611130668964227
A short Biography of Venerable Acharn Maha Bua Nanasampanno (Luangta Maha Boowa): http://www.luangta.eu/site/biography.php
Report by Sarah Zidlicky