On September 14, 2016, the resident Abhayagiri Community, guests, and neighbors joined together to move the 3,000 pound sandstone Buddha image into the new Reception Hall. Click here to view a video of this inspiring joint effort.We've also posted a photo gallery.

On Sunday, October 8, 2016, Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery will be hosting an Upasika Day. All are welcome. The theme for the day will be Practice in a Global/Social Context: Right Speech and Living With Ourselves - From the Mind to the Mouth, What Happens? Luang Por Pasanno and senior Abhayagiri monastics have graciously agreed to lead us in teachings, discussion and guided meditations on how speech that contributes to harmony with others and happiness with ourselves begins with attention to and cultivation of internal mental processes. Live Streaming This event will live streamed and you can participate online by going to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs6A1aniHbc. Readings for the...

Each year since the time of the Buddha, at the end of the three-month Rains Retreat, the lay community around every Buddhist monastery has gathered to celebrate the completion of the retreat and to offer to the monastic community gifts of cloth and supplies that will be useful for the coming year. The cloth is then cut, sewn and dyed by the monks to make a robe on that day to offer to one of the Saṅgha.  This 2,500-year-old tradition is still carried on here in the West in the Theravadan monasteries. It is initiated by a lay supporter or a group of supporters who request to organize the preparation and formal offerings. It is both a significant and joyful occasion that, over time, has become emblematic of the richness of the r...

I’ve been reflecting on the realm of right speech, an area in our lives that very swiftly gets carried away on the wind. Just as autumn leaves off the oak tree end up all over the landscape, so too our resolution to be more attentive and more mindful of speech gets carried away on the winds of circumstance. We might listen to a Dhamma talk on right speech and take in the various principles expressed by the teacher, but when we encounter each other we find ourselves wanting to comment on some event in the day that we’ve seen, heard, or read about. We overhear a ...

Year Four: Construction update As we enter the summer months of 2016, we also enter our fourth year of construction of Abhayagiri's new Reception Hall. Year one, 2013, saw us complete: structural foundations, retaining walls, underfloor plumbing, waterproofing back retaining wall, installing water tanks and trenching for fire sprinkler system. Year two, 2014, construction was mostly put on hold, with the exception of a few additions to the infrastructure: stairways, septic tank, underground electrical lines and drains, radiant underfloor heating tubes, finished floor levels, and a small retaining wall. The del...