Sravasti Abbey
Sravasti Abbey is a Buddhist Monastery in the Tibetan tradition established in October 2003 by Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron. Situated on 240 acres (1.0 km2) of forest and meadows; it is 11 miles (18 km) outside of Newport, Washington, near the Idaho state line. Sravasti Abbey is a training Monastery and is open to visitors who want to learn about community Life in a Tibetan Buddhist monastic setting. The Name comes from the fact that during The Buddha's Time, there had been both a community of Nuns and a community of Monks at Sravasti.
History
The Abbey’s founder, Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron, is an American who was ordained in 1977 by Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, H.H. the Dalai Lama's senior tutor. She lived and studied in India and Nepal for many years, and her teachers include His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhap Serkong Rinpoche and Thubten Zopa Rinpoche. Under her guidance, Sravasti Abbey is bringing Western sensibilities to monastic Life by having male and female monastics train together as equals, and by bringing social service as a key component of community Life. At the same Time, the Abbey cultivates the traditional Buddhist values of non-harming, Mindfulness, Compassion, inter-relatedness, Respect for nature and service to all Sentient beings.
The Abbey is highly notable because it is home to a growing group of fully ordained Bhikshuni (Buddhist Nuns) practicing Buddhism in the Tibetan tradition. This is unique because the tradition of full Ordination for women was not transmitted from India to Tibet. Elsewhere, ordained women practicing in the Tibetan tradition hold an Ordination that is, in effect, a novice Ordination. Venerable Thubten Chodron, while faithfully following the teachings of her Tibetan teachers, has arranged for her students to seek full Ordination as bhikshunis in Taiwan. At present, there are six bhikshunis and approximately six novice residents. The latter group includes both men and women.
Recently completed construction includes a new monastic residence, called Gotami House. It is named after Mahapajapati Gotami who was the first woman to request and receive Ordination from Buddha Shakyamuni. There is also a new constructed residence for guest teachers and plans for a large new structure, Chenrezig Hall.
Daily schedule
The Abbey’s daily schedule begins at 5:00 a.m. when both monastic and lay students perform preparatory practices and tasks such as water bowl Offerings, and so on. Morning Meditation practice begins at 5:30 and lasts an hour and a half. Ven. Chodron then gives a short morning teaching as a motivation for the day, followed by breakfast in Silence. For an hour and a half after that, there is either another teaching or personal Dharma study Time. From 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. residents “offer service” performing tasks that contribute to a harmonious community Life within a practice of Generosity. This is followed by the traditional Food Offering and eating lunch in Silence. An informal Dharma discussion often follows lunch. There is another period of Offering service in the afternoon, followed by a short, informal, and optional meal at 6:00 p.m. Evening practice begins at 7:00 pm and lasts an hour and a half. Subsequently, people read or meditate in their rooms.
Besides the daily schedule, the abbey hosts programs on an annual basis, including an annual three-month winter Retreat, which is done in Silence with a weekly teaching and Q&A session. Exploring Monastic Life (EML) is another annual program dedicated to cultivating a monastic Mind for those aspiring to ordain as monastics. In 2006, the abbey launched the first annual week-long Young Adult Retreat in Order to bring Buddhist solutions to situations facing today’s youth. The abbey also has monthly Sharing The Dharma Days for visitors, weekly tele-teachings (on the phone), several other retreats and Activities throughout the year, as well as talks in the surrounding towns. Programs are open to monastics and the general public.
Friends of Sravasti Abbey
In keeping with the traditional interdependent relationship between lay and monastic practitioners, Friends of Sravasti Abbey (FOSA) was developed as a network of lay supporters who supply The Sangha with the four requisites: Food, shelter, clothing, and Medicine. FOSA has three branches: one in North America, one in Singapore, and one in Mexico. In Order to cultivate this interdependence, the monastics only eat the Food that has been offered by lay support.
The educational program includes monastic training, teachings on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lamrim) and Thought Training (Lojong), supplemented by philosophical studies and some tantric practice. An emphasis is placed on community Life as a vehicle for working on our own Minds and for developing Love and Compassion for others.
