| Amaravati Buddhist Monastery | |
|---|---|
 Astupa amid the frost of late dawn | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Thai Forest Tradition |
| Leadership | Ajahn Amaro (abbot) |
| Location | |
| Location | St Margarets Lane, Great Gaddesden, Hemel Hempstead,Hertfordshire, England HP1 3BZ |
| Country | United Kingdom |
 Interactive map of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery | |
| Architecture | |
| Founder | disciples ofLuang Por Chah |
| Completed | 1984 |
| Website | |
| http://www.amaravati.org | |
Amaravati is aTheravadaBuddhistmonastery at the eastern end of theChiltern Hills inSouth East England. Established in 1984 byAjahn Sumedho as an extension ofChithurst Buddhist Monastery, the monastery has its roots in theThai Forest Tradition. It takes inspiration from the teachings of the community's founder, the lateAjahn Chah. Its chief priorities are the training and support of a resident monastic community, and the facilitation for monastic and lay people alike of the practice of theBuddha's teachings.
It is not to be confused with the ancientAmaravati Stupa in India.
The resident community consists of monks (bhikkhus), nuns (siladhara), and male and female postulants who live in accordance with strict traditional codes of celibacy, together with a volunteer support staff and visitors. According to the monastery website, regarding the male monastic community, "Usually, there are between 15 and 25bhikkhus andsamaneras in residence, living a contemplative, celibate, mendicant life according to theVinaya andDhamma. [...] The community also consists of anagārikas, or white-robed postulants on theeight precepts, who after a year or two may be given samanera ordination."[1] The monastery's order ofsiladhara, or ten-precept nuns, dates from 1983; there are 10 or so members and a number of female postulants at Amaravati and atChithurst Buddhist Monastery in West Sussex.[2]
Amaravati formally opened in 1985, the site having been purchased fromBuckinghamshire County Council by theEnglish Sangha Trust the year before. Its configuration of several large huts of Canadian cedar, built in extensive grounds for military purposes duringWorld War II, had formerly been a residential school. A purpose-built temple was officially opened on 4 July 1999 byPrincess Galyani Vadhana, sister of theKing of Thailand. The monastery's founder andabbot for most of its existence has beenAjahn Sumedho,Ajahn Chah's foremost disciple in the West. In Autumn 2010 he handed over to the English monkAjahn Amaro, who for the preceding 15 years had been co-abbot ofAbhayagiri Monastery in Redwood Valley, California.[3]
Amaravati has sister monasteries in England – in Devon, Northumberland and West Sussex – as well as monasteries in New Zealand, Italy, Switzerland and North America, which were likewise founded by Ajahn Sumedho. These exist among other Western branches ofAjahn Chah'scommunity, in addition to those in Thailand (see list below). A newvihara in Portugal, called Sumedharama, has been founded north west of Lisbon, near Ericeira.[4] Amaravati's retreat centre provides meditation courses for lay people from April to December. A meditation workshop for lay visitors happens each Saturday from 2-4pm, and there are family and other practice and teaching events happening at the monastery regularly.
In accordance with the principle ofdāna established by theBuddha, the monastery and the retreat centre are run entirely on donations. Amaravati is near theHertfordshire village ofGreat Gaddesden. The nearest towns areHemel Hempstead andBerkhamsted. Themediaevalconvent ofSt Margaret's, abolished byHenry VIII during theDissolution of the Monasteries, was for centuries just 400 yards along the lane.Amaravati in the ancient Buddhist language ofPali means "deathless realm."
The monastery includes a retreat centre offering monastic and lay retreats most of the year.
In 2013, plans were unveiled to update the buildings to a more eco-friendly design, replacing some of the old wooden buildings. So far the following have been completed
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| National | |
51°47′30″N0°31′15″W / 51.79167°N 0.52083°W /51.79167; -0.52083
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