This is Sravasti Abbey, the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the US for both nuns and monks. Venerable Thubten Chodron, an American Buddhist nun, founded the abbey for other American Buddhist disciples.
It’s about ten miles south of Newport, a small railroad town on the Washington-Idaho border. The abbey is on the side of a small mountain. When the abbey first opened in 2003, there weren’t enough students to hold regular teachings.
Now, there are dozens of red-robed monastics studying dharma in the middle of rural Eastern Washington. And it doesn’t stop there. There’s enough local interest in courses, retreats, teachings and services that the abbey needed more space.
People from all over the country–and all over the world–sent money to build Sravasti Abbey’s new Buddha Hall. It’s a community gathering space with holy scrolls, temple drums, and enough space to fit more than a hundred people.
The abbey held a dedication ceremony for the new hall on September 1. Venerable Thubten Semkye gave the first comments.
Thubten Semkye: “I’d like to begin with a quote by Venerable Thubten Chodron two years ago around this time, at the beginning of this undertaking that I believe sets the tone for today. Quote: ‘I keep thinking, we’re in this little corner of WA state, in a corner of the US, on planet Earth, which is a speck of dust in the huge universe, and we’re asking all the buddhism bodhisattvas to come here. Like, who in the world are we?' Well, there must be something going on. And it has to do with spreading the teachings on wisdom and compassion."
Nuns joked that the construction project, which took eight years, seemed like a miracle. After all, Sravasti Abbey is named after an ancient Indian city famous for miracles that Buddhists believe Gautama Buddha performed there.
But Chodron, the abbey's founder, said the Buddha Hall was no miracle.
Thubten Chodron: “It's actually a dependent arising, dependent on all of you also. So this is a Buddha Hall that is really for everybody, because everybody together created it.”
“Dependent arising” is a core teaching of Buddhism that says everything flows out of something else. This hall, Chodron says, is the result of innumerable good deeds coming together and creating something new.
That, Chodron says, is also the mission of the abbey.
Thubten Chodron: “As our brand says, we are trying to create peace in a chaotic world. So things went along with our brand. The last year has been more chaotic than when we started building the Buddha Hall. And so our job is to keep on talking about forgiveness, compassion, wisdom, generosity, ethical conduct. That's our job.”
The ceremony included teaching from Serkong Rinpoche, who is recognized by Buddhists as the reincarnation of a Tibetan Buddhist master by the same name.
Participants also sang a rewritten version of the American national anthem that Venerable Thubten Chonyi introduced.
Thubten Chonyi: “We will conclude this part with the dedication we call Star Spangled Compassion. It is both a sincere wish from chapter 10 of Shanti Deva's guide to Bodhisattva's way of life, along with a heartfelt wish that we follow our intent to root the Dharma here in this country strongly and that we purify as much as we possibly can a nation leading from the place of kindness and compassion.”
(singing Star Spangled Compassion: "May all beings everywhere, plagued by sufferings of body and mind, attain an ocean of happiness and joy by the virtue of my merits.")
About 100 people attended the dedication ceremony. There were plenty of grey hairs, but also plenty of young people sitting crosslegged on the floor. The Hall already seemed full—of bodies, intentions and voices.
(singing continues: "May the naked find clothing, the hungry find food, may the thirsty find water and other delicious drinks.")
You can visit the abbey for a retreat, or watch livestreamed teachings online. For details, visit their website at sravastiabbey.org.
