American Buddhist Meditation Temple
1251 Orchid Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93111
Introduction & Brief History
Located on the property of an orchid nursery, the American Buddhist Meditation Temple (ABMT) is one of the only religious centers in Santa Barbara, California, that keeps the teachings of Theravāda Buddhism alive. Upon other activities, the temple holds meditation retreats every Saturday that are open to the public, with its participants ranging from curious novices to dedicated practitioners. These retreats usually consist of chanting , periods of meditation, and community discussions where the attendants can reflect on their meditative experiences and ask about anything that piques their curiosity. Although the temple was forced to move their activities online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has recently begun transitioning back to in-person events.
One of the signs for Cal-Orchid, the orchid nursery where ABMT is located.
ABMT was founded in 1996 in Lockwood, California, by Phra Phumisiri Phumipanyo and Phra Kittisophonwitet (phra means Buddhist monk in Thai), later relocating to Santa Barbara in 1999. The temple’s events usually draws immigrants from Thai, Laos, and Cambodia who are unable to attend such events in their home countries. With the help of Courtney Purcell, a long-time practitioner of Buddhism who joined ABMT in 2017, the temple has become more welcoming to Westerners in the past years.
Geographical & Historical Map
The American Buddhist Meditation Temple in Santa Barbara. Described by some as "Hybridized Burmese Vipassana Meditation" this temple hosts meditation retreats and also serves as a community center for the local Laos, Thai, and Cambodian communities.
Going back to 1996, the ABMT was originally founded in Lockwood, CA at this location by Phra Phumisiri Phumipanyo and Phra Kittisophonwitet. But after the laypeople moved, the temple ended up relocating to Santa Barbara.
This was done with the support of laypeople from LA.
Because that's really the establishment and foundational history of ABMT, we wanted to focus on some of the connections that are found just through individual monastic members we interviewed or were relevant to the site.
Going more international, these two points represent where two of the three monks, currently with the ABMT, that were ordained at two different temples in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
We found there are connections to the Chaiya Meditation Monastery in Las Vegas through the Primary Lay Instructor Courtney Purcell, specifically tied to Venerable Chaiya. This specific monastery is geared towards intensive meditation with the goal of presenting "Theravāda Buddhism in its original essence not only to the Thai, Burmese, and Lao communities, but also to American of all background".
This meditation monastery was established with support of the Las Vegas Buddhist community of Wat Buddhabhavana.
Venerable Chaiya accepted a invite by Venerable Panyavaro, a Chief Monk of Wat Buddhabhavana, and came to Las Vegas in 1990. But after the passing of Venerable Panyavaro he served as the abbot at the communities request, and eventually with the temple's support he establishes the CMM.
Other international areas of influence include Burma, where Venerable Chaiya was originally from. In 1988 he was first invited to Thailand by Phra Kru Vachirakitsophon, from the Wat Kow Takrow temple. Chaiya was invited to Wat Kow Takrow to study Thai and eventually teach Buddhist philosophy to the monks and nuns. Due to civil war and conflict, Venerable Chaiya could not return to Burma and traveled to India, and then Sri Lanka before civil war also forced him leave and head elsewhere which is when he was invited to Las Vegas in 1990.
In addition the head monk of the ABMT Phra Ajahn Khamjan can trace his lineage back many generations to Burma and the teacher of the CMM master, Mahāsi Sayādaw.
This is why the some aspects of the practices of ABMT may be considered to be characteristic of a hybridized form of Vipassana meditation, with both Burmese and Thai attributes. As ABMT practices Vipassana meditation through the Mahāsi Method, named after Mahāsi Sayādaw.
Zooming out shows us this global network of connections that the ABMT was found to have, just by following the connections of the monastic members of this community.
Vipassana Buddhism
Vipassana is direct intuition of the three marks that characterize all worldly phenomena: anitya (impermanence), duḥkha (suffering), and anātman (no-self). Meditation and tranquility are the two ways to cultivate Vipassana. It involves utilizing mindfulness to observe the body and its sensations. It leads to "Nirvana" which is the freedom from suffering and end of reincarnation. Samatha is a relevant form of meditation which strengthens concentration and leads to trance like states. In the Pali canon, Samatha and Vipassana together are the two ways that meditation is practiced. After a trance is achieved, the meditator reflects via mindfulness to see the three marks that are present. The trance itself becomes the object of meditation. People who practice this are called tranquility workers. Bare insight workers use vipassana alone.
Vipassana meditation fell out of practice in the 10th century C.E. until it was revitalized in the early eighteenth century in Burma due to renewed interest in the Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness (SATIPAṬṬHĀNA-SUTTA). New Buddhist institutions called “insight hermitages” began to emerge and eventually evolved into meditation centers akin to what we see today. the popularization of vipassanā represents the most significant development in Burmese Buddhism in the twentieth century. Vipassana has also become popular in Thailand.
At American Buddhist Meditation Temple, the form of meditation practiced is known as “Hybridized Burmese Vipassana Meditation.” but is also a specific method created by the Burmese Teacher Mahasi Sayadaw, this method is unique because its about looking inward from the moment you wake to the moment you sleep, and has been credited with 'bringing new insight to the practice of vipassana'. In this practice, it is also favored for you to observe the rise and fall of your abdomen as you are breathing rather then your nostrils or somewhere else, really focusing on what your mind and body are doing, and acknowledging what is happening.
Excerpt from the ABMT chanting guide
Beliefs & Practices
Meditation: The meditation sessions are conducted in silence and are focused on letting go of attachments. For example, if you hear a bird sound, you should associate that with ‘hearing’ and shift your focus back to meditating.
Donation-based: The temple is entirely funded by donations - there is no fee charged to attend any event. The monks are entirely dependent on the generosity of the lay community for their physical needs.
Project development: Volunteers can come in and help renovate the temple. Some past projects include building a Tea House and laying down the stone paths used for walking meditation.
Study groups: Sessions for studying the Buddha's life are held weekly in small groups.
Click on the information icon present on some photos in the gallery for a more in depth description of what it shows.
Bibliography
American Buddhist Meditation Center, ABMT, CA. Web. http://www.abuddhisttemple.org. Acessed 2022.
Bodhidhamma, Bhante. "Full-stop Mind", Lion's Roar, 2020. Acessed 2022.
Chaiya Meditation Monastery. "A Brief Biography of Venerable Chaiya.", CMM. http://chaiyacmm.org/A%20Brief%20Biography%20of%20Venerable%20Chaiya.pdf. PDF download.
Chaiya Meditation Monastery. CMM, Las Vegas. Web. http://www.chaiyacmm.org/index.html. Acessed 2022.
Libowitz, Steven. "Thai Meditation for Trying Times", Montecito Journal, 2020. Acessed 2022.
McHugh, Shaelyn. "From Thailand to California: The Buddhist Abbot Who Followed his Dreams", Buddhistdoor Global,2020. Acessed 2022.
Quli, Natalie Fisk. "The Utility of the Convert/Natal Lens in the Study of Theravāda Buddhist Organizations in California." Buddhist-Christian Studies, vol. 41, 2021, p. 59-67. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/bcs.2021.0010 .
