Rugged Interdependency - Amaravati Buddhist Monastery

Rugged InterdependencyTruths and the Three Characteristics, Ajahn?” In 2007 it’s still the same: people wantus to be conservative.In the last few years Buddhism has acquired a very acceptable face in America:notable Hollywood actors have declared their interest and commitment to Buddhistpractice; there have been front-cover features on it in Time magazine; books likeEmotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman have become national bestsellers – it hasbecome almost mainstream and (generally) has a reputation for being wise andrespectable.The Taung Palu Monastery in Boulder Creek has become a very quiet place,usually there are only one or two monastics there these days.Metta Forest Monastery, near Escondido, California and its abbot Tan Geoff(Ajaan Thānissaro) have become very prominent in the Theravāda world,particularly through his copious essays, books of his own talks, Sutta and Vinayacommentaries, and translations – released through the web via Access to Insight[www.accesstoinsight.org] and through free distribution books, mostly publishedby Dhamma Dana, Sati Center for Buddhist Studies [www.sati.org] or through hisMonastery [www.mettaforest.org].The Vipassanā community of Goenka-ji have launched their own Dhammapublication distribution outlet in the form of the Pariyatti Book Service[www.pariyatti.com].Bhavana Society in West Virginia, and its abbot Bhante Gunaratana have alsobecome very well-known and much-loved in recent years. His book Mindfulness inPlain English has been a best-seller and sits beside the Zen Mind, Beginners Mind ofSuzuki Roshi as a modern classic.He has ordained numbers of monks and nuns since the Monastery wasopened in 1988 and he travels the world almost constantly, giving talks andleading retreats. He has since published Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness, in 2000,and his autobiography was published in 2003, entitled Journey to Mindfulness[www.bhavanasociety.org].In the lineage associated with Ven. Ajahn Chah, two other places have beenestablished on the continent:Arrow River Forest Hermitage, Thunder Bay, Ontario, whereAjahn Punnadhammo is the abbot, and often sole monastic – it is mainly a retreatfacility for solitary meditation.Birken Forest Monastery, near Kamloops, British Columbia, where Ajahn Sonais the abbot. At present there are four monks in residence and a couple of anagarikas127