My experience with the ABS Community

My name is Kris Sullivan.  I was able to spend two full weeks in this community to complete my Contextual Immersion requirement at Pacific School of Religion.  Bhante Seelawimala was my teacher in Berkeley two years ago for an Intro to Buddhist Meditation course at the Institute of Buddhist Studies.  I asked him if I could do my Immersion course here because it was in Sacramento, where I am now currently residing with my husband, Stephen.



I have been at this table reading books on "What the Buddha Taught"  and "Dhammapada" and learning about the historical trip of Dharmapala (below, left) to the 1893 Parliament of World's Religions.  I have also been present while the monks have been chanting and for this, I am very grateful. This is the Lending Library.

Every morning, I have tea and a period of time for sitting to calm my mind.  I have done work on the online fundraising for ABS, which you will find the donate button on the top right of this blog.  This community is warm, loving, kind, and I have been fed on so many levels.  The community has been bringing lunch offerings to the monks and with great pleasure, I have a new found love for Sri Lankan food.  It is all vegetarian, healthy, flavorful, colorful, and delicious!  All of the community celebrations have food offerings because it is good for the bringer of the food, they receive merits and blessings.

Everyone has been so kind and open to me.  I cherish the relationships that I have formed here.  I will continue to work with this community.  While here, I have connected ABS with the Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento to get a membership with them.  I have worked with Spiritual Life Center to have Bhante give a talk on Weds May 6.  We are going to get more exposure, (and hopefully more donations) for the blessing of this community and what it brings to the greater community.  The good that is done here is deep and significant.

Six Month Paritta Blessing Ceremony

Beginning January 1, 2015, in support of the Temple Building and Meditation Center Project, the monks at American Buddhist Seminary Temple at Sacramento are chanting every day from 5:30 am, stopping only for a lunch offering, then resuming from 1:00 pm until 9:00 pm.  This is a very important act they are doing.  This is the first time in America that a Paritta (or Pirith) Blessing Ceremony has been done.

What I have learned and experienced while being present during the chanting, is a calm mind, a peaceful heart and there is a joyfulness in this community that can be felt by the members and the monks.

The Paritta Blessing is when the monks recite three suttas.  Paritta means "Protection".  From The Book of Protection by Piyadassi Thera, "In Buddhist lands, listening to the recital of the dhamma or the doctrine of the Buddha is in order to avert illness or danger, to ward off the influence of malignant beings, to obtain protection and deliverance from evil, and to promote health, prosperity, welfare and well-being."  During the Paritta Blessings the monks chant three specific suttas, known as 'Paritta suttas'.

.    Also from The Book of Protection, Thera states:  "It is believed that the vibratory sounds produced by the sonorous and mellifluous recital of the paritta suttas in their Pali verses are soothing to the nerves and induce peace and calm of mind; they also bring about harmony to the physical system....So great is the power of concentration that by adverting whole-heartedly to the truth contained in the paritta recitals one is able to develop a wholesome state of mind."

The Community

Founder and President of the ABS Temple at Sacramento

Bhante Seelawimala in Buddha Hall with members of the ABS Community

Members bring flowers as offerings during ceremonies.

All partake in the blessing of the offerings.

American Buddhist Seminary Temple Building and Meditation Center Project

The Temple Building and Meditation Center Project is well underway.  For the next three years, ABS is raising funds for the construction of this new building in the picture rendering on the left.  You can see the beauty and feeling of the new structure which will be open and available for meditation classes, community meetings, ceremonies and did I mention the food in this community is phenomenal?

 This mostly Sri Lankan community have been meeting in two small buildings, and an outbuilding for all of their ceremonies and memorials.  The monks live in one of the buildings, where the community kitchen is and the resource library.  The other building is where Buddha Hall is, where they meet for Dana Ceremonies and Full Moon Ceremonies.

The ABS Youth Group meets outside, in good weather, for their gatherings.  This building also houses the Kathina Ceremony in October.