English Buddhist Monastery Trust (EBMT)
The teachings of the Buddha are beginning to take root in the West. In order to help this continue, the English Buddhist Monastery Trust (EBMT), a UK registered charity (no. 1088804), was initially set up to establish a non-sectarian (i.e. inter-traditional) Buddhist monastery somewhere in England.
The inspiration for the project came from Tenzin Josh, an English-born former monk from the Tibetan Gelugpa tradition, who had also taken ordination in the Thai tradition. Venerable Josh underwent the rigorous 'Geshe' training (the senior academic qualification available in Tibetan Buddhism as a whole) at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, India.
During that time, in an interview with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Ven. Josh asked how he could help the flourishing of the western Sangha, to which His Holiness replied, "Why don't you build a monastery in your country?" With this as the inspiration, a charity was formed - the EBMT - which comprises Sangha and lay volunteers from a broad range of established Buddhist traditions.
Our plans include:
- A site of 5-15 acres.
- Accommodation for up to 15 monks and nuns and 20-30 lay people.
- Extensive facilities for retreats and courses.
- Qualified teachers in residence year round.
- Invitations to teachers from all Buddhist traditions.
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the main source of spiritual guidance.
Establishing a monastery is, of course, a huge undertaking and will take some time. While this remains a core ambition of the charity, the focus of our efforts over the last five years has been to establish, maintain and support a Dharma centre in Brighton, called the Bodhi Garden. This centre has a similar non-sectarian ethos to its founder, and is a practical way of providing a free space for Buddhist groups and individuals interested in Dharma teachings. We hopes this helps, in a small way, for the Dharma to take root and flourish in the West.
If you are interested in the potential of the monastery project, and can offer practical assistance, please feel free to contact us.