Saṅghapāla Foundation
Teachers / Lay supporters / Saṅghapāla Foundation 
Also a subtag of Abhayagiri
26 excerpts, 1:24:08 total duration



Abhayagiri's 20th Anniversary, Session 2 – Jun. 4, 2016

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2. Ajahn Pasanno expresses gratitude to the Saṅghapāla board members. [Abhayagiri] [Saṅghapāla] [Gratitude]


Abhayagiri's 20th Anniversary, Session 7 – Jun. 4, 2016

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1. Recollection: How I came to Buddhism and the beginnings of the Saṅghapāla Foundation. Recounted by Marc Lieberman. [Saṅghapāla] // [Taungpulu Sayadaw] [Temporary ordination] [Vinaya] [Jack Kornfield] [Joseph Goldstein] [Insight Meditation Society] [Ajahn Anando] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Ajahn Amaro]


Abhayagiri's 20th Anniversary, Session 9 – Jun. 4, 2016

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1. Story: Meeting Buddhism in Thailand and becoming a Saṅghapāla board member. Told by Fred Kral. [Culture/Thailand] [Saṅghapāla] // [Ajahn Buddhadāsa] [Wat Ram Poeng] [Ajahn Chah] [Meditation retreats] [Dhammapala] [Ajahn Amaro]


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2. Story: Saṅghapāla Foundation and the beginnings of Abhayagiri Monastery. Told by Fred Kral. [Abhayagiri] [Saṅghapāla] // [Monastery organizational structure]


Abhayagiri's 20th Anniversary, Session 10 – Jun. 4, 2016

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1. Story: Meeting Buddhism in Thailand and San Francisco. Told by Noel Brewer. [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Wat Keuan] [Saṅghapāla]

Quote: “At that time, Saṅghapāla board members were selected among the three people who would regularly attend sittings, so if you attended more than two sittings, you were basically a board member.” [Saṅghapāla]


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2. Story: Accepting donations for the purchase of Abhayagiri’s land; resolving a conflict on the board. Told by Noel Brewer. [Abhayagiri] [Generosity] [Conflict] [Saṅghapāla] // [Media] [Ajahn Amaro] [Vinaya]

Vinaya: Bhikkhu Adhikaraṇasamatha 7: Covering over as with grass; discussion in The Buddhist Monastic Code.


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3. Reflections by Noel Brewer on the growth of Abhayagiri. [Community] [Abhayagiri] [Gratitude] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Saṅghapāla]


Abhayagiri's 20th Anniversary, Session 11 – Jun. 4, 2016

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1. Reflection by Peter Mayland: It takes a global village to create a monastery. [Saṅghapāla] [Master Hsuan Hua] [Generosity] [Abhayagiri]


Abhayagiri's 20th Anniversary, Session 13 – Jun. 4, 2016

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2. Story: Inviting monks to California to start a monastery. Told by Debbie Stamp. [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] [Generosity] [Saṅghapāla] // [Views] [Ajahn Amaro] [Faith]


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3. Story: Ajahn Sucitto’s explanation of saṅghakamma redefines the focus of Saṅghapāla Foundation. Told by Debbie Stamp. [Ajahn Sucitto] [Vinaya] [Saṅghapāla] // [Ajahn Amaro]


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4. Reflection by Debbie Stamp: The best investment I ever made. [Commerce/economics] [Abhayagiri] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support] // [Spirit Rock] [Saṅghapāla] [Ajahn Amaro] [Gratitude]


Abhayagiri's 20th Anniversary, Session 15 – Jun. 4, 2016

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5. Recollection: The virtual monastery in San Francisco. Recounted by Ajahn Amaro. [Saṅghapāla] // [Ajahn Amaro]


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7. Story: Master Hua offers land to Ajahn Sumedho the day after the Elders’ Council approves a land search. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Master Hsuan Hua] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Elders' Council] [Abhayagiri ] // [Saṅghapāla] [Gratitude] [Amaravati] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Viradhammo] [Sickness]

Quote: “It had been the dream of my life to bring the Northern and Southern Traditions together again, and I never thought I was going to be able to do it until I met Sumedho.” — Master Hsuan Hua. [Mahāyāna] [Theravāda] [Communal harmony]


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8. Testing times: Saṅghapāla Foundation scrambles to purchase the plot of land adjacent to Master Hsuan Hua’s gift.Recollected by Ajahn Amaro. [Saṅghapāla] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Amaro] [Faith]


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9. Story: Moving onto the Abhayagiri land. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Amaro] [Saṅghapāla] [Gratitude]


Abhayagiri 25th Anniversary Retreat, Session 1 – Jun. 9, 2021

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1. Story: In 1995, the Saṅgha in England finally gives permission for a more permanent monastic residence in California. Master Hua offers Ajahn Sumedho 125 acres in Redwood Valley the next day. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Saṅghapāla] [Elders' Council] [Master Hsuan Hua] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Abhayagiri] // [Deva]


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3. The property next door: “You can either buy it or forget it.” [Abhayagiri] // [Saṅghapāla] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Amaro] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support]


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4. Stories: The day before Abhayagiri opened; Ajahn Pasanno moves to Abhayagiri. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Festival days] [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Abhayagiri] // [Saṅghapāla] [Wat Pah Nanachat]


Abhayagiri 25th Anniversary Retreat, Session 8 – Jun. 11, 2021

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3. Story: The formation of Saṅghapāla Foundation in December 1988. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Saṅghapāla] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Sumedho]


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5. Story: Ajahn Amaro leads a series of temporary California vihāras. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Amaro] [Abhayagiri] // [Saṅghapāla] [Elders' Council] [Disrobing]


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8. Story: Buying the property next to the land Master Hua donated. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Saṅghapāla] [Commerce/economics] [Generosity] [Lodging] [Abhayagiri] // [Lay supporters] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Ajahn Amaro]


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9. Story: Moving onto the Abhayagiri land. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Lodging] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Postulants] [Ajahn Amaro] [Saṅghapāla] [Lay supporters]


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12. Quote: “Ajahn, maybe if you just taught Theravāda Buddhism, that would be great.” — A Saṅghapāla board member to Ajahn Amaro. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Saṅghapāla] [Ajahn Amaro] [Theravāda ] [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Culture/West] [Spiritual traditions] [Monastic life] [Idealism]

Quote: “It wasn’t sensible to try to be all things to all people.”


Following the Path of a Forest Monk – Jun. 23, 2023

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12. “How did you come to join Ajahn Amaro as co-abbot of the newly established Abhayagiri Monastery in California?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Amaro] [Abbot] [Abhayagiri] [Ajahn Pasanno ] // [Saṅghapāla] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Jack Kornfield] [Elders' Council] [Chithurst]


28th Anniversary Practice and Study Day, Session 6 – Jun. 1, 2024

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1. Reflections by Ajahn Pasanno on 28 years. [Community] [Monasteries] [Abhayagiri] // [Saṅghapāla] [Lay supporters] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Mutual lay/Saṅgha support]

Reflection: It’s the community and the people that really creates the monastery.


Q&A with the Chithurst Community – Aug. 30, 2025

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4. “If you had to choose one monastery in Thailand that you can always go back to, where you had the best moments or experiences, what would it be?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Thai Ajahn Chah monasteries] // [Dtao Dum ] [Culture/Natural environment]

Story: Ajahn Pasanno has the intuition that his time in Thailand had come to an end. [Culture/Thailand] [Monastic life]

Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s decision to help with Abhayagiri. [Abhayagiri] [Ajahn Amaro] [Saṅghapāla] [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo]