Programs and Activities at Sitagu Buddha Vihara
Sitagu Buddhist Vihara serves multiple functions:
- We are at core a
monastery, that is, a residence (vihara) for a small set of monks, and
occasionally nuns.
- We are also a meditation and practice center that offers lay
participants much of
the same opportunity for practice that monastics enjoy every day.
- We
are a school, offering meditation instruction, formal Dhamma classes,
opportunities to work one-on-one with teachers and access to our Dhamma
library.
- We are a community center, supporting festival and other
events and opportunities for volunteer and outreach participation.
Buddhist Practice. As a meditation center we support:
- Daily meditation and chanting. See schedule HERE.
- Individual meditation instruction and training.
- Organized retreats and seminars.
- Private retreats for individuals and groups. See details HERE.
- Residential practice at the vihara, including temporary ordination, for varying periods.
Generally practitioners will follow eight or nine precepts while living here. We also can arrange for temporary monastic ordination. More
Dhamma Study. We offer:
- Classes in various aspects of Buddhism and sometimes other subjects.
- A Sunday School for children.
- Use of our library, which has a dedicated building with both printed and electronic media.
- Private study with one of our monastics.
- Lectures, often by prominent visiting speakers.
Our emphasis is on Dhamma study especially in Theravada Buddhism, with some offerings depending on resources and demand in Pali, ESL and Burmese language and culture. More
Use of Facilities. Our facilities include:
- Housing,dormatory style and in individual cottages.
- A kitchen where meals are prepared daily.
- Private and group meditation spaces, inside and outside.
- Shrines for puja and ceremonies.
- A library.
- Festival and meeting space.
- Nature trails and a natural rural setting.
Facilities are available to paritipants in our various functions. Their use for special independently organized activities may be negotiated as long as these our consistent with our mission and values More
Puja, Ceremonies and Pastoral
Care.We offer ceremonially
the refuges and precepts and chanting services for special occasions,
such as birthdays or memorials. The monastics can be invited into homes
for these purposes or for meal offerings and are also available for
pastoral counseling, hospital visits, etc. Please speak with the abbot
about arrangements.
Vihara Special Events.The Sitagu Buddhist Vihara also functions as a community center for a largely Burmese community with a growing non-Burmese contingent respectful of Burmese cultural traditions. There are a number of major festivals, religious and otherwise, each year, often with Burmese folk music and dancing, and with wonderful Burmese food. More
Buddhist Community . The vihara is family-friendly; people often drop by to pay respect to the monastics, visit with friends, offer and participate in meals, make use of our library, walk on our trails, undertake small gardening or construction projects, grab a mop or a broom and help keep the vihara clean or make monetary contributions. More
Outreach. The Sitagu Association in Myanmar is famous for its initiatives in social services. The Austin vihara organizes various programs outside of the vihara, for refugees, at prisons, in interreligious affairs, at schools and universities, which offer volunteer opportunities. More