Rugged Interdependency - Amaravati Buddhist Monastery

Golden Highways Revisited: 1998no wonder that, since we arrived there in 1977, this monastic community was welcomedwith (modestly) open arms – after all the English do not hug.So, during these last few years in America, it has been an unexpected but heartwarmingexperience to see a recognition of the worth of scriptural texts, monastictraining and commitment to renunciation rising up. It’s not that all of a suddenmonastic practice is the latest thing but perhaps it just needed 20 years of trying“new, improved – faster, bigger, better,” to reveal the limitations of that ethic.Certainly the New World spirit can be massively refreshing and contributory tospiritual growth but it’s also good to be seeing that some of the values of the OldCountry of the Dhamma are more loved and respected than before.A quiet morning at Bodhi Tree Dhamma Center, tucked as it is in amongstthe steadily spreading sprawl around Tampa Bay, close to St. Petersburg andClearwater (home of the Scientologists and the Madonna of the mirror-glass bank).It is in Pinellas County, on Florida’s central gulf coast. The acre of grounds thatforms the little center features a meditation hall and bookstore, areas for outdoorwalking meditation and a vigorous Bodhi tree, Ficus Religiosa.The Center opened in 1985 as a meeting place for the Florida West CoastBuddhist Society, a nondenominational Buddhist study group. It was founded inits present form with the help of the well-known monks and meditation teachersVenerable U Sīlānanda (from Burma) and Venerable Gunaratana, more commonlyknown as Bhante G (from Sri Lanka). Although not formally affiliated with otherinstitutions, Bodhi Tree maintains contact with many different meditation centers.In 1993, a fund was established for the eventual purchase of land for a rural retreatcenter in west-central Florida.The main focus of the place is “the alleviation of suffering through the spreadof the Dhamma, the teachings of the Buddha as preserved in the Pāli Canonand the Theravāda traditions of southern Asia.” Intensive retreats and classesare offered periodically, and regular meetings are held that include periods ofvipassanā meditation and a talk on some aspect of Buddhism. Although primarilyTheravāda in orientation, Bodhi Tree also hosts visits by teachers from otherBuddhist traditions.Jim Cameron is the main force behind the place these days. The Center actuallysits in the grounds surrounding his modest home and he seems to be the organizer,secretary, yoga teacher and janitor for most of their activities.He had first taken an interest in Buddhism in 1971, when he was a youngconscript stationed in Fort Hood, Texas. When he arrived in PhuBai, Vietnam, inJuly of that year, he did duty riding shotgun on convoys between DaNang andQuangTri. They would pass through villages with monasteries and temples, andhe was always filled with wonder by the Buddha images that he saw there.One day he was called down to DaNang for some records issue. While waitingon the return Chinook helicopter at Freedom Hill there, he met a young bhikkhuwith a string of mala beads who was also waiting for the ride. Jim had been simplyawed and intrigued by him and they flew up to the firebase together. He was very24