Buddhist pilgrimage across the states

[Orbiting-Awareness]

Hello everyone! I've been dragging my feet around on planning my trip, but I have a 600 dollar Amtrak certificate, and would like to spend time at monasteries and meditation centers across the united states. I live in Chicago, the heart of the train system, spreading out across the states, stemming from union station here. I can pretty much travel in any direction from here, but have no idea where i want to spend my time, how many places to visit, ect. So I'm reaching out, asking anyone who's traveled, or knows of some respectable teachers, and monasteries to stay, and practice the Dhamma. Thank you in advance.

[David N. Snyder]

Welcome to Dhamma Wheel!

The West coast has plenty of monasteries and temples. I'd check some directories, such as Buddhanet.net and perhaps e-mail them about their schedules and visiting procedures. Some are not that open to visitors if they have a retreat going on.

Some interesting landmark places:

HSI-LAI Temple
3456 S. Glenmark Dr.
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745 (Los Angeles Area)
(626) 961-9697
Over 15 acres and over 100,000 square feet of temple area
LARGEST BUDDHIST TEMPLE IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE
Built in an architecture the style of the forbidden city in Beijing, China
Numerous courses and meditation programs in both Chinese and English
Fabulous daily vegetarian buffet for $7 per person.
web site: hsilai.org

Shambhala Mountain
4921 County Road 68C
Red Feather Lakes, CO 80545
Over 600 acres of land and many buidlings
A mini Buddhist city in the Colorado Rockies
108 foot high stupa finished year 2001 at a cost of over $2 million
Numerous courses and retreats offered
(888) STUPA-21
web site: shambhalamountain.org

[Orbiting-Awareness]

Thank you! I've done some browsing on buddhanet, and come across some very interesting places to visit, but not too sure about which of them I'd like to stay for approximately 10 days. So if there are places that people on here have spent a retreat period at, and found it a peaceful, and educational experience, I'd appreciate feedback on great places to stay. I'm very curious in the Theravada tradition especially.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Orbiting-Awareness,

Do you have a shortlist of places you're interested in? Maybe if you gave some specifics, some people might be in a better position to provide some targeted recommendations.

Metta,
Retro.

[Chula]

I recommend going to Wat Metta in San Diego where Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu resides with ~10 other monks. It's well worth spending some time there if you want advice from some serious practitioners of the Dhamma-Vinaya. Note that you have to get permission by calling beforehand. Also, you have to observe the 8 precepts and keep to one-meal-a-day when you're there. More info here:
http://watmetta.org/

[Orbiting-Awareness]

I probably should have started my post with this. The following link is the route atlas from Amtrak's website, which will be my main form of transportation, so when posting places to visit, please keep this map in mind, as it will be pretty hard to hitch hike, or walk a couple hundred miles from the train station.
http://tickets.amtrak.com/secure/conten ... index.html (It might take a moment or two to load.)

[Ben]

Hi OA

As I am an old student of SN Goenka, I'm be inclined to go to sit and serve at:
-- Vipassana Meditation Center Dhamma Dharā: Shelburne, Massachusetts, USA: http://www.dhara.dhamma.org/ns/
-- California Vipassana Center: Dhamma Mahavana: North Fork, CA, USA: http://www.mahavana.dhamma.org/

While on the east coast I would also visit and pay my respects to Bhikkhu Bodhi who I believe is still at Bodhi Monastery:
-- http://www.bodhimonastery.net/bm/

And I am sure there are very many more invaluable Dhammic places of interest in the US that I am simply not aware of.

And of course, there are my Dhamma friends in the US who are dispersed from the West to the East who I would love to visit one day.
kind regards

Ben

[Orbiting-Awareness]

Hi OA

As I am an old student of SN Goenka, I'm be inclined to go to sit and serve at:
-- Vipassana Meditation Center Dhamma Dharā: Shelburne, Massachusetts, USA: http://www.dhara.dhamma.org/ns/
-- California Vipassana Center: Dhamma Mahavana: North Fork, CA, USA: http://www.mahavana.dhamma.org/

While on the east coast I would also visit and pay my respects to Bhikkhu Bodhi who I believe is still at Bodhi Monastery:
-- http://www.bodhimonastery.net/bm/

And I am sure there are very many more invaluable Dhammic places of interest in the US that I am simply not aware of.

And of course, there are my Dhamma friends in the US who are dispersed from the West to the East who I would love to visit one day.
kind regards

Ben

Aha. Yes, I've looked at dhamma centers to stay at. I do plan on stopping at a few of those, as they are free, and a great place to serve, and collect yourself. But i think i would like to visit as many venerable teachers of the dhamma as I can on this trip. I believe I can make 12 separate stops on the trip, so a possibility of 12 different monasteries and meditation centers! The possibilities are quite numerous. Perhaps that's why I haven't gotten off the ground with this trip!

[Ben]

I wish you the very best OA!
I will be reading this thread with great interest as I intend to travel to the US one day and do a similar trip.
metta

Ben

[adeh]

I would recommend that you visit Bhante Gunaratana in West Virginia...you can find details on staying on the Bhavana Society web page www.bhavanasociety.org/
With metta, Adeh

[Orbiting-Awareness]

I would recommend that you visit Bhante Gunaratana in West Virginia...you can find details on staying on the Bhavana Society web page http://www.bhavanasociety.org/
With metta, Adeh

Aha! Yet another monastery I've been looking at! Gunaratana is another Venerable teacher I'd love to meet in person. My friend actually just mentioned the Bhavana society to me a few minutes ago on the phone!

[Orbiting-Awareness]

I wish you the very best OA!
I will be reading this thread with great interest as I intend to travel to the US one day and do a similar trip.
metta

Ben

Yes, it should be quite the journey. I hope that this thread receives great enthusiasm, and many suggestions. I think that it's a wonderful idea, kind of like the roadtrips of the 60s and 70s across the states, letting the road take you!

[bodom]

I would recommend that you visit Bhante Gunaratana in West Virginia...you can find details on staying on the Bhavana Society web page http://www.bhavanasociety.org/
With metta, Adeh

Aha! Yet another monastery I've been looking at! Gunaratana is another Venerable teacher I'd love to meet in person. My friend actually just mentioned the Bhavana society to me a few minutes ago on the phone!

Bhante G is on sabbatical this entire year. I still highly recommend checking out the monastery though its beautiful and one the biggest on the east coast.

http://www.bhavanasociety.org/main/new/ ... abbatical/

[Orbiting-Awareness]

I would recommend that you visit Bhante Gunaratana in West Virginia...you can find details on staying on the Bhavana Society web page http://www.bhavanasociety.org/
With metta, Adeh

Aha! Yet another monastery I've been looking at! Gunaratana is another Venerable teacher I'd love to meet in person. My friend actually just mentioned the Bhavana society to me a few minutes ago on the phone!

Bhante G is on sabbatical this entire year. I still highly recommend checking out the monastery though its beautiful and one the biggest on the east coast.

http://www.bhavanasociety.org/main/new/ ... abbatical/

I was looking at the retreat list, and it appears he'll be teaching a 9 day metta retreat in May. Maybe I'll sign up for that, if he's truly teaching it. But even still, I'd love to visit Bhavana society.