“Whether Buddhism is present in the world or not depends solely on the presence or absence of monastics.”

— Kyabjé Khenpo Jigmé Phuntsok

Greetings to all virtuous and faithful individuals.

On July 24, 1993, in Washington, D.C., I was privileged to hear the sublime Buddhist master from Tibet, Kyabjé Khenpo Jigmé Phuntsok, say the following:

As long as there are the four groups of Buddhists—bhikshus, bhikshunis, and female and male lay practitioners—in one place, Buddhism is complete there, and the Dharma may be [said to have been] established…In particular, the presence of a monastic sangha is of great significance.

Why? Because whether Buddhism is present in the world or not depends solely on the presence or absence of monastics.

Feeling the historic import of this, as well as the inspiration of further teachings Khenpo Jigmé Phuntsok gave in the following days on the benefits of monastic ordination, I joined more than two dozen other Westerners in entering the monastic path that week.

But despite my adopting a personal path of Buddhist monasticism for the past three decades, I have never had the opportunity to live as a member of a monastery with all the traditional supports for full-time renunciate life complete—within most Tibetan Buddhist lineages, this is still almost impossible to find for Westerners.

For this and many other reasons, I consider Ven. Thubten Chodron’s founding of Sravasti Abbey and its rapid maturation to be nothing short of a miracle.

And further, the steady manifestation of the new Buddha Hall is, to me, the most impressive manifestation to date of her community’s pure aspirations and practice.

I have been an enthusiastic monthly contributor to the Buddha Hall project for nearly two years, and I urge all faithful individuals to give generously to its completion, heeding these final words of Khenpo Jigmé Phuntsok:

For lay practitioners, I would like to encourage you to support and help the sangha community through all kinds of means. This will benefit both your present and future lifetimes.

With sincere wishes for the flourishing of the Dharma in the West,