BUDDHISM IN UNITED KINGDOM
Hard is it to be born a man; hard is the life of mortals. Hard is it to gain the
opportunity of hearing the Sublime Truth, and hard to encounter is the arising of the
Buddhas. ~ Dhammapada 182
Organised Theravada activity in the UK may be separated into two distinct strands with
areas of overlap. There were the ethnic viharas by the Thais, Burmese and Sri Lankans and
to a lesser extent Indian followers of Dr. Ambedkar, and a native western one.
The Sri Lankans
The Sri Lankans were very vigorous with eminent dhammaduta monks residing in the UK for
long periods of time. Among the first of these were the indefatigable Ven. Narada who
lectured extensively in 1949, leading to the opening of the London Buddhist Vihara in
Knightsbridge, in 1954. In 1957, the distinguished scholar, Ven. Dr Saddhatissa replaced
him and remained in London until his decease in 1990. During his tenure, the vihara moved
to its present premise in Chiswick. Ven. Saddhatissa lectured widely, not only in the UK
but also in Europe, and the USA, besides writing, editing and translating numerous works.
Presently the head of the vihara is another notable scholar, the Ven.Vajiragnana.
The Thais
The Thais established the Buddhapadipa temple with government funding in 1966. The first
incumbent was an energetic bhikkhu the Ven. Sobhana Dhammasudhi. He soon gathered around
him a number of enthusiastic western converts. However, in 1971, he left the monkhood,
adopted the name Dhiravamsa and eventually left for the USA where he continues to teach
meditation. In 1975 Buddhapadipa vihara moved to a beautiful house located in four-acre
grounds in Wimbledon.
Samanera ordination at Forest Hermitage, Warwick. Photo by Forest
Hermitage.
The Burmese
The Burmese opened their first vihara much later in 1978 in Birmingham. It's senior
incumbent, the Ven. Dr. Rewata Dhamma is a remarkable bhikkhu who is not only a scholar of
Theravada and Mahayana but is also proficient as a meditation instructor and in
dhammaduta. He trained with the Indian teacher SN Goenka and was appointed by Mahasi
Sayadaw as a teacher. He conducts regular retreats in the UK as well as in several
countries in Europe. Other Burmese viharas include the Tisarana Vihara with the respected
Ven. U Nyanika as abbot and the London Burmese Vihara. In recent years, followers of the
Mahasi Sayadaw tradition has established a vihara cum meditation centre in the village of
Billinge in Lancashire.
And of course the British
The native British sangha had a more difficult start. One of the earliest first British
bhikkhus was Allan Bennet who was inspired by Buddhism after reading Sir Edwin Arnold's
epic poem "The Light of Asia". He ordained as a bhikkhu in Myanmar in1902 and
led a mission to England in 1908. However, after six months, he returned to Myanmar. In
1914, he disrobed on account of ill-health and returned to the UK where he continued in
his dhammaduta work. Osbert Moore also discovered Buddhism from a book while serving in
the army in Italy. He left for Sri Lanka after the war, ordained in 1950 as bhikkhu
Nyanamoli and trained under Ven. Nyanatiloka at the Island Hermitage. Before his premature
death, he translated the Visuddhimagga and most of the suttas in the Majhima Nikaya.
Another ex-soldier, Lawrence Mills was ordained as a samanera by Ven. Saddhatissa in the
UK. He then went to India to teach Ambedkar's Buddhist converts and then to Thailand where
he received bhikkhu ordination as Ven. Khantipalo. After 11 years in Thailand he went to
Australia where he helped establish Wat Buddharangsee and later Wat Buddha-Dhamma in New
South Wales. He wrote several books but later disrobed to practise Dzogchen, a technique
of meditation of Tibetan Buddhism.
Monks chanting at stupa in field of snow, Amaravati. Photo by
Amaravati.
It was William Purfurst who was most determined to set up an
English sangha. He came into contact with Buddhism through the Burmese monk Sayadaw U
Thittila who like him, was serving in the volunteer services in London during the Second
World War. Receiving permission from his wife, he left for Thailand and on Vesak 1954,
ordained under the famous abbot of Wat Paknam as the Ven. Kapilavuddho. Apparently a
gifted student, he was authorised to return to the UK later in the same year to teach.
Residing in the Sri Lankan vihara in Chiswick, he set up the English Sangha Trust in 1955
which has as its objective, the establishment of a native bhikkhu sangha. Later that year
he went to Thailand with three samaneras who after receiving bhikkhu ordination in 1956
returned to the UK. However, in the following year, due to increasingly weak health, he
was compelled to disrobe. In the following years, two of the other bhikkhus also disrobed
leaving only the Ven Pannavuddho. The Ven. Pannavuddho also left for Thailand and has
remained there, living with the famous Ajahn Maha Boowa in his monastery in N.E. Thailand.
Thus, the Ven. is presently the seniormost British bhikkhu. In 1967, after a period of ten
years, Ven Kapilavuddho ordained again and burst onto the scene, taking over a vihara in
Hampstead, building, teaching and even ordaining a few samaneras. However, this was
short-lived. Again as a result of ill-health, he disrobed and died in 1971. One of the
samaneras he ordained and who later disrobed was Alan James who continued to teach, and
later set up his own Buddhist organisation Aukana with meditation centres and live-in
communities in Wiltshire.
On the invitation of the English Sangha Trust, Ajahn Maha Boowa and his pupil Ven.
Pannavuddho visited the UK in 1974, an event that left a deep impression on those that met
them. Two years later an American bhikkhu, Ajahn Sumedho (Robert Jackman) stopped over in
London on his way back to Thailand after visiting his parents in the United States. Ajahn
Sumedho was a disciple of the Ajahn Chah, a deeply respected Thai master who, for several
years, had been training western bhikkhus at his monastery in N.E. Thailand. While in
London, he met the Chairman of the English Sangha Trust who then later decided to travel
to N.E.Thailand. His purpose was to meet the two Thai masters to request that bhikkhus be
sent to the UK. In response, Ajahn Chah decided to visit the UK in 1977 accompanied by
four of his western disciples, including Ajahn Sumedho and the British Ajahn Khemadhammo
(Alan Adams). When Ajahn Chah later returned to Thailand, these western bhikkhus stayed on
in the UK in the vihara in Hampstead.
Monks chanting at stupa in field of snow, Amaravati. Photo by
Amaravati.
Ajahn Sumedho soon proved to be an exceptional leader with noble qualities that
endeared him to a vast following of lay disciples and inspired many to take on the robe.
One morning, when he was walking on alms round, he encountered a lone jogger who,
intrigued by the sight of a bhikkhu, stopped him for a conversation. Subsequently he
attended a ten-day retreat led by Ajahn Sumedho and later made a gift of an entire forest
covering 108 acres in West Sussex to the British sangha. With the purchase of a nearby
house in 1979, Cittaviveka Forest Monastery was established. A neighbouring cottage was
bought in 1981 to house the nuns. The new British sangha grew vigorously with bhikkhu
ordinations held almost every year. With the increase in the number of bhikkhus, branch
monasteries were then established in Harnham near the Scottish border in 1981, in Devon in
1983, and Amaravati a vast complex north of London in 1984. In subsequent years,
associated monasteries were established in Switzerland, Italy, New Zealand and the USA. In
the meantime Ajahn Khemadhammo founded a vihara, initially on the Isle of Wight and in
1985, he moved to the newly established Forest Hermitage at Warwick in the heart of
England.
Sources:
~ The Buddhist Handbook, John Snelling. Inner Traditions
International,1991.
~ Cittaviveka, Ajahn Sumedho. Amaravati Publications.1987
Source: DHAMMADUTA
(http://www.quantrum.com.my/duta/ukingdom.htm)