Ajahn Ajahn ( th, อาจารย์, , ) is a Thai-language term that translates as "professor" or "teacher". It is derived from the Pali word '' ācariya'' and is a term of respect, similar in meaning to the Japanese '' sensei''. It is used as ...

Sundara (born 1946) is a French-born

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

sīladhārā in the tradition established by

Ajahn Sumedho Luang Por Sumedho or Ajahn Sumedho ( th, อาจารย์สุเมโธ) (born Robert Karr Jackman, July 27, 1934) is one of the senior Western representatives of the Thai forest tradition of Theravada Buddhism. He was abbot of Amarava ...

Life

She studied contemporary dance and worked as a dancer and dance teacher until her early thirties when she had the opportunity to meet

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and to attend one of his

Dhamma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

talks and then a retreat. She was one of the first four women ordained by Ajahn Sumedho in 1979 as an anagārikā (an eight-precept novice) and in 1983 as a ten-precept sīladhārā. After living at Chithurst Buddhist Monastery in England, Ajahn Sundara moved in 1984 to

Amaravati Buddhist Monastery Amaravati is a Theravada Buddhist monastery at the eastern end of the Chiltern Hills in South East England. Established in 1984 by Ajahn Sumedho as an extension of Chithurst Buddhist Monastery, the monastery has its roots in the Thai Forest ...

and was instrumental in founding the nuns' community there. She went to Thailand in the mid-1990s, where she spent more than two years, primarily on retreat at forest monasteries. She has been teaching and leading retreats in Europe and North America for many years. She currently resides at

, whose history and relevance to

women in Buddhism Women in Buddhism is a topic that can be approached from varied perspectives including those of theology, history, anthropology, and feminism. Topical interests include the theological status of women, the treatment of women in Buddhist societi ...

she has chronicled in the book chapter "The Theravada Sangha Goes West: The Story of Amaravati".

Publications

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References

External links

Amaravati Buddhist MonasteryAudio recordings of 19 Dharma talks in English
on th
Dharma Seed
library

a 2011 interview on the TV sho
Sagesse Boudhiste
on

France 2 France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews. Since 3:20 CET on 7 A ...

retrieved from the French on-line magazin
Bouddhisme au Feminin
a 2013 interview on the TV sho
Sagesse Boudhiste
on

retrieved from the French on-line magazin
Bouddhisme au Feminin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sundara, Ajahn 1946 births Living people French scholars of Buddhism Buddhist writers Converts to Buddhism French expatriates in Thailand Theravada Buddhist monks Thai Forest Tradition nuns French Buddhist nuns Sundara, Ajahn 20th-century Buddhist nuns 21st-century Buddhist nuns 20th-century French women

Life

Publications

See also

References

External links