Dharma Documentaries

Dharma. Culture. Ecology.

Menu
  • Dharma
  • Culture
  • Ecology
  • Archives
  • About
Menu

The Buddha comes to Sussex

Posted on March 14, 2016June 30, 2016 by Dharma Documentaries
A look at the foundation of the Thai Forest Tradition in England by Ajahn Chah in 1979 (English with Thai subtitles).

The Buddha comes to Sussex

This is a documentary about the early days of the opening of the Cittaviveka, or Chithurst Buddhist Monastery, in West Sussex, England, which was begun in 1979 under the auspices of Ajahn Chah. The film opens with a group of monks walking on pi??apata through the English countryside and a gathering of lay and monastics, presumably inside the mansion.

We also see the sometimes hostile, sometimes friendly, sometimes indifferent reactions of the local population to the monastics who have moved in there; to try to ease fears and get understanding the monks have an open day and arrange meetings to discuss matters with the locals.

While many object to the bringing in of foreign ways and customs, and even (God forbid) foreign people, none of them seem capable of reflecting that that is exactly what the Christian churches did all over the world, and often backed up by force of arms also. Interestingly though it is also some of the local clergy who appear to be the most understanding, and genuinely interested in the foundation, and provide the more intelligent comments.

In the film we see Ajahn Chah, who explains some Dhamma principles, a young Ajahn Sumedho, Ajahn Sucitto, who eventually took over thre running of Chithurst, and a lay woman who became Ajahn Candasiri. Now, as we know, nearly 40 years after the events, the monastery and the monks are as much a part of the community as anyone else who lives there, and they have done so by being true to their calling of living a quiet and simple life.

This film was made for the BBC’s Everyman series and is in English, but has Thai subtitles so our Thai followers should also be able to watch the story of the founding of the Thai forest tradition in England, which became the seed for a growth of monasteries throughout Europe and America.

 

if this video is no longer available please leave a comment so I can update the page
(the comment is not published)

 

to see an album of stills click here

 

TAGS:
Culture, Dharma, Missionaries, Monasteries, Thailand, Theravada

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Subscriptions

Follow our Facebook Page Follow our Tweets Subscribe by Email Subscribe to our Feed

Shortlink and QR

https://dharma-documentaries.net/b/3J2

Donations

This site has taken 10 years to build, and has 700+ documentaries on it. If you would like to support the expenses involved, you can do so here. Even small amounts help.

choose amount:  

Copyright

If anyone has any copyright claims please contact me at dharmadocus@gmail.com and the posts and films will be immediately removed.

Top Ten Tags

Theravada
Mahayana
Vajrayana

India
Silk Road
China
Tibet

Arts
Lectures
Rights

Popular Posts

  • The Freedom of being a Buddhist Nun
  • Bright and Shining Mind in a Disabled Body
  • The Leshan Giant Buddha Statue
  • The Silk Road Series 7/16: Khotan-Oasis of Silk and Jade
  • David Eckel: Buddhism 3-4 of 24
  • The Tibetan Oracles
  • Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar: The Untold Truth
  • The Mountain Yogi, Lama Govinda
  • Indian Roots of Tibetan Buddhism
  • The Journey of Xuanzang: An Introduction

Recent Posts

  • Our Only Home, a Climate Change Film
  • The Kingdom of Nature (in Cambodia)
  • Fire in the Blood
  • Sowers of Joy (Nuns Travel across India)
  • Life Beyond 2, The Museum of Alien Life
  • Life Beyond 1, Alien Life
  • Bhutan, Change Comes to the Happy Kingdom
  • The 108 Lokesvaras in Nepal
  • Survive (the Khmer Rouge)
  • Indiana Jones 16, Foreign Devils Begone

Related Posts

  • Our Life is like our Breath
  • A Monk’s Life
  • Si Satchanalai, Thailand (Expoza)
  • Thailand's Rehab Temple
  • Khru Ba Sriwichai, the Thai Engineer Monk
  • Footprint of the Buddha
  • Alms Bowls to Newcastle
  • The Mindful Way
  • Blue Eyes in Saffron Robes
  • The Tiger and the Monk
© 2021 Dharma Documentaries | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme