Amaravati Buddhist Monastery
Amaravati Buddhist Monastery is a monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition of the Theravada lineage of Buddhism. Amaravati Buddhist Monastery is a centre of teaching and practice. It is located in the Chiltern Hills north of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Amaravati means "Deathless Realm" in Pāli, the Buddhist scriptural language of the ancient Canon. The temple was founded by the disciples of the noted Thai meditation master, Luang Por Chah. Its current abbot is Ajahn Sumedho. Around fourteen Bhikkhu and eleven Sīladhārā live at the monastery as well as four main lay residents.
Amaravati Buddhist Monastery also has a retreat centre, where meditation retreats of varying lengths are held for lay people, and which is run on donations.
Amaravati was created in 1984 when the English Sangha Trust purchased a residential school (previously an army base) from Buckinghamshire County Council. It has strong links to Cittaviveka monastery which is much smaller than Amaravati and is used more by the nun community. The official opening was in 1985. Recently, in the late 1990s, a new temple was constructed at Amaravati which was officially opened by the Princess of Thailand. The nuns at Amaravati are not full Bhikkhunis - Ajahn Sumehdo created the Sīladhārā order in 1983.