Links
Other Buddhist Sanghas in Austin
Note: Below are twenty-four Buddhist sanghas which are located in Texas, twenty-three of them in Austin. For all the sanghas listed below, I sought to employ their own language from their website to describe them. I listed email addresses when no webpage was apparently available.
Zen
Plum Blossom Sangha
(Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hahn and the Order of Interbeing)
www.plumblossomsangha.org
Community for Contemplative Practice (Grassroots Zen practice, strongly shaped by Soto Zen of the San
Francisco Zen Center)
groups.yahoo.com/group/ccplist
and www.pluralism.org/research/profiles/display.php?profile=72426
Austin Zazenkai (Lone Star Zendo: affiliated with Zen Center of Syracuse Hoen-ji in
Syracuse, New York. Hoen-ji is a traditional Rinzai Zen Buddhist Temple in the Hakuin/Torei lineage)
www.austinzazenkai.org
Austin Zen Center (Soto Zen, Shunryu Suzuki lineage)
www.austinzencenter.org
Chico-san Chapter of Rinzai-ji (Influenced by the Rinzai teachings of Sasaki Roshi)
henry_steen@steenlaw.com
Ordinary Mind Zen Group (Joko Beck and Soto Zen)
syverson@uts.cc.utexas.edu
Dharma Drum Mountain Austin (Chinese Ch'an)
www.pluralism.org/research/profile/display.php?profile=72427
and nocloud@yahoo.com
Linh Son Buddhist Temple (Vietnamese Zen, The Linh-Son Buddhist Temples at Austin and Leander are affiliated
with the International Linh-Son Buddhist Association)
groups.msn.com/linhson/ghpglinhson.msnw
and
www.pluralism.org/research/profiles/display.php?profile=70137
Tibetan
Austin Shambhala Meditation Center (A Tibetan sangha founded by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche which draws
upon a variety of contemplative traditions).
www.shambhala.org
Dzogchen Center Peer Led Practice Group (Tibetan Buddhism in the tradition of Lama Surya Das)
www.dzogchen.org/practice/austin.htm
The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT is based on the Gelugpa Buddhist
tradition of Lama Tsong Khapa of Tibet as taught by their founder, Lama Thubten Yeshe and spiritual director,
Lama Zopa Rinpoche.)
www.austinfpmt.com
Chittamani Buddhist Center (The Chittamani Buddhist Center belongs to the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT),
founded in the West by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. NKT is an entirely independent Buddhist tradition)
www.meditationinaustin.org
Austin Diamond Way (This group is under the spiritual guidance of the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Thaye Dorje,
their Lama, Ole Nydahl, and teacher, Jesper Jorgenson.)
www.diamondway.org/austin/
Norbu Sam Phel Ling (A Vajrayana Buddhist sangha)
www.thab.us
The Dharmata Sangha of Austin (Tibetan Buddhist group under the spiritual guidance of Tulku Thubten Rinpoche,
a lama of the Nyingma lineage)
www.dharmata-austin.org
Theravada/Insight Meditation
Sitagu Buddhist Vihara (Sitagu Vihara was founded to provide a center for the practice of Theravada
Buddhist meditation and dhamma study in the United States in a traditional monastic context).
www.sitagu.org
Wat Buddhananachat of Austin (Thai Theravadan sangha)
www.wataustin.iirt.net
Insight Meditation Sangha of Austin: Wildflower Sangha. (A sangha focused on Vipassana meditation.)
www.geocities.com/austinsangha/
Pure Land
International Buddhist Progress Society at Austin.
(This beautiful temple is in the lineage of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, founder of the Fo Guang Shan
Buddhist Order. This is the largest Buddhist temple in Austin and has a wonderful gift shop.)
www.ibps-austin.org
Soka Gakkai International in the United States (SGI-USA)
SGI Austin (Based on the practice of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism)
www.sgi-usa-austin.org
Non-Denominational Sanghas/Organizations
Southwest Vipassana Meditation Center, Dhamma Siri. (This center is not in Austin, but rather in
Kaufman, Texas. Vipassana Meditation as taught by S. N. Goenka and his assistant teachers in the tradition
of Sayagyi U Ba Khin. This center offers extended Vipassana retreats for people of all religious and
philosophical backgrounds).
www.siri.dhamma.org
Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Texas Hill Country Chapter (Nondenominational sangha that seeks to understand
together the role of social engagement in Buddhist practice)
groups.yahoo.com/group/bpf-hillcountry
or touchingpeace.earthlink.net
UT Buddhist Association (Buddhist Association at the University of Texas at Austin is unaffiliated with
any single Buddhist lineage or school).
ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~buddhist
Tzu Chi Foundation (Taiwanese Buddhism)
www.tzuchi.net/TCWEA.nsf/0/4913adbe1eb484454825691d00048190?OpenDocument
Buddhist Resources
Son (Korean Zen)
The website for Bongwon temple of the Taego lineage of Zen in South Korea. This is one of the few
websites for the Taego order in English. It does not have a lot of formal information, but does give
a bit of a feel for the Taego order, and has many beautiful photos.
www.bongwonsa.or.kr
An excellent scholarly bibliography of
resources on Korean Buddhism. It contains articles and books in English, Korean, and Japanese.
www.hm.tyg.jp/~acmuller/kor-bud/korbud-bib.html
The site of Vladimir Tikhonov, a
scholar of Korean Studies and Buddhism.
www.geocities.com/volodyatikhonov/volodyatikhonov.html
The official site of the Taego order of Korean Zen. However, it is only
in Korean.
www.taego.org/
Theravada Buddhism/Pali Canon
An excellent site for information on the Pali canon, Insight
Meditation and Theravada Buddhism. It contains free translations of over nine hundred suttas and
several hundred articles and books
www.accesstoinsight.org/
An excellent resource on Theravada Buddhism and the Pali canon. It
contains translations of the Pali Text Society and the Pali canon, as well as an email list
whereby one can receive daily quotes from the Pali canon.
www.pariyatti.com
Site related to spiritual practice of Theravada Buddhism,
with emphasis on practice related to Burma (Myanmar). Contains Pali scriptures, current events,
and schedules of prominent teachers.
web.ukonline.co.uk/buddhism/
Tibetan Buddhism
The official website for His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama and the Tibetan
Government-in-Exile. Includes the teaching schedule for His Holiness, Tibetan culture and Tibetan
current events.
www.tibet.com
The website for Tibet House, which is dedicated to promoting and
preserving Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan culture.
www.tibethouse.org
This is the site for the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center (TBRC) which
promotes research and scholarship in Tibetan Buddhism. 1,700 Tibetan texts have been scanned
digitally and the TBRC is creating a research database which will function as an online public
access catalogue for bibliographic information. Also contains some wonderful photographs.
www.tbrc.org
Buddhism and Art
A site created and maintained by two
well-known art historians at Ohio State University, John C. and Susan L. Huntington, containing
an impressive collection of well produced digitized photographs of Buddhist paintings and
sculptures from India and other regions of Asia.
kaladarshan.arts.ohio-state.edu/Default.html
An excellent collection of well-produced Tibetan images
from a museum of Tibetan art now being established in New York City.
www.himalayanart.org/welcome.cfm
General Buddhist Resources
A nearly exhaustive list of online resources for both Buddhist studies and Buddhist practice,
containing hundreds of
links which are routinely updated. Maintained at Australian National University
www.ciolek.com/WWWVL-Buddhism.html
This site covers a wide range of topics including Insight Meditation,
loving kindness meditation, Buddhist hospice, history, magazines, and a world-wide center directory.
www.buddhanet.net
A site of value especially to professional scholars of Buddhism,
East Asian Languages, and other East Asian philosophical and religious traditions. Note particularly
the online dictionaries available here.
www.hm.tyg.jp/~acmuller/
An excellent online Sanskrit dictionary.
webapps.uni-koeln.de/tamil/
Chaplaincy Resources
The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education is an interfaith organization
which facilitates nationwide internship and residency programs that are required to obtain
certification as a professional chaplain.
www.acpe.edu
The Association of Professional Chaplains is the interfaith
organization which certifies chaplains and provides continuing education and support to professional
chaplains in a wide array of settings.
www.professionalchaplains.org/
Local Austin Organizations
The Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin is an excellent school and
community resource for traditional Asian medicine.
www.aoma.edu
The Atheist Community of Austin offers both educational and community based programs that demonstrate
humanist and secular viewpoints. They support the First Amendment principle of state-church separation,
oppose discrimination against atheists and work with other organizations in pursuit of common goals.
Buddhism is a broad religious spectrum of philosophies and practices which can be understood to include
atheism, agnosticism, theism, polytheism and non-theism. I list this organization for many reasons,
but primarily because everyone has a right to their own choices and beliefs, and discrimination against
atheists is lamentably common. Further, it is important to remember that critics of religion are actually
friends of religion because they often raise legitimate avenues of inquiry.
www.atheist-community.org
Austin Area Interreligious Ministries (AAIM), as their website says,
"is an inclusive, interreligious, caring community that generates mutual respect, trust and social
justice through education, advocacy, social services and community building."
www.aaimaustin.org
Barsana Dham is one of the largest Hindu temples in North America. It
is a magnificent temple and provides a wide array of classes and community programs. Barsana Dham
also offers overnight retreat accommodations.
www.barsanadham.org
Casa de Luz (House of Light) is a community meeting place offering macrobiotic food and
classes and seminars on a wide range of topics.
www.casadeluz.org
The Equality Texas Foundation engages in lobbying and educational activities in issues important to
the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
www.equalitytexas.org
The Hill Country Ride for AIDS is a fully supported bicycle ride, not a race, that supports ten local
non-profit AIDS service groups. It is held in the beautiful Texas Hill Country and returns 75% of
the funds that it raises to the organizations it benefits.
www.hillcountryride.org
The Institute for Neuroscience and Consciousness Studies, Inc., or (INACS) is
a scientific research and educational institute which investigates brain functioning and the phenomenon
of "consciousness." INACS develops innovative, practical applications of this understanding for public
benefit.
www.inacs.org
The Jung Society of Austin is dedicated to educating the public in Jungian Psychology and related
fields.
www.jungsociety.com
Omega at the Crossings is a progressive learning center offering a wide array of classes and seminars
in subjects ranging from meditation to comparative religion.
www.thecrossingsaustin.com
The Texas Freedom Network is described as "a mainstream voice to counter the religious right." They
offer community programs and educational opportunities to promote individual liberties and freedom of
belief. The organization has been instrumental in defeating initiatives such as private school vouchers,
textbook censorship and faith-based deregulation.
www.tfn.org
Ventana del Soul (Window of the Soul)
offers a wide array of cultural and educational activities related to community development.
www.ventanadelsoul.org
Over 20 years old, Waterloo Counseling Center provides affordable, high quality psychotherapy services
for Austin and the surrounding area. They are a non-profit organization which was originally founded to
serve the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Waterloo offers many options for therapy
including individual, couples, group and family counseling. All services are based on a sliding scale
and some grant-funded services are available for clients with HIV and other long-term illnesses.
www.waterloocounseling.org
Medical and End-of-Life Resources, Local and Nationwide
Austin Memorial and Burial Information Society (AMBIS) is a consumer rights
resource which is dedicated to helping people make affordable end-of-life decisions that fit their own
unique situations. I have worked with their staff and they are very helpful for people in difficult
situations. AMBIS is part of a nationwide network of similar organizations.
www.ambis.info
CanCare Austin places trained volunteers with patients in all stages and
types of cancer.
www.cancareaustin.org
The Dream Foundation is based in California and helps terminally ill
adults fulfill final wishes. I have worked with them on several occasions and they are a wonderful
organization.
www.dreamfoundation.com
There are many good hospice providers in Central Texas, but only Hospice
Austin is non-profit. Hospice Austin does an amazing amount of charity care and has the only residential
hospice facility which serves patients with all types of illnesses, Christopher House. Hospice Austin
also has a vast and well trained volunteer program. Support Source is one volunteer wing of Hospice
Austin and is one of the jewels of the Austin community. Support Source is managed by Julia Peery and
is a pre-hospice program which pairs trained volunteers with patients who are terminally ill, but not
yet eligible for hospice. Support Source volunteers are well trained and perform invaluable services
for the patients they support.
www.hospiceaustin.org
The Interfaith Care Alliance (ICA)
trains teams of volunteers in Austin to support people who have life limiting illnesses. Several of my
patients have received teams from the ICA and they can be very useful for people and families who are
facing terminal illness.
www.interfaithcarealliance.org/
The LifeLegacy Foundation has provided an invaluable service for several of
my patients and their families. They facilitate anatomical donations nationwide to several top medical
schools and hospitals. By making a small anatomical donation, a person may also obtain a free cremation
if they desire.
www.lifelegacy.org
Locks of Love provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children 18
and under nationwide who suffer from long term medical hair loss.
www.locksoflove.org
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization seeks to improve end-of-life
care through education, outreach, and lobbying.
www.nhpco.org
Project Transitions provides housing and hospice care for people
with HIV and AIDS in Central Texas. Doug's House is their five-bedroom residential facility for
patients in the final stages of AIDS.
www.projecttransitions.org/
Texas Partnership for End-of-Life Care has the mission of improving end-of-life
treatment for people of all communities and cultures through education and outreach activities in Texas.
www.txpec.org
Austin based Wonders and Worries offers a hard to find
resource: psychosocial support for children, youth and families facing chronic or life threatening
illness.
www.wondersandworries.org
The Wright House Wellness Center in Austin serves people living with
HIV/AIDS, cancer and Hepatitis-C through education and integrated wellness therapies.
www.thewrighthouse.org