This talk was given by Bhikkhu Gavesako on January 8th 2010, shortly before I left the Bodhi Lankarama Temple in Taiping to take up residence in Vivekavana.
In the talk Bhante describes the history of the Western Sangha, which originated with Ajahn Chah in north-east Thailand and then spread around the world starting with England in 1979.
There were many challenges and obstacles that had to be faced, and some adaptations to the new environment had to be made.
Having forest monasteries established in the West enabled young spiritual seekers to ordain as Buddhist monks there rather than in Asia, but the process of finding the appropriate monastic structure for the West still continues.
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