History of the Texas Buddhist Association

 Throughout the 2,500 years of Buddhist history, Buddhism has demonstrated great adaptability.  Buddhism has spread to various environments in a rational and peaceful manner, promoting the wisdom of human beings and improving the happiness of society.  The seeds of Buddhism in America have begun to sprout in the past century, and Buddhism has great potential to prosper here in the future.

 The Texas Buddhist Association was established in Houston in 1979.  Our goal is to introduce and spread Buddhism in America.  To accomplish this goal, we have made some changes within the TBA’s organizational structure and with our methods of spreading the Dharma. For example, we have set up a variety of educational and charitable funds to increase our contribution to society.  We have founded the Bodhi Academy and a youth organization to help educate the younger generation.  We have held English activities periodically, allowing the English-speaking members to understand Buddhism better. We have long joined charitable activities held by other religions and associations to improve friendship and understanding of each other.  In short, TBA has proceeded with charitable and Dharma spreading activities for the past twenty years.

 

The Development of Buddhism in America

 America has seen increased popularity of Buddhism in the past decades or so.  There are more and more temples and the number of Buddhists has grown to about two million. However, if we look further, we will find that Buddhism has not yet taken root here. The frenzy of activities today does not necessarily mean that it will continue.  Mainstream American society still knows very little about Buddhism. Therefore, we need to ask ourselves these questions. Will TBA still exist in twenty years, fifty years, or even a century? Where does the future of Buddhism lie? In order to answer these questions and spread Buddhism, TBA incorporated the goal of further developing Buddhism in the U.S. into its agenda in 1995.

  After years of discussion and brain-storming, we realized that to make Buddhism prosper here, we need to reorganize Buddhism’s direction of development and complete the following: 1) Develop a group of English-speaking followers with a thorough understanding of American culture to help spread the Dharma, 2) Educate and guide our younger generation in learning Buddhism, 3) Involve our members in the administrative activities of TBA, 4) Maintain good interaction with our community at-large, and 5) Allow our members to take care of each other throughout daily life.

 

The Concept of the Bodhi Center

  Current facilities of TBA are no longer adequate to meet the goal of further development.  After several years of searching, in March 2001, TBA decided to purchase a forest land located in the northwest suburb of Houston.  The plot of about 512 acres is dotted with rolling hills and brooks and is full of geographical variety.  We plan to use this land for future development of Buddhism in the U.S.  The facility will not be developed in the form of a temple.  Instead, it will serve as a cultural, educational, and altruistic activity center of Buddhism.  The facility will be named “The Bodhi Center.”

  The Bodhi Center will consist of a number of buildings with various functions. The Zen lobby and the Chanting lobby will be places for meditation.  The Buddhist College will be a place of learning.  The forest of quiet living will accommodate either individual members or groups of members.  The Haihuei building will either be for administrative business or holding group activities.  The outdoor activity area will be used for recreational gatherings, camping trips, and picnics.  The audio-visual center will provide members with information through a wide range of documents and literature.  The Memorial Park will replace Buddha Light Temple to become a park for towers (stupas) in memory of loved ones who have passed away.  When the time is ripe, the Bodhi Center also intends to build a Grand Hall in honor of the Buddha.  It will serve to remind us that the world we are in now could also be Pureland. We plan to preserve as much of the forest land as possible to allow our facility to be surrounded by the beauty of nature.