A Short History - The I.B.M.C.
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www.TheIBMC.net
The International Buddhist Meditation Center, Los Angeles CA
- Classic Photos, Newsletters, Dharma Talks and More. -
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ibmc70
IBMC serving Los Angeles since 1970


Founded in 1970 by the Vietnamese scholar and Zen Master Ven. Thich Thien-An, it was one of the first four original Zen centers established in the United States to teach Buddhism and meditation.

Pioneering English Teachings: At the urging of his UCLA students, Dr. Thich Thien-An opened the center to make Buddhist practices accessible to interested Americans.

Historic Ordinations: The center has a rich legacy of ordaining Westerners. In 1994, it hosted a landmark Grand Ordination—the first full ordination ceremony in the U.S. presided over by a woman (Abbess Ven. Dr. Karuna Dharma).Ecumenical

Approach: Rather than adhering strictly to one tradition, IBMC embraces a syncretic approach, incorporating Vietnamese and American Zen, Theravada, and Vajrayana (Tibetan) traditions.

Refugee Support: Following the fall of Saigon in 1975, the center and its founder played a critical role in assisting thousands of Vietnamese refugees relocating to the United States.


International Buddhist Meditation Center
 928 S. New Hampshire Ave., Los Angeles, California 90006
IBMC Office - 213.384.0850


Ven. Thich Thien An - Page  ///  Ven. Karuna Dharma - Page

Ven. Sarika Dharma - Page  ///  Ven. H. Ratanasara - Page


zendo
IBMC Zendo - 2017
The International Buddhist Meditation Center in Los Angeles was founded in 1970 by Ven. Dr. Thich Thien-An, a scholar and Zen Master from Vietnam. He came to the United States as a visiting professor at UCLA, and with the urging of his students, founded the Center to provide a place to practice meditation and Buddhism in Los Angeles. / Booklet - Zen Buddhism: Awareness in Action / Book - Zen Philosophy, Zen Practice - Ven. Thich Thien-An // IBMC Monthly Guide - Ven. Thich Thien An, 1926 - 1980 Tribute /// The Dharma Family - Ven. Thich Thien An

When Dr. Thien-An died in 1980, Ven. Dr. Karuna Dharma, one of the founders of the Center, became the Abbess. She added a strong feminine voice to the center and under her direction, the IBMC Monks and Dharma Teachers continued the Center's activities. IBMC was one of four original Zen centers founded in the United States to cater specifically to the needs of Western-born Americans. An American style of Buddhism may have taken root at the International Buddhist Meditation Center thanks to Ven. Dr. Thich Thien-An and Ven. Karuna Dharma. Over ten other temples have sprung from IBMC, with monks training at the Center until they became qualified to establish their own centers. / The IBMC Chant Book

The IBMC Rainy Season Retreat - An-Cu  /  The College of Buddhist Studies - 1983 / 2003  /  Obituary of Dr. Havanpola Ratanasara  /  The IBMC 30th Anniversary at Hsi Lai Temple - October, 2000  /  The 40th Anniversary Booklet  /  The Los Angeles Buddhist-Catholic Dialogue, - Original Dialogue Members - Ven. Dr. Karuna Dharma: International Buddhist Meditation Center and Ven. Dr. Havanpola Ratanasara.  /  The Buddhist Sangha Council of Southern California - Dr. Havanpola Ratanasara, Ven. Dr. Thich Thien-An  /  Kusala Bhikshu representing the IBMC  - Mayor's Certificate of Appreciation - for his Los Angeles interfaith work.  /   History of the IBMC Bell - Photo  /  IBMC held a memorial service on Sunday, January. 31, 2016 to honor Rev. Tri Ratna Priya.


Sunday Lunch
Sunday Meal - 1970's


IBMC was one of the first American Centers to ordain Westerners as bhikkus and bhikkunis. / The first Grand Ordination held in December, 1994, the Center was the first to have a full ordination ceremony presided over by a woman and the first to have Western disciples of Asian masters fully ordain their own disciples. The 1994 Grand Ordination Booklet. 

 The masters Photo were from many countries, all with temples in the U.S.: Vietnam, China, Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet and America. Thirty-seven people took ordination at different levels Photo. Seven Western nuns in the Tibetan tradition took bhikkuni ordination with the permission and participation of their masters.

Precept Ceremony 1980's  /   November, 1996 Full Monk Ordination - Kusala Bhikshu  /  Precept Ceremony 2000's  /  The 2001 Ordination / The 2002 Ordination /  The 2004 I.B.M.C. Grand Ordination - Photo Album. / 2005 I.B.M.C. Monks & Dharma Teachers.  /  Ordination of Rev. Maha Chandana  -  Sunday, December 7, 2008  Photo  /

 

Classic IBMC News Letters

April - 2002  /  August - 2002  /  August - 2009  /  September - 2009  / 

October - 2009  /   November - 2009  /  December - 2009  /  Janurary - 2010  / 

February - 2010  /  April - 2010  /  May - 2010  /  June - 2010  /  August - 2010   / 

September - 2010  /  November - 2010  /  December - 2010  /  IBMC Monthly Guide - Articles

 


"Concepts of Buddhism by American Disciples" / PDF - 28 Pages/ Free Download - Click Here


ibmc classic

IBMC - 1970's - Thich Thien-An  (Brown Robes, Center)



23:21 - Ven. Thich Thien-An and IBMC - The Early Years. - 1970's





Meditation

L to R - Bhikkhu Bodhi, Shinzen Young, Ven. Thich Thien-An and Dr. David P. Nowlis
In 1973, Dr. David P. Nowlis. was a key figure at the International Buddhist Meditation Center in Los Angeles, working alongside major spiritual pioneers like Thich Thien-An and Shinzen Young to study how self-regulation tools could mimic or accelerate the states achieved by seasoned meditators.