International Buddhist Meditation Center

International Buddhist Meditation Center - Los Angeles
928 S. New Hampshire Ave., Los Angeles, California 90006
Phone: (213) 384-0850 - eMail

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 at the urging of his students, founded the Center to provide a place for them to practice meditation and the Buddhist Path.

When Dr. Thien-An died in 1980, Ven. Dr. Karuna Dharma, one of the founders of the Center, became the Abbess. Under her direction, the IBMC Monks and Dharma Teachers continue 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. Over ten other temples have sprung from IBMC, with monks training at the Center until they became qualified to establish their own sites.

IBMC was the first American temple to ordain Westerners as bhikkus and bhikkunis (fully ordained monks and nuns) Photo - 2005, I.B.M.C. Monks & Dharma Teachers. At the 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 2004 I.B.M.C. Grand Ordination - Photo Album.

IBMC News

See IBMC calendar (below) for new classes.
Can you help??? The IBMC Gift List - Click Here
Ruth Denison visits with Ven. Karuna Dharma at the IBMC. - Photo
Rev. Maha Chandana's Ordination and Ven. Vajra named first Dharma heir. - Photo

Programs available at the IBMC include:

*Meditation instruction, daily practice, weekend retreats, and workshops.

*Training of monks, dharma teachers, and laypeople.

*Ceremonies celebrating traditional Buddhist holidays and personal events.

*Residential program for those who want a peaceful environment and more opportunity to practice.

*Special Programs include a prison outreach.

Sunday Service @ IBMC

10:00 - 10:30 / 108 Bow Ceremony
10:30 - 11:00 / Silent Meditation
11:00 - 12:00 / Dharma Talk

New! - The IBMC Monthly Guide/Newsletter now available in your email box.

June Events / Sunday Talks

6/7 -Tibetan Teachings - Ven. Lobsang Sandup
6/14 - Dharma Talk by - Ven. Kusala Bhikshu
6/21 - Fathers Day - The Buddha in your home - Ven. Havanpola Shanti
6/28 - Dharma Talk by - Ven. Karuna Dharma

Meditation Times

Friday - 7:30 PM - Zendo - led by Ven. Kusala
Sunday - 10:30 AM - Zendo - led by Ven. Kusala
Sunday - 7:30 PM - Zendo - led by Ven. Kusala

Special Events

6/7 - 2 PM - History of Gomang Monastery Slide Show
6/11 - 7:30 PM - Buddhist Art Work Shop
6/12 - 7 PM - Teachings on Medicine Buddha Practice
6/13 - 10 AM - Medicine Buddha Empowerment / Healing Ceremony *5 PM Cultural Presentation

IBMC Classes

Mon. - 7 PM - Tibetan Buddhism - Palmo Ling Nunnery - Bhikshuni Chitta Karuna
Tue. - 7 PM - The Ten Ox Herding Pictures - Ananda Hall - Rev. Hanasi Karuna
Tue - 7 PM - Monks Training - Zendo
Wed. - 7:30 PM - Everyday Buddhism - Zendo - Ven. Kusala Bhikshu
Thur. - 4 PM - Vimalakiriti Sutra - Ven. Karuna Dharma
Thur. - 7 PM - Pali Chanting - Palmo Ling Nunnery - Ven. Havanpola Shanti
Fri. - 7 PM - Western Zen - Ananda Hall - Rev. Shunya Karuna
Fri. - 7 PM - English Conversation - Palmo Ling Nunnery. - Bhikshuni Chitta Karuna
Sat. - 2 PM - Math Tutoring - Palmo Ling Nunnery - Call IBMC for Details

About Drepung Gomang Monastery

Drepung Gomang 2008-09 Tour members are refugee monks now living at Drepung Gomang Monastery, a Tibetan monastery in south India. Drepung was founded in 1416 near Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.

Gomang College is the oldest of the four colleges of Drepung. In 1959, before the invasion of Communist China, Drepung Monastery had more than 10,000 monks; Gomang alone had about 5,500. Gomang College has produced many eminent Buddhist masters and has been a very important Tibetan Buddhist learning center. Each of the colleges of Drepung has its specialty, and the focus of Gomang is philosophy: logic and debate.

In 1959, When Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, was forced to flee his country. He was immediately followed by 80,000 refugees
Only about 100 monks of Drepung managed to escape with the Dalai Lama. They lived first in Boxa, North India. In 1969, 62 of the surviving
Gomang monks were given 42 acres of land in Mundgod, south India. There they started to rebuild Drepung Gomang in its present location.
Today more than 1,800 monks live on these few acres.

Responding to requests from supporters and potential students in the West and needing to find ways to create a broader network to ensure the
monastery’s survival, the monks of Drepung Gomang decided to establish a sister organization in the United States: Drepung Gomang Institute
(DGI) of Louisville, Kentucky. In 2006, Tashi Gomang Dharma Center was established as a religious arm of DGI

Drepung Gomang Tour Flyer 2008/2009 - PDF - Click Here

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- June 2009 / IBMC Monthly Guide in PDF - Click Here

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New! - Video Dharma Talks / Flash Video

New! - Audio Dharma Talks / in MP3

The Center also offers Dharma talks and publishes a newsletter, the Monthly Guide. Our lecture hall is available
for rental to organizations and individuals for meetings and classes. For additional information, send email
to: Ven. Karuna Dharma, Abbess. Dr. Thien-An's book, Zen Philosophy, Zen Practice, is an excellent
introduction to the spiritual orientation of the founder.

Feral Cats Need a Good Home / Cat Photos - Click Here /// Cat Video - Click Here

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A Loving-Kindness Meditation

IBMC 2002 Ordination Photos | IBMC photo Page

Map Directions to IBMC