Burma / Myanmar centers —————————–
representing the diverse ethnic groups (Karen, Hmong, etc) from this Southeast Asian country, but mostly the majority Burmese
Ratana Viman Yeiktha Monastery, Myanmar Buddhist Association of Georgia, Lithonia GA, 2014
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pUp5aGycwJDW9d9b8
2022 Update: They have sold this house and moved to a larger and more rural location in McDonough, GA (south of Atlanta) in 2014. The MBAGA group is still active, with resident monks frequently participating in ceremonies with other temples (mostly other Theravada schools such as Cambodian, as well as some Vietnamese Mahayana) around the area, some summer classes for children, and so forth.
Dhamma Viman, Jamestown NC, 2014
https://photos.app.goo.gl/rcNAb98HZ6AMGsAVA
2022 Update: While we have not visited in a few years, this small center appears to still be functioning as a community center for Southeast Asian Americans.
Dhammikarama Temple, Chapel Hill NC, 2014
https://photos.app.goo.gl/qsMJ6kGD5tYsUjbPA
2022 Update: While we have not visited in a few years, this Burmese center appears to be still open.
The Buddhist Temple, Nashville TN 2010-2013
https://photos.app.goo.gl/eEhWB7kyEcd4pMyKA
The little temple on Lyle lane was really just a small 1 bedroom house with the rear garage converted into a Buddha hall / meditation room. A local SE Asian businessman owned the place, and monks would come, and many eventually left to found their own community, including the one below. An American (Caucasian) monk, Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano, returned to the temple as of fall 2014 when the Burmese monk, fluent in English, moved out to start the group below on a new piece of property acquired in north Nashville.
Saddhama Gon Yaung Myanmar Buddhist Temple, Nashville TN 2014
The 2.2 land was empty when acquired in 2014 (it appears there used to be a small house there that was demolished around 2010, possibly linked to the Serbian Orthodox Church?).
Sad News: Written July 2021: Venerable monk, Sayadaw Kavainda Kyaw, who was the monk at The Buddhist Temple on Lyle Lane from around 2012 – 2014 and founded the Myanmar Buddhist Association of Tennessee temple on the north side of town from 2015 onwards, has passed suddenly from Covid-19 last week. Sayadaw (which means respected monk in Burmese) had returned to Myanmar (Burma) in February 2020 to lead a meditation retreat for youth and to visit his 82 year old mother, planning to come back in a few months as he was a US citizen. However, the coronavirus pandemic hit, and the military junta coup / takeover of Myanmar both led to a situation where he felt he needed to stay to take care of the monastery and his mother back home. He had even called me just 2 weeks ago to discuss scholarships for Burmese youth. To my shock, news arrived that he had contracted coronavirus and passed away rapidly. Unfortunately, healthcare in the impoverished country is quite subpar and as of today’s data, only an estimated 2.5% of people there have been able to get a covid vaccine. [Written July 2021]
Dr. Kavainda was born to a farming family in a rural village in Myanmar and became a novice monk at age 13, completing full ordination at age 20. He was one of the country’s top scorers in Pali examinations, and went on to obtain a Ph.D. in Comparative Religions in India, where he also learned mastery of Sanskrit. As an accomplished meditator and Buddhist scholar, he became an instructor at the esteemed Panditarama meditation center in Myanmar, and later at the Tathagatha Meditation Center in San Jose California. Coming to Nashville in 2012, he led the Burmese community, mostly refugees and immigrants with limited financial resources and limited English abilities, helping members navigate life in the United States, and cobbling together enough money to start the new temple where the community could enjoy cultural events and practice Buddhism despite the pressures of being in the Bible Belt. One of the rare monastic members in Tennessee who could teach meditation and speak on Buddhism in English, he was enthusiastic and energetic about activities for both Western and Burmese audiences, and for children and adults alike. I am sure he is missed by the communities he leaves behind in both central Tennessee and in Myanmar. He also leaves behind an elderly mother and a sister in Myanmar. May he reach Enlightenment as soon as possible for the sake of all living beings!
The Rabbit's Horn 