dedicated to a peaceful & just society
grounded in contemplative & spiritual practice
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Midwestern Dhamma dedicated to a peaceful & just society grounded in contemplative & spiritual practice |
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Liberation Park is a vehicle for Dhamma study, practice, and work. Current residents are Santikaro, Jo Marie, and various cats and horses. We have many visitors, both wild and domesticated. We are dedicated to a modern expression of Buddhist life that is true to the Early Teachings. Ven Buddhadasa Bhikkhu is our major inspiration.
Even while living as a monk in Thailand, Santikaro expected to someday return to the USA and believed that the Midwest, where he was hatched and fledged, was most suitable for a Suan Mokkh inspired Dhamma center. Just as Ajahn Buddhadasa left the noise and pollution of Bangkok more than seventy years ago, seeking a quiet, natural environment in which to practice, we have sought a quiet rural setting in which to live simply, intimately with Nature, pursuing the study and practice of Buddha-Dhamma
On October 1st, 2006, we moved to the village of Norwalk in the driftless region of Wisconsin, along the Mississippi River (directions). As we build meditation cabins and other facilities, we will provide a peaceful natural environment for dedicated practice. Living simply and sustainably, growing food, and caring for the land are central to our lifestyle and practice. We also work on translation projects, articles, and other forms of Dhamma service, including participation in the Chicago chapter of the BPF.
We dedicate ourselves to healing the many forms of suffering that bedevil our world -- including ecological, gender-based, and economic -- and most of all the suffering of egoism, of clinging to 'me' and 'mine.'
Developments here are driven by the need to support viable daily practice for those who study and train here. All activities need to be centered on and grounded in the threefold practice of virtue, concentration, and insight. The core values and principles of Buddha-Dhamma guide us. Other ideals -- such as justice & peace, democracy, & post-patriarchy values -- will inform but not dominate. Practical workability, rather than ideology, will be central (with all the experimentation that implies).
Liberation Park will seek to serve all those interested in Buddha-Dhamma. We seek to cooperate with all those dedicated to a peaceful & just society grounded in contemplative & spiritual practice.
Individual retreatants can be accommodated later in 2007, once facilities can be built, tho they will be rustic for the next few years. Personal retreat programs will be determined with Santikaro and regular check-ins will be expected.
If you would like to be involved in some way or seek our services, please contact us at info@liberationpark.org.
Santikaro went to Thailand with the Peace Corps in 1980, was ordained as a Theravada monk in 1985, and subsequently trained at Suan Mokkh with Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, a leading Thai teacher, scholar, and reformer of Theravada Buddhism. He became Ajahn Buddhadasa's primary English translator and was abbot of nearby Suan Atammayatarama. He is a founding member of Think Sangha, a community of socially engaged Buddhist thinker-activists that has given special attention to the ethical and spiritual impact of consumerism and militarism. He led meditation retreats at Suan Mokkh for many years before returning to the USA's Midwest in 2001. In 2004 he retired from formal monastic life. He continues to teach in the Buddhist tradition with an emphasis on the early Pali sources. He is the founder of Liberation Park, a modern American expression of Buddhist practice, study, and social responsibility. There he continues to teach, study, practice, translate the work of his teacher, engage in social activism, and imagine the future of Buddha-Dhamma in the West.
Jo Marie has been studying and practicing Buddhism since 1994. With a love of the early teachings and a strong grounding in feminism, she attempts to navigate the sometimes rocky terrain between the two worlds. Seeking to ordain within the Theravada tradition brought her to the uncomfortable recognition of the strong patriarchy of the monastic institutions and elicited a crisis of faith. The crisis has found resolution in the work of creating a refuge for lay Buddhists wishing to study and practice the heart of the original teachings, while challenging the overlay of patriarchy as well as other social ills of our time.
The kitties moved to Liberation Park with Jo Marie in 2004 and keep an eye on things when they aren't napping.
As facilities grow on the land, new kitties have taken up residence: Flopsy in the shed, Vinny & Bunny in the barn.
Tara joined the family in March 2007 and moved to our pasture in May. Her colt Jera was born July 12th and his older sister Junebug joined us in October of the same year. They live around the barn.
On Saturday January 12th 2008, Santikaro and Jo Marie were married at the heart of Liberation Park's valley. Leigh, Episcopal Priest from Sparta, officiated in the simple ceremony and plighting of troths. JoAnn Thomas and Doug Nopar, two old friends from the area, witnessed and took pictures.
