Temple of Radiant Wisdom on the Solitary, Pure White Mountain
Services Offered By Shasta Abbey

Buddhist Ceremonial: Senior priests at the Abbey are available for performing the full range of Buddhist ceremonial for the laity:
  • funerals
  • memorials for departed friends and relatives
  • naming ceremonies for children
  • weddings
  • house blessings
  • Feeding the Hungry Ghosts (transfer of merit for suicides)
  • special ceremonies for aborted or stillborn children and miscarriages
  • animal ordinations, funerals, and memorials
  • Shasta Abbey provides a cemetery with reserved plots, as well as facilities for the care of both human and animal cremated remains.
    We regularly offer the merit of our meditation practice to those in need -- the ill, the dying or newly dead, or those in difficult situations. Please request a 'transfer of merit.'

    Food offerings (or a monetary donation for such) may also be given with a request that the merit of the meal be given to a particular person or persons.

    Public talks: Priests give public talks or visit classrooms when requested to do so. Please call or write the Guestmaster for details. At the present time our offering of this service is limited to northern California and southern Oregon and our availability is dependent on our monastic calendar and schedule.

    Local Events: For our local congregation or visitors in the area, we usually offer each Sunday morning a meditation period, a Buddhist ceremony (often a festival), a Dharma talk by our abbot, Rev. Eko Little, and a social tea. Please see our monthly newsletter for a current schedule of festivals and events.
    We also offer a Wednesday night Dharma talk given by a resident senior monk. Meditation instruction is provided for newcomers. We also provide Dharma talks online as audio files.
    Other weekly activities for the laity normally include on Saturday afternoon a Dharma talk by a senior monk. From time to time other ceremonies are scheduled, such as vigils for Wesak and some of the Bodhisattva festivals.
    Our local lay friends are also welcome to come to daily services and participate in the ongoing activities of the monastery.
    There is no charge for any of these activities. Offerings of 'dana' are appropriate if one wishes.
    Please call and speak with the Guest Master in order to attend any of these activities. Some events require prior orientation.

    Journal of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives: For sample articles and subscription information, see Journal of the O.B.C..

    Shasta Abbey Press publishes translations of Serene Reflection Meditation texts and other works by Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett and members of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives. For a description of these books, see Shasta Abbey Press.

    Shasta Abbey Buddhist Supplies is a mail order service providing Buddhist books, statues, and practice items. For a sampler brochure, see Shasta Abbey Buddhist Supplies.

    Donations.: Giving (Skt. dana) is one of the six paramitas or Buddhist Wisdoms. To give with generosity of spirit is one of the means of awakening the Buddha Heart and 'crossing to the Other Shore' (which is what paramita means). A large part of Shasta Abbey's income consists of donations from our lay congregation and friends. It is traditional in Buddhism for the lay Sangha to support the monastic community thus enabling the monks to concentrate on their religious practice. For their part, monks freely provide teaching and spiritual guidance. We greatly appreciate all donations of money and materials. If you would like to assist us, your contributions will be gratefully received. Shasta Abbey is incorporated as a religious non-profit organization, and all financial and other donations are tax deductible.
    Shasta Abbey, Attention: Guestmaster, 3724 Summit Drive, Mount Shasta, CA., 96067-9102 USA
    Telephone: 530-926-4208E-mail: guestmaster@shastaabbey.org

    All contents ©2003 Shasta Abbey