Compassion
Meet every being—including yourself—with unconditional care.
An American Sangha · Est. in the open
A universal path of awakening, practice, and community.
The American Buddhist Church is a pluralistic sangha for every seeker—honoring every tradition, welcoming every person, without exclusion.
“Many paths. One intention. Awakening—together, on this American ground.”
Our shared aspiration
Why an American Buddhist Church
Buddhism in a pluralistic society—honoring tradition without exclusion.
North America is uniquely positioned to receive the Dharma from every direction at once. Lineages that have remained largely apart elsewhere now meet on the same block, in the same meditation hall, in the same family.
The American Buddhist Church exists for those who recognize themselves in the wisdom of many traditions, who refuse to choose between them, and who long for an institution as inclusive as the Buddha's own invitation.
We are not a new sect. We are a meeting ground.
Traditions held in common
TheravādaMahāyānaVajrayānaZenPure LandNichirenModern Buddhism
The Seven Tenets
Ancient roots. Daily application.
Mindfulness
Return, again and again, to the texture of the present moment.
Wisdom
See clearly. Question gently. Hold understanding lightly.
Non-Harm
In speech, action, and consumption: do as little harm as you can.
Inclusivity
No one is outside the circle of awakening.
Responsibility
Own your choices. Repair what you break. Tend what is yours to tend.
Service
Practice is incomplete until it returns as care for the world.
"Be a lamp unto yourself. Hold to the truth as your refuge."
— The Buddha
Equality & Welcome
Radical inclusivity is a Buddhist value.
Gender, sexuality, race, class, ability, language, lineage—none of these are obstacles to practice. The sangha is whole only when no one is asked to leave a part of themselves at the door.
Lay practitioners, monastics, ministers, and householders share the same hall, the same vows of care, and the same right to teach what they have realized.
Freedom of Practice
No single method for all minds.
Some come to silence. Some come to chant. Some come to study, to bow, to serve, to sit zazen at four in the morning, to walk in the woods reciting the names of the bodhisattvas.
We trust your discernment. The teacher's role is to companion, not to command.
Vipassanā
Open to all
Samatha
Open to all
Mettā
Open to all
Zazen
Open to all
Tonglen
Open to all
Visualization
Open to all
Sutra Study
Open to all
Chanting & Mantra
Open to all
Begin where you are
The Dharma is already at your door.
Sample daily practices, weekly services, self-ordination vows, and inclusive readings—offered freely for any sangha, any seeker.
Open the resources