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Purpose and History of EBS |
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Purpose and History of EBS |
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Our group started as an ecumenical center because there were relatively few meditators in our community at the time. Our wish was to provide a place for everyone to meditate. Under an ecumenical umbrella, you can learn about Buddhism as a beginning student in different lineages. As you progress, you may want to participate in the retreats offered by our teachers (see lineage page links listed below for information on teachers).
We hope to give all who come to EBS a place to practice, teachings to begin and expand the exploration of Buddhism and support an individual's practice. Our practice traditions include:
- Tibetan Vajrayana practices of Nyingma and Sakya
- Zen practices of Kwan Um, Mindfulness, and Rinzai
- Theravada practice of Vipassana
- And the practice of Journey into Silence
Our History
In the early 1980's a group of people meditating in a variety of traditions began to meet every week for 30 minutes of silent meditation at the Unitarian/Universalist Church. The group began to sponsor Vipassana retreats.
A board was established, which named the group the Ecumenical Buddhist Society. The name was chosen because the members did not want the organization to represent just one tradition. At the same time, Anna Cox, with the help of many friends, was bringing Tibetan Buddhist Lamas (primarily from the Gelukpa tradition) and other Tibet-related events to Little Rock. These two groups began to support each other's endeavors. In 1990, Jay McDaniel began bringing Keido Fukushima Roshi for an annual Zen retreat and lecture at Hendrix College in Conway. EBS gladly helped.
In the early 1990's, Charles Hicks, a member of the early group of meditators, remodeled Gans Place and offered to rent the Society the beautifully renovated carriage house behind his law firm for the EBS meditation center. EBS moved into its new home in October, 1992. About this time, the board was reorganized and by-laws were drafted.
In 2005 the EBS center moved to its current location of 1015 Second Street, in downtown Little Rock, AR.
We have grown from these beginnings to a society that supports a number of Buddhist practices and sponsors a growing number of retreats, teachings, and public lectures.
EBS Bookstore
| We have a bookstore
which offers incense, books, statues, malas, practice materials and
other Dharma-related items. Special orders and gift certificates are
available. Click here to visit our
bookstore web page.
Many of our teachings, lectures,and classes are taped, sometimes on video. You can find these, along with a wide range of texts on Buddhism, in the library.
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