It all began in 2005 with a simple invitation. A couple of Buddhist practitioners from Michigan had just finished building a house in Florida, where they hoped to retire. They knew first-hand the harshness of Michigan winters and felt compassion for the monks at Dhammasala Forest Monastery in Perry, Michigan. So in February 2005, they invited several monks from Dhammasala to spend a few weeks in Florida.
Word quickly spread that there were forest monks staying in Florida. People began to come to offer food and hear a Dhamma talk. Despite staying for only a few short weeks, that initial visit implanted a strong desire amongst the local community to find a way to bring the forest tradition to Florida.
The multi-week “Winter Pilgrimage” continued for several years. Finally, in 2011, Venerable Nattakul was invited to spend the three-month Rains Retreat in a house rented by the community. During the Rains Retreat, the community formed a non-profit organization, the Buddhist Association of Central Florida (BACF), with the goal of raising enough funding to establish a Buddhist monastery in the Thai Forest tradition. Fundraising efforts continued regularly, and a search for a suitable location began.
After several years of searching, a forested area in South Sarasota County in Englewood, Florida, came on the market. At public hearings to discuss the establishment of a monastery in Englewood, it became clear from talking with the neighbors in the area that a Buddhist monastery would be most welcome in Englewood. After a ten-month process, the land was rezoned for use by religious organizations, and BACF decided to change its name to Sarasota Forest Monastery (SFM) before closing the real estate transaction. In October 2015, SFM became the owner of the 8-acre forested land.
The SFM Board of Directors continued to work with local developers to seek permits from the county for constructing permanent structures on the forested land, including a public meeting hall, a group meditation hall, and multiple huts for the monks to stay in. However, the cost of these proposed plans far exceeded SFM’s fundraising capabilities. As a result, SFM decided to purchase a 0.7-acre house property (520 Lewis St.) adjacent to the western boundary of the forested land instead to provide a place for the resident monks to stay under extreme weather conditions while continuing to explore new potential future developments.
Sarasota Forest Monastery is now an officially recognized member of the Dhammayut Order of the United States. Currently, the monastery can accommodate up to two monks at a time. Apart from the house property, the forested land has four simple meditation huts, an 8' x 8' platform suitable for tent camping, and an open yet well-shaded area with many sitting meditation platforms set up for use in the weekly group meditation sessions on Sundays.
