1015 W. 2nd St.
Little Rock, AR
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Practice Groups
Tibetan
Zen
Theravada
Others
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The Ecumenical Buddhist Society of Little Rock is a non-profit organization. Donations are tax deductible.
Purpose and History of EBS
Our Purpose
• To provide a place where anyone can meditate with others on a daily or weekly basis. There are regular times for practitioners and ongoing opportunities to meditate in a tradition taught by an EBS-sponsored teacher. The Center also sponsors and hosts Buddhist retreats, classes, and social events.
• To bring Buddhist teachers to Little Rock for introductory and advanced teachings and meditation retreats in particular practice lineages.
• To offer courses and lectures to provide educational opportunities to explore different branches of Buddhist philosophy.
Why an Ecumenical Center?
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.
Our Location
We are at the corner of Second Street and Chester.
Our address is:
1015 West 2nd Street
Little Rock, AR.
72201
Front view of our building:
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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.
