Sarasota
Forest
Monastery:
A bit of peace in a hectic world
Story and Photos by Marcy Shortuse
Tucked away in a little corner of northern
Englewood is a haven of peace for many
called the Sarasota Forest Monastery. The
monk in residence, Bhante Thiep, lives in a small
rental house next to an 8.7-acre property that
the Monastery owns, a property that will one day
become something much more.
Having only been around for a few years, the
property isn’t as well known as the monks
themselves. They can be seen doing their Alms
Bowl Walk every morning around Old
Englewood, a practice that fascinates many. It is a
tradition among monks that is more than 2,000
years old, and is part of their vow to live as simply
as possible, which includes not dealing with
money. All food offered to the Monks must be
pre-cooked, as they do not clean or cook food,
but pretty much any food that will keep through
the day will be welcomed. From a scoop of
cooked rice to a McDonald’s hamburger, the
Monks will be grateful for what they are given
and use that as their food for the day.
Thiep has been with the Monastery for two
years now, having come from another Buddhist
monastery in North Carolina after the creator
of the Englewood Buddhist haven, Ajahn Nattakul,
stepped away. Thiep seems very at ease here in
Florida, though it is hard to imagine him any other
way.
“When I first came here I stayed in the woods,”
he said, “but I eventually came to spend more time
in the house when it got colder out.”
One of Thiep’s helpers, a lovely woman named
Gob, gives a good tour of the property when the
weather is fine. In addition to the spectacular peace
that can only be found in the woods and on the
meditation platforms, there is also a Meditation Walk