PLACES

Great Monasteries and Temples

The living centers of Buddhist practice across Asia and the world.

Nalanda: The Great Buddhist University

Nalanda was a major Buddhist monastic university in northeastern India, operatin

Wat Phra Dhammakaya: Thailand's Modern Center

A Thai Buddhist temple founded in 1970 that pioneered meditation-based practice

Shwedagon Pagoda: Myanmar's Sacred Heart

Myanmar's most revered Buddhist pagoda, built over 2,500 years ago, housing reli

Temple of the Tooth: Sri Lanka's Most Sacred Relic

Sri Lanka's most revered Buddhist shrine, housing a tooth relic believed to belo

Borobudur: The Great Stupa of Java

An 8th-century Javanese Buddhist monument built as a three-dimensional mandala a

The Potala Palace: Seat of the Dalai Lamas

The Potala Palace in Lhasa is the traditional winter residence and administrativ

Tashilhunpo: Seat of the Panchen Lamas

The main monastery and residence of the Panchen Lamas, second-highest religious

Plum Village: Thich Nhat Hanh's Community in France

A monastic and lay Buddhist community in France founded by Thich Nhat Hanh, prac

Spirit Rock: Insight Meditation in California

A major American meditation center in Marin County, California, founded in 1986

Insight Meditation Society: Barre, Massachusetts

A meditation center in Massachusetts founded in 1976, pioneering Theravada insig

Amaravati: The Thai Forest Tradition in England

A Buddhist monastery in England that practices the strict Forest Tradition of Th