Nurturing a Buddhist Community - Dennis Sheppard

Published with permission of Treasure Mountain Podcast. Please visit Treasure Mountain Podcast, Treasure Mountain website and Treasure Mountain facebook page.

On this episode of Treasure Mountain Podcast we have a guest who has been a mentor to me and remains a personal friend. Dennis Sheppard has been involved with Buddhist community since 1978, joining with the Buddhist Society of Western Australia as a young man interested in meditation and spiritual practice, and going on to serve multiple terms as president, as well as serving in several other capacities including designing several buildings for both monastics and the lay community.

In this interview with Dennis Sheppard:

• Getting involved with Buddhism in Australia in the late 1970s and what that was like
• Sending lay people to Thailand to request Ajahn Chah to send monks to Australia
• How Ajahn Jagaro changed the Buddhist Society of WA and his lasting legacy
• The impact of Ajahn Jagaro's departure and the commencement of Ajahn Brahm's tenure as Spiritual Director
• What the early years of the Buddhist Society of WA were like, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them.

Links from the episode:

• The Buddhist Society of Western Australia website
• Dennis Sheppard's website