The institution ‘Budismo Theravada da Floresta – Comunidad Religiosa’ was officially recognised as a Religious Collective under the ‘Lei da Liberdade Religiosa’ (Law on Religious Freedom), with NIPC 592010040 in July 2010 and attested to its Radication in Portugal on 21 June 2018. The main objective is to promote the Teaching of Lord Buddha through the establishment and support of a residence for Buddhist monks.

This non-profit religious community (Sangha) was established at the invitation of Portuguese laity, with the endorsement of the General Council of the Senior Monks of the Recognized Monastic Communities, of the Thai Forest Tradition of the Ajahn Chah Line, with the aim of establishing a Monastery of Tradition in Portugal, having, for this purpose, designated the two monks who signed the Statutes of the Community.

The monks invited to lead this movement follow the traditional Buddhist Scripture training (Vinaya) in line with the Thai Forest Tradition of Wat Nong Pah Pong Monastery, which was founded by Ajahn Chah. This tradition was brought out of Thailand by Ajahn Sumedho and other Western disciples. The contact that people establish with the monastic community will allow them to cultivate generosity, virtue and wisdom both in people and in society at large. This is how beings can be liberated.

Mendicant monastic life depends on people's goodwill for material needs. From July 2012 the monks began to live in Lisbon. In the medium and long term we are looking for a more suitable place as a monastery, with space for monks to live and people to visit the monastery for short and long periods of time.

The Religious Community, which will be governed by these Statutes and by the Religious Freedom Law, has therefore acquired legal personality as a religious legal person under this Law, and will benefit from the advantages of this new legal status.

According to them Articles of association, the Community shall have as its object:

• To promote the teachings of the Buddha (Buddha Sasana);
• To promote and sustain the worship and service of temples and monasteries;
• Practicing benevolence.
• The fundamental goal is to promote the teachings of the Buddha (Buddha Sasana).

To this end, the Religious Community shall provide, maintain and support, in accordance with the principles of Theravada Discipline (Vinaya), residential establishments for a Monastic Community (Sangha) of persons who have assumed the Rules of Instruction (Sikkhapada), shall support lay persons in the practice and teachings of the Buddha, and shall also use any other means which may in due course be deemed expedient to accomplish this end and all else provided for in the statutes.

STATEMENT OF FAITH

(Essential Principle of the Faith Doctrine and Philosophy of Theravada Buddhism of the Forest Tradition of Thailand)

1. Lord Buddha was totally free from all Confusion, Covetousness, or Hate. Totally free from all ignorance.
2. Lord Buddha taught how human beings can free themselves from all ignorance. Human beings can train themselves to be completely free from all confusion, greed, or hate. Human beings can train themselves to be more perfect.

III. Lord Buddha founded his Doctrine on the "Four Noble Truths", from which he developed the extensive Teaching on the Path of Human Liberation and Spiritual Salvation, namely:

1. The truth about suffering.
2. The origin of suffering.
3. The Extinction of Suffering.
4. The path that leads to the extinction of suffering and the realization of spiritual "salvation", namely through "The Noble Eightfold Path" (Virtude and Moral Code) composed of eight factors:

1.Right understanding

2.Right thinking

3.Right Word

4.Correct Action

5.Support Correct

6.Right Commitment

7. Correct Consciousness

8.Correct concentration

1. Buddhists maintain as their Sacred Refuge the “JÓIA TRIPLA”, namely:
2. The Buddha (The Awakened, the Enlightened)
3. The Dhamma (The Truth and Teaching of Liberation)
4. The Sangha (the Monastic Community) (Within the monastic principles corresponds to the three vows: Poverty, Chastity and Obedience).
5. Lord Buddha did not define the existence of God. He didn't deny it, but he didn't encourage any speculation about it either. He inspired everyone to discover Reality and Truth through practice and direct knowledge.
6. There is an Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed. If this Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed did not exist, then the exit from the world of the Born, the Originated, the Created, and the Formed would not be possible. But once there is this Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed, it is possible to get out of the world of the born, the originated, the created, and the formed.

VII. The ultimate goal of Buddhist practice is to achieve what the Buddha has accomplished, which is Enlightenment, Truth and Nirvana, Liberation from the Cycle of Earthly Reincarnations and all related suffering, towards the Unconditioned - Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed.

PRACTICE INTRODUCED IN PORTUGAL

The practice of ceremonies and rituals of the Buddhist Theravada Monastery of the Forest Tradition is only possible with the presence of the monks.

Meditation is the principal spiritual practice of the daily rule and discipline practiced by the monk. Methods of Buddhist meditation can be practiced by both monks and lay people individually.

In addition, Meditation Retreats are held frequently from weekend periods to ten days, in which appropriate practices are officiated.

Thank you