The North America Association of Buddhist Monastics (NAABM) is a non-profit organization* with a mission to create a national registry of Buddhist monastics and temples in North America.
As Buddhism grows and spreads throughout America, more temples and centers are being built and more people are ordaining as monks and nuns. These temples and monastics help teach and create positive awareness about Buddhism and Buddhist teachings and philosophies. Though we live in a technologically advanced age and anything can be found with a quick Internet search, sometimes these new, or even well-established temples, are unknown to many people who are seeking them out.
NAABM aspires to create a comprehensive and complete directory of Buddhist temples and their monastics. With this directory, you can do a quick search to find temples or teachers near you with details about their Buddhist tradition, language, and services. As well as details about the monastic’s background, teacher/master, ordination, and more.
We also hope to fight the unfortunate rise of “fake monks” in North America. These fake monastics often solicit locals for money in exchange for a blessing, prayer beads, or fortune telling. Many of these fake monastics have gone as far as being able to collect enough funds to build a temple or center and continue to solicit their followers into donating more funds to support their lavish lifestyle.
NAABM does a thorough “monastic background check” by fact checking each monk and nun’s monastic credentials and their ordination certificate before they are added to our directory. We want to ensure that we are able to provide legitimate resources to help you find your Buddhist home (temple) and teacher.
If you are a Buddhist monk or nun and would like to register on our directory, please fill out the Registration Application. You may also fill out the application if you are registering monks and nuns of your temple, with their permission.