Bodhi Tree Dhamma Center

Bodhi Tree Dhamma Center is a suburban meditation center in Pinellas County, on Florida's central gulf coast. Our grounds feature a meditation hall and bookstore, areas for outdoor walking meditation, and a specimen of the Bodhi tree, Ficus religiosa.

BTDC opened in 1985 as a meeting place for the Florida West Coast Buddhist Society, a non-denominational Buddhist study group. It was founded in its present form with the help of the internationally recognized meditation teachers Venerable U Silananda (from Burma) and Venerable H. Gunaratana (from Sri Lanka). BTDC maintains a relationship with Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery, in northern California. In 1993, a fund was established for the eventual purchase of land for a rural retreat center in west central Florida.