"Merely thinking about practice is like pouncing on the shadow and missing the substance."

Ajahn Chah

The seating arrangement (left) has now changed to the current parallel seating to emphasise the equivalent status of the male and female members of the community.

The sala has always been used for communal meals, which are preceded by the chanting of a blessing, given for the acts of generosity that made it possible.

Also worth noting are the pictures around the walls; these are paintings by Ajahn Sucitto, a founding and long-standing member of the Amaravati community. They are illuminations of an early Buddhist scripture which he prepared as a devotional offering for Ajahn Sumedho, and as an encouragement for the Sangha to learn to chant the scripture. Subsequently these were published with a commentary in a book, 'Dawn of the Dhamma,' which like many others is made freely available at Amaravati. The sala was also the main hall for teaching. Evening meditation sessions, particularly on observance days, would often be followed by a talk (Dhamma-desana) on such themes as meditation, right livelihood, or the cultivation of virtue. These talks, based on personal experience and understanding, often reflected the international nature of the community with senior Sangha members from America, Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Canada and New Zealand (to name a few). This diversity has been a great source of Amaravati's spiritual wealth.

During the summer the sala is also used for a series of public 'Sunday afternoon talks' given by Ajahn Sumedho.