Sunnataram Forest Monastery : Thai Forest Monastery Bundanoon, offering a Meditation Retreats program

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To follow up our current activities, please visit Instagram @kimmcsweeney52  or   #sunnataramforestmonastery.

Every Sunday is a working bee. Please email us if you would like to help the monks working in the garden or cleaning. Thank you very much.

Every Sunday

Buddhist talk and a short meditation session for people who are interested to learn Buddhism between 10 AM -2 PM

Booking is essential.  Thank you very much.

Buddhism for HSC Students

After experiencing teaching Buddhism in many high schools, we have decided to include a section in our website to help those students studying Buddhism in HSC. Read more in 'Dhamma Teachings/Buddhism for Students'

Teaching Monks: Further Training in Australia

Sunnataram Forest Monastery now establishes a special training program: Teaching Monks: Further Training in Australia, to support international Buddhist monks who want to learn how to teach Buddhism in Australia and the West.

We welcome any non-Thai monk who would like to undertake this program to experience teaching Dhamma and helping Dhamma work in Australian culture for 3 months. Please email us.

Thank you & Sadhu

We would like to thanks to all friends who kindly donate Bunning Gift cards and Mitre 10 Gift cards to the monks. We have been using them to purchase many building materials to maintain the monastery and to support our Dhamma teaching programs. May all happiness and wisdom be with all of us. Sadhu

Weekend Meditation Retreat 

Fri 16th - Sun 18th Jan 2026

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Weekend Meditation Retreat 

Fri 6th - Sun 8th Feb 2026

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Weekend Meditation Retreat 

Fri 27th Feb -Sat 28th Feb -Sun 1st Mar 2026

Easter Long Weekend Meditation Retreat 

Thru 2nd -Mon 6th Apr 2026

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 Weekend Meditation Retreat 

Fri 1st - Sun 3rd May 2026

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Mon 4th May 2026

Chevalier College Students Year 11th visited the monastery

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Long Weekend Meditation Retreat: King's Birthday

Fri 5th  - Mon 8th June 2026

 Please click here to see more photos in Gallery/ 2026

Every Sunday

10 AM              A guided meditation and Dhamma talk

11 AM              Vegetarian lunch for all, prepared by our volunteers. Please don't bring your food to offer the monks.

12.30 - 2 PM  Viewing the monastery garden, exhibition or helping the monks to work around the monastery

 Weekend Meditation Retreat 

Fri 3rd - Sun 5th July 2026

Please click here to see more photos in Gallery/2026

Every Sunday

10 AM              A guided meditation and Dhamma talk

11 AM              Vegetarian lunch for all, prepared by our volunteers. Please don't bring your food to offer the monks.

12.30 - 2 PM  Viewing the monastery garden, exhibition or helping the monks to work around the monastery

 Weekend Meditation Retreat 

Fri 31st July - Sun 2nd Aug 2026

Like a drop of water on the lotus leaf

 We are living in the dynamic world which is full of surprises. Learn to activate our inner qualities so we can enjoy life without neither attachment nor emotional pain, like a drop of water stays on top of the lotus leaf without clinging to the leaf.

In the retreat, we will allow the serenity of the mountains to enhance our development. We  will learn to do Buddhist chanting, sitting and walking meditation in the beautiful monastery garden and the bush land, tai chi exercise in front of the breathtaking view of Kangaroo valley. Noble silence with healthy Thai vegetarian food prepared by our volunteers. Accommodation is temple style with care and love in the nature. We will receive warm welcome by monks, volunteers and and many other non-human friends i.e. Kangaroos, wombats, Potoroos, parrots, peacocks, cat and others.

Due to the 2020 Bushfire damage to the monastery, we have only limited accommodation. Please make sure to complete the whole retreat before your booking. Please email the monastery your application form at least 7 days in advance.  All retreat is by suggested donation. 

Every retreat there are some people who cancel their booking at the last minute. We have created a waiting list for people who seriously want to practise meditation. Please email your application form to be eligible for the waiting list and be ready to be notified at short notice (1-2 days before the retreat starts). Thank you.

This weekend retreat starts at 6 PM on Friday  and will finish 1 PM on Sunday.

Every Sunday

10 AM              A guided meditation and Dhamma talk

11 AM              Vegetarian lunch for all, prepared by our volunteers. Please don't bring your food to offer the monks.

12.30 - 2 PM  Viewing the monastery garden, exhibition or helping the monks to work around the monastery

 Weekend Meditation Retreat 

Fri 4th - Sun 6th Sept 2026

The Power of Rejuvenation

 Spring is around the corner. Like many plants, we have been saving our energy to bud and to bloom with success and peace. Learn to cultivate the power of mindfulness, calmness, wisdom to boost our spirit to achieve our destination without limit.

Learn to use Pali chanting to calm down the mind, practise mindfulness with the breathing technique, create the power of love by the blissful joy. We will awaken our consciousness in sitting, walking meditation, tai chi qi gong, drinking tea, relaxing in the beautiful monastery garden and mountainous clean air. Volunteer chefs with exceptional cooking skills will prepare delicate Thai vegetarian meals just for our retreat participants, not found in any Thai restaurants in Sydney. We will enjoy lovely companied with wombats, kangaroos, potoroos, parrots and many other species native to the Southern Highlands.

Due to the 2020 Bushfire damage to the monastery, we have only limited accommodation. Please make sure to complete the whole retreat before your booking. Please email the monastery your application form at least 7 days in advance.  All retreat is by suggested donation. 

Every retreat there are some people who cancel their booking at the last minute. We have created a waiting list for people who seriously want to practise meditation. Please email your application form to be eligible for the waiting list and be ready to be notified at short notice (1-2 days before the retreat starts). Thank you.

This weekend retreat starts at 6 PM on Friday  and will finish 1 PM on Sunday.

Every Sunday

10 AM              A guided meditation and Dhamma talk

11 AM              Vegetarian lunch for all, prepared by our volunteers. Please don't bring your food to offer the monks.

12.30 - 2 PM  Viewing the monastery garden, exhibition or helping the monks to work around the monastery

 Long weekend Meditation Retreat 

Fri 2nd- Mon 5th Oct 2026

Awakening Transformation

Flowers are blooming, branches are expanding, leaves are greener, trees are growing. Many baby kangaroos, wombats, parrots are playing around the monastery garden. Learn to metamorphose our life by the magical awareness, realization and bliss.

We will learn to reformat the normal breathing pattern to be more meaningful one which will produce different levels of realization of the truth. The Buddhist wisdom on the seeing the Impermanence and Anatta will enable our consciousness to understand the reality of life and voluntarily drop the unnecessary attachment to the body and mind. The Awakened mind then will select the right path to manage life with less emotional pain, but more freedom and peace.

 Due to the 2020 Bushfire damage to the monastery, we have only limited accommodation. Please make sure to complete the whole retreat before your booking. Please email the monastery your application form at least 7 days in advance.  All retreat is by suggested donation. 

Every retreat there are some people who cancel their booking at the last minute. We have created a waiting list for people who seriously want to practise meditation. Please email your application form to be eligible for the waiting list and be ready to be notified at short notice (1-2 days before the retreat starts). Thank you.

This long weekend retreat starts at 6 PM on Friday  and will finish 1 PM on Monday

Every Sunday

10 AM              A guided meditation and Dhamma talk

11 AM              Vegetarian lunch for all, prepared by our volunteers. Please don't bring your food to offer the monks.

12.30 - 2 PM  Viewing the monastery garden, exhibition or helping the monks to work around the monastery

Weekend Meditation Retreat 

Fri 6th - Sun 8th Nov 2026

From Happiness to Peacefulness

 Happiness is only another stepping stones and isn’t the destination in life.  Our journey goes far beyond the worldly accomplishments. Learn to achieve the maximal meaning of life by travelling into the inner universe and discovering the peaceful destination from within.

Enhanced our health by the famous clean mountain air of the Kangaroo valley, every single breath during meditation will add more spiritual benefit to our lives. The breathing taking view of Jervis Bay, Nowra at the horizon contrasts sharply with the millions of years old sand stone cliff faces of the Morton national park, offers us to break away from the worldly worries. So we can reflection on the impermanence and unconditional love. Wombats and kangaroos together with peacocks and parrots will joyfully accompany us walking away from attachment to mundane happiness towards peaceful liberation.

Due to the 2020 Bushfire damage to the monastery, we have only limited accommodation. Please make sure to complete the whole retreat before your booking. Please email the monastery your application form at least 7 days in advance.  All retreat is by suggested donation. 

Every retreat there are some people who cancel their booking at the last minute. We have created a waiting list for people who seriously want to practise meditation. Please email your application form to be eligible for the waiting list and be ready to be notified at short notice (1-2 days before the retreat starts). Thank you.

This weekend retreat starts at 6 PM on Friday  and will finish 1 PM on Sunday.

Every Sunday

10 AM              A guided meditation and Dhamma talk

11 AM              Vegetarian lunch for all, prepared by our volunteers. Please don't bring your food to offer the monks.

12.30 - 2 PM  Viewing the monastery garden, exhibition or helping the monks to work around the monastery

Weekend Meditation Retreat 

Fri 4th  - Sun 6th Dec 2026

 Due to the 2020 Bushfire damage to the monastery, we have only limited accommodation. Please make sure to complete the whole retreat before your booking. Please email the monastery your application form at least 7 days in advance.  All retreat is by suggested donation. 

Every retreat there are some people who cancel their booking at the last minute. We have created a waiting list for people who seriously want to practise meditation. Please email your application form to be eligible for the waiting list and be ready to be notified at short notice (1-2 days before the retreat starts). Thank you.

This weekend retreat starts at 6 PM on Friday  and will finish 1 PM on Sunday.

The Fold Southern Highlands by Jessica Raschke Jan 2022

Please click here to read more

The monks are grateful and touched by all of your support and concerns.  We have received many phone calls and emails from many monks and nuns, supporters and retreat friends.  We wish everyone to be safe and peaceful.  With gratitude from all at Sunnataram Forest Monastery, Bundanoon.

Please click on the photos to see records