Sunnataram Forest Monastery : Thai Forest Monastery Bundanoon, offering a Meditation Retreats program
225 Teudts Road, Bundanoon NSW 2578
02 4884 4262
WELCOME to the peaceful and friendly atmosphere of a Thai forest Buddhist monastery in the Southern Highlands, NSW, Australia. This is a place where you can learn and apply Buddhist teachings to add inner peace in your daily life.
We offer many Dhamma programs and activities for all levels of interest, from serious meditators to students or just curious visitors.
Monks and volunteers have created teaching tools to simplify the complicated Buddhist teachings into modern day language. Plants in the monastery gardens are carefully chosen to link with Buddhist history and add more peaceful and pleasant feelings to both meditators and visitors.
We constantly carry out in depth research of Buddhist history, by visiting many archaeological sites and museums, and by meeting with experts in many universities around the world. The knowledge that we have acquired from this research helps us to extract the spiritual values of Buddhist teachings from the veil of cultural practises.
Our monthly meditation retreats are highly attended by people from all over Australia. We combine the beautiful rural location, archaeological history of Buddhism, ancient artefacts, stone carvings, visual arts, Buddhist chanting, and yummy Thai vegetarian food, with many outdoor activities i.e. Tai Chi Qi Gong, walking & sitting meditation in the gardens. Many people attend up to 6 retreats per year.
Monks from Sunnataram Forest Monastery have been regularly invited to talk on various topics of Buddhism and teach meditation in many universities, local and Sydney schools, and other countries. The monastery is a favourite place for local school excursions.
Sunday is a very suitable time when individuals, couples or the entire family can enjoy the beautiful view and art work around the monastery. Visitors are welcome to participate in our programs: offering vegetarian food to monks, listening to Buddhist blessings, short sitting meditation, and Dhamma talk. Every Sunday 11 am -2pm.
Guideline for Visitors
Due to wrong information provided by some social medias and touring agents from Sydney, we have difficutlies with some tourists who abuse the place with loud noise, picnic, touring buses, toilet breaks, free lunch and very impolite dress. To maintain the peaceful atmosphere for people to practise meditation, the monks would like to inform you a new rule to visit the monastery.
- The monastery is the home of meditation monks, not a tourist place.
- People who are interested to learn Buddhism are welcome to see the Buddhist exhibitions and gardens in the monastery between 1 – 4 pm Tue-Fri, and 11 am -4 pm on weekends. Please email us to get permission before your arrive, and report at the office on your arrival. ( the police advise us for security reasons.)
- General visitors are welcome to the monastery only on Saturday & Sunday between 1-3 pm, and don't need to make appointment. But please report to the office on your arrival.
- Monday closed.
- Group visitors (more than 15 people) must make appointment before arrival. We reserve the right to deny entry of the tour bus.
- Please wear appropriate clothing, with cover from neck to below elbows and knees.
- Children must be supervised at all time.
- No smoking, no alcohol and no pets.
- Please show respect to monks, nuns, volunteers and environment.
- Please remove shoes when entering buildings.
- When seated, please do not point feet to the Buddha images or monks and nuns.
- If you wish to offer lunch to the monks, please email us in advance because sometimes monks need to go out to do teachings. And please bring only vegetarian food before 11 am.
- If you wish to make offerings to monks, please see 'Things we need' on the right column of the homepage, or just make donation to cover general expenses.
Sorry for any inconvineince. Thank you for your cooperation to help us maintain the peaceful atmosphere of the monastery for the benefits of many other friends.
For more enquiries, please contact us by email.
30th Anniversary of Sunnataram Forest Monastery in 2020
To follow up our current activities, please visit Instagram @kimmcsweeney52 or #sunnataramforestmonastery.
6 - 8 PM Buddhist Chanting, Guided Meditation & Dhamma talk by the monks. All are welcome.
Buddhist talk and a short meditation session for people who are interested to learn Buddhism between 11 AM -2 PM.
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 other 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
Acitivities for October 2019
Labour Day Longweekend Meditation Retreat: Awakening in the garden
Activities for November 2019
Fri 1st - Sun 3rd Nov 19
Weekend Meditation Retreat: Art of Peaceful Living
Please click here to read feedbacks and see photos.
Activities for December 2019
Fri 6th - Sun 8th Dec 19
Weekend Meditation Retreat: Dhamma Power
Sorry the retreat is full. Please apply for the next year retreats. thank you.
Thur 26th Dec 19 - Sun 1st Jan 20
Boxing Day- New Year Retreat: A serious meditation retreat to celebrate the New Year
Only our experienced meditators in this monastery.
Please send in the application form at least 7 days in advance.
Thank you.
Meditation Retreats for 2020
Retreat Dates for 2020
Before you send in application form to make a reservation, please make sure that you are able to complete the whole retreat. To leave the retreat earlier is considered to be unfair because there are some other people who can't participate the retreat due to your occupied spaces.
Please send in the application form at least 7 days in advance. After sending the application form online, you will received an email from us to acknowledge your booking. If you don't hear anything from us in a four days, please contact us again by email. And please kindly send an email to confirm your booking a few days before the retreat starts. There are always people on waiting lists who want to take the available places in each retreat.
Thank you.
January 24th -27th 2020 Long weekend Australia Day
February 21st -23nd 2020
March 13th -15th 2020
April 10th -13th 2020 Easter
May 3rd - 9th 2020 Vesak (Only our experienced people)
June 5th -8th 2020 Queen's Birthday
July 3rd -5 th 2020
August 7th - 9th 2020
September 4th -6th 2020
October 2nd -5th 2020 Long weekend Labor Day
November 6th - 8th 2020
December 4th - 6th 2020
December 26th 2020 -January 1st 2021 Boxing Day & New Year Retreat (Only our experienced people)
30th Anniversary of Sunnataram Forest Monastery in 2020
Exhibition of the history of this monastery, Meditation retreats, Buddhist Art & Craft, Cultural Performance, Gifts, Food and Dhamma talks.
Exhibition Time: Every weekend of Mar - Dec 2020 from 10 AM - 4 PM
Special function: Once a month. Dates will be posted in this website.
Official Opening Ceremony: Sat 28 Mar 2020
All are welcome.
Retreat Dates
Meditation retreats start from 6pm on the first day, and finish at 2pm on the last day (except long weekend). Please apply online at least 7 days in advance, and see Meditation Retreat Rules and Guidelines for more information.
Retreat dates for 2019
December Fri 6th - Sun 8th Dec 19 Sorry the retreat is full.
Boxing Day-New Year Retreat 26 Dec 19 - 1 Jan 20 (Only our experienced meditators)
Retreat Dates for 2020
January 24th -27th 2020 Long weekend Australia Day
February 21st -23nd 2020
March 13th - 15th 2020
April 10th -13th 2020 Easter
May 3rd - 9th 2020 Vesak (Only our experienced people)
June 5th -8th 2020 Queen's Birthday
July 3rd -5 th 2020
August 7th - 9th 2020
September 4th -6th 2020
October 2nd -5th 2020 Long weekend Labor Day
November 6th - 8th 2020
December 4th - 6th 2020
December 26th 2020 -January 1st 2021 Boxing Day & New Year Retreat (Only our experienced people)
All enquiries email: [email protected]
Thank you.
All retreats run by donation. We recommend a donation of $55 per night to cover monastery expenses. The monastery makes no profit from your kind donation. If you wish to donate more, your generosity is greatly appreciated, and will ensure the retreat programs continue to help many more people.
Please send your donation to:
Sunnataram Forest Monastery
ANZ Bank
BSB: 012 547
Acc No: 2370-37944
Things We Need
We are grateful for your kind support to the monks, but since 1990 the monks have received too many unnecessary things, and they have a ‘big’ problem to store them. We feel responsible for your good Kamma and the waste of your money. For example, many kinds of food expire before the monks can eat, too many towels, toothpaste, soaps and monk’s robes are eaten by mice etc.
While other necessary things that the monks use more often, but not included in the ‘traditional monk gifts’, are not known by supporters.
Since 2008, monks of the Sunnataram Forest Monastery, realizing people’s need for peacefulness of mind, focus their mind and dedicate their energy on teaching Dhamma and conducting monthly and special meditation retreats, for both youth and adults. The result is wonderful, inspiring and brings much rejoicing. There is so much positive feedback that will gladden your heart, so please read the feedback and messages from our website.
To continue these worthy activities, we need many other necessary items which can be used either for the Dhamma study program or to maintain the monastery.
To support fulfilment of your wishes, to value your kind gifts to the monks, and to help other people learn Buddhism we would humbly like to suggest the following items:
Gardens: the following plants- Waratahs, Rhododendrons, Pieris Temple Bells, Hellebores, Euphorbia, and bags of potting mix.
Office: Epson 82 printing ink: all colours
Research Books: Thanks and Anumodhana to help Phra Mana's research and lectures to many people. Sadhu
Building Materials:
- Decking timber, hard wood, any sizes & length.
- Outdoor screw, nuts and bolts any size
- Or just Bunning Gift Cards or Home Hardware Gift cards and post to the monastery.
Thank you very much.
Or donation to
Sunnataram Forest Monastery
ANZ Bank
BSB: 012 547
Acc No: 2370-37944
Things not to bring to the monastery
- Bags of rice , bags of sugar, dry noodles(we have too much and hard to store them and rat & mouse problems)
- Bath towels, toothpaste, tooth brush, soap, monk's robe, socks, shoes and medicine (we have no store room and they always expire)
สิ่งของที่ไม่แนะนำไปถวายที่วัด
ข้าวสารถุง, น้ำตาลถุง, เส้นหมี่แห้ง(เพราะมีมากจนไม่มีที่จะเก็บ มีปัญหาเรื่องหนูตามมา)
ผ้าเช็ดตัว, ยาสีฟัน, แปรงสีฟัน, สบู่, จีวรพระ, ถุงเท้า, รองเท้า, ยารักษาโรคชนิดต่างๆ (ไม่มีที่จะเก็บ และหมดอายุเร็ว)
สิ่งของที่ทางวัดต้องการ
กรุณาดูจากรายการข้างบน สาธุ ขออนุโมทนา
ข้อแนะนำก่อนไปวัด
สุภาพสตรี กรุณานุ่งห่มผ้าให้เรียบร้อย ยาวปิดข้อศอกและยาวปิดหัวเข่า ห้ามนุ่งกระโปรงหรือกางเกงขาสั้นจนเปิดถึงต้นขา ห้ามใส่เสื้อรัดตัว หรือคอกว้างลึก หรือ เปิดแผ่นหลัง
- ประตูวัดเปิดบ่าย 1 โมง และปิดบ่าย 4 โมง ระหว่างวันอังคาร -วันศุกร์ หากจะถวายเพล เวลา 11 โมงเช้า ระหว่างวันอังคารถึงศุกร์ กรุณาช่วยโทร หรือ อีเมล์แจ้งก่อนล่วงหน้า เพราะบางวัน พระต้องไปสอนธรรมนอกวัด
- ปิดวัดทุกวันจันทร์ เพราะพระต้องเข้ากรรมฐานปฏิบัติธรรมตัวเอง
- เสาร์อาทิตย์เปิดตั้งแต่ 11 โมงเช้า ถึงบ่าย 4 โมง
- ขออภัยในความไม่สะดวก และขออนุโมทนาในบุญกุศลเมตตาของทุกท่าน