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 without changing their religion!! Parents and young children can experience offering vegetarian food to monks, listening to Buddhist blessings, short sitting meditation, Dhamma talk, and can feel free to ask questions to the monks. Every Sunday 11am-2pm.

Please read more from the above tabs.

 

 

 

For more enquiries, please contact us by email.

 

 

 

Instagram

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

Every Tuesday

6 - 8 PM Buddhist Chanting, Guided Meditation & Dhamma talk by the monks. All are welcome.

Every weekend

Open Day for all visitors (good for the entire family) between 11 AM - 4 PM.

Please read 'Guideline for Visitors'.

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'

The Principal Teachings of Buddhism

Buddhist teaching is always beneficial and practical for everyone even in this digital age. Once we practise Dhamma righteously, we can achieve inner peace without being involved in religious rituals and supernatural stories. Read more in 'Dhamma Teachings/ The Principal Teachings of Buddhism Part I, II and III by Ven. Ajahn Buddhadasa, Suan Mokh, Thailand.

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

Fri 16th   - Sun 18th  Nov 18

 

 

Weekend Meditation Retreat:  Art of  Peaceful Living

Please click here to see photos

 

 

Activities for December 2018

 26 Dec 2018 - 1 Jan 2019

 

 

 Boxing Day & New Year Retreat

This retreat is for our regular Sunnataram Forest Monastery meditation practicing people. You must have attained many retreats at this monastery and know many of the chantings and teachings by heart to be considered for this retreat.

Places are available. Please send in application form at least 7 days in advance.

 

 

Activities for 2019

 

 

 

 

Retreat dates for 2019

February   Fri 8th - Sun 10th Feb 19

March   Fri 8th - Sun 10th Mar 19

April   Fri 5th - Sun 7th Apr 19

May   Fri 3th - Sun 5th May 19

May Sun 19th  - Sat 25th May 19 Vesak Retreat (Only our experienced meditators)

June Fri 7th - Mon 10th Jun 19 Queen's Birthday

July  Fri 12th - Sun 14th Jul 19

August  Fri 9th - Sun 11th Aug 19

September Fri 13th  - Sun 15th Sept 19

October Fri 11th - Sun 13th Oct 19

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. The monks and volunteers are happy to support your meditation, and they work very hard to prepare the whole monastery for your comfort.

Thank you.

 

The Karuna Cloister: the Shrine of Compassion started in 2007 with the concrete slab and timber poles in place. Due to the increase in Dhamma teaching activities, the monks decided to pause the construction of both Karuna and Metta cloisters until the need arised. . Please see more detail in Project / Building Karuna Cloister

Activities for January 2019

1 Jan 19

 

 

 

Blessing for New Year Day

 

 

 

26 Jan 2019

 

 

 

 

Blessing for Australian Day

 

 

Activities for February 2019

 Fri 8th - Sun 10th Feb 19

 

 

 

 Weekend Meditation Retreat: Power of Loving-kindness

 

12 Feb 19

 

 

 

Phra Mana gives a lecture to Thai missionary monk training, Thailand

 

Activities for March 2019

Fri 8th - Sun 10th Mar 19

 

 

 

 Weekend Meditation Retreat: Power of Mindfulness

 

 

 

 

Activities for April 2019

 Fri 5th - Sun 7th Apr 19

 

 

 

 Weekend Meditation Retreat: Freedom of Karma

 

 

 

 

Activities for May 2019

 Fri 3rd - Sun 5th May 19

 

 

 

 Weekend Meditation Retreat: Powerful Breath & Peaceful Mind

 

 

 

 

Sun 19th  - Sat 25th May 19

 

 

 

 Vesak Retreat: A serious meditation retreat to celebrate the Enlightenment of the Buddha

Only our experienced meditators in this monastery.

 

 

 

 

Activities for June 2019

 Fri 7th - Mon 10th Jun 19

 

 

 

Long Weekend Meditation Retreat - Queen's birthday: Happiness is here & now.

 

 

 

 

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.

 2018

  December      Wed 26th Dec 2018 – Jan  Tue 1st  Jan 2019 (Boxing Day & New Year for only experienced  people)

Retreat dates for 2019

February   Fri 8th - Sun 10th Feb 19

March   Fri 8th - Sun 10th Mar 19

April   Fri 5th - Sun 7th Apr 19

May   Fri 3th - Sun 5th May 19

May Sun 19th  - Sat 25th May 19 Vesak Retreat (Only our experienced meditators)

June Fri 7th - Mon 10th Jun 19 Queen's Birthday

July  Fri 12th - Sun 14th Jul 19

August  Fri 9th - Sun 11th Aug 19

September Fri 13th  - Sun 15th Sept 19

October Fri 11th - Sun 13th Oct 19

 

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 in the past 25 years 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 - Rejoice with Ong Wei Jin for your kind donation to purchase these books which will greatly help Phra Mana's research and lectures to many people. Sadhu Sadhu 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