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 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.
Thank you very much for all of kind support. All letters were sent to the Minister. Now we are just waiting for the outcome.
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.
Open Day for all visitors (good for the entire family) between 11 AM - 4 PM.
Please read 'Guideline for Visitors'.
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'
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
Need to build a new meditation hall.
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. Now it's the time. Please see more detail in Project / Building Karuna Cloister for meditation 2015. and Lists of generous donors.
Activities for Feb 2018
Fri 2nd - Sun 4th Feb 18
The First Weekend Meditation Retreat of 2018: The Power of Metta (Unconditional Love)
Please click here for photo and feedback.
Wed 14 Feb 2018
10 am - 3 pm 20 Students and teachers from MLC school, Burwoodl visit the monastery for Dhamma talk and Buddhist study.
Acitivities for March 2018
Fri 2nd - Sun 4th Mar 18
Weekend Meditation Retreat: Mindfulness & Well-being
Sun 18 Mar 2018
Biannual Thai Dhammayutta Missionary Monk of Australia and New Zealand Meeting at Thai temple, New Castle
Fri 30th Mar - Mon 3rd Apr 2018
Easter Longweekend Meditation Retreat: Liberté (only for experienced people)
Please click here to see photo
Activities for April 2018
Tue 10th April 2018
11 AM - 2 PM Students from Chevalier College, Bowral visit the monastery for Dhamma study and meditation. Please click here to see photos.
Fr i20th - Sun 22nd Apr 18
Activities for May 2018
Fri 4th -Sun 6th May 18
Weekend Meditation Retreat: Like a drop of water on the lotus leaf.
Please click here to see some photos in Gallery/2018
Mon 7th - Thur 10th May 2018
Special Retreat for 60 girl students from Thailand
Sun 20th - Sat 26th May 18
Vesak retreat: The Middle Way
Dear Junko, Faye, Erica, Sananya, Melanie, Hellen, Nathalie, Mei, Robert, Kevin, Mirek, Wayne, Winston and Ming,
Thank you for being such wonderful participants at this year’s Vesak retreat.
Venerable Phra Mana, Luongpo Sawat and I were delighted to support your diligent Dhamma practice over the past week.
We are so grateful for your metta and respect to the monastery, your beautiful work in the monastery grounds and your wholehearted efforts to follow the teachings.
Thank you for your lovely tai chi energy and your newly perfected chanting skills
Please see Gallery / vesak 2018 for the summary.
With metta always,
Kim
Activities for June 2018
Fri 8th - Mon11th Jun 18
Queen's Birthday Long Weekend Meditation Retreat: Happiness is here & now
Please click here to see some photos in Gallery/2018
Activities for July 2018
Fri 6th - Sun 8th Jul 18
Combined University Retreat
Students from Sydney University, MacQuarie university and University of Technology Sydney will practise meditaton in the monastery.
Fri 20th - Sun 22nd Jul 18
Weekend Meditation Retreat: Awareness & Compassion
Love brings happiness, but compassion helps to remove troulbes away from all of us. Let's learn how the combination of mindfulness and wisdom can help us to find peace and to promote compassion at the same time.
Before you book in for the retreat, please be sure that you can complete the whole retreat. Leaving the retreat earlier is considered to be disrespectul and unfair to many friends who can't come due to your booking and our volunteers who need to prepare the meals. Thank you.
Places are still available. Please send in the application form at least 7 days in advance.
Activities for August 2018
Fri 17th - Sun 19th Aug 18
Weekend Meditation Retreat: The Seven Steps to Enlightenment
Enlightenment is practical and achievable when we learn to cultivate the right qualities within us. This weekend we will practise sitting & walking meditation and listening the Dhamma talk of these seven steps towards inner peace.
Before you book in for the retreat, please be sure that you can complete the whole retreat. Leaving the retreat earlier is considered to be unfair to many friends who can't come due to your booking and our volunteers who need to prepare the meals. Please email us asap if you have to cancel your booking.Thank you.
Fri 31st Aug - Sun 2nd Sept 18
Weekend Meditation Retreat: Nirvana
Nirvana doesn't mean Inner Peace after death, but it is the blissful happiness which everyone can experience in the present life. Let's use consolidate our Dhamma qualities and achieve the end of unhappiness in the present moment.
Before you book in for the retreat, please be sure that you can complete the whole retreat. Leaving the retreat earlier is considered to be unfair to many friends who can't come due to your booking and our volunteers who need to prepare the meals. Please email us asap if you have to cancel your booking.Thank you.
Activities for September 2018
Activities for October 2018
Fri 29th Sept - Mon 1st Oct 18
Labour Day Long Weekend Meditation Retreat: Awakening in the garden
The Buddha was born in the garden, attained Enlightenment in the garden, taught in the garden and passed away in the garden. Let us enjoy the practise of sitting & walking meditation in the monastery gardens and experience how the calming power of nature enabled the Buddha to attain Inner Peace 2600 years ago.
Before you book in for the retreat, please be sure that you can complete the whole retreat. Leaving the retreat earlier is considered to be disrespectul and unfair to many friends who can't come due to your booking and our volunteers who need to prepare the meals. Please email us asap if you have to cancel your booking.Thank you.
Activities for November 2018
Fri 2nd - Sun 4th Nov 18
Weekend Meditation Retreat: Art of A Beautiful Living
Activities for December 2018
Fri 1st - Sun 3rd Dec18
Last Meditation Retreat for Beginners for the year 2018: Born Pure Again
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
July Fri 20th – Sun 22th
August Fri 17th – Sun19th
September Fri 31st Aug - Sun 2nd Sept
October Fri 28th Sept – Mon 1st Oct (Labour Day Long Weekend)
November Fri 2nd – Sun 4th
December Fri 1st – Sun 3rd (Last retreat for beginners)
December Wed 26th Dec 2018 – Jan Tue 1st Jan 2019 (Boxing Day & New Year for only 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 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