Brief History

The monastery was established in 1989 by Phra Ajahn Yantra and his disciples. The property was donated by a devotee Elizabeth Gorski for the purpose of establishing a Thai Forest Monastery in Australia. Founding members included the late Colin McPhedran and many devotees in Australia and Thailand. 

 

 

Teudts road was named after the original owners Mr. and Mrs. Teudt. Mr. Teudt had one arm and a hook fastened to the stump of the other arm.  He had an orchard and used to put wrapping paper under his stump and roll the apples along his good arm and so wrap the apples.  He always drove his horse and dray with the reins held with his hook.  He was a very strong man and could pull a bag of bran off a stack with his hook only!

 

Eldenholme Also Teudts’ Guest House

 

The Teudt property in Teudts Road on the way to Penrose was well known long before it was a guest house. There were famous orchards and a fabulous view on a clear day out towards Jervis Bay on the coast. During World War I, some Germans were arrested and interned for the duration of the war upon being accused of spying on activity at the naval base in Jevis Bay!

Henry James and Annie May Teudt ran Edenholme as a guest house from 1923-1937. Their son, Harry, was born in 1908.

After World War II Betty and Norman Townsend continued with the guest house and orchards, until they were destroyed by fire in 1948.

The next advertisements are in the name of Sinnett, offering caravan sites and morning teas. Obviously the guest house days were over.

Today, the Edenholme guest house site has been developed since 1989 as the Sunnataram Forest Monastery whose Buddhist monks still offer accommodation to guests on retreat programmes.

(From Guest House in Bundanoon, A history of people and place, 3rd Edition Reivised and Enlarged, Bundanoon History Group Inc. , 2012, p. 25)

 

 

 

Sunnataram Forest Monastery was incorporated as a Buddhist educational institution in November 1990 and was granted status as a place of worship in March 1992. Venerable Phra Mana Viriyarampo was appointed abbot and is supported by a small multicultural committee.

 

 

We modify Ajahn Buddhadassa's Dhamma teaching style to suit our Australian atmosphere covering both Buddhist study and Buddhist archaeological history.