click here to get directions to wbd
to download printable versions of 'directions to wbd' go to resources page.
An Open Invitation
Wat Buddha Dhamma was set up as a monastery with the intention of being a spiritual home, not just for monastics living here, but for the lay community as well. While there are organized retreats from time to time, you are most welcome to visit at any time.
Come to the Wat, have a walk through the bush, meditate, have a cuppa with the residents, or offer to help in whatever ways you can. In addition to day visits, you can come to stay as a guest to deepen your practice in a supportive environment of simplicity and seclusion in the company of like-minded people. Make the Wat part of your life. The spiritual connection between the laity and monastics is a precious gift.
Mealtime | 11:00 am
An excellent time to visit is between 10 am and 1 pm. You can share in the meal and the senior monk is generally available to receive guests at this time.
Evening Meditation | 7:00 pm
Every evening the community gathers for meditation and on Saturday a Dhamma talk is given following the meditation.
New/Full Moon Practice Day | 7:00 pm to Midnight
On New and Full Moon Days the community gathers for evening chanting, meditation, and Dhamma talk from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. The evening continues with sitting and/or walking meditation until midnight. Feel free to participate for as long as suitable.
Please consult the Latest News and Calendar of Events pages on our website for details, events, and other appropriate times to visit the monastery.
Short & Long Term Guests
In keeping with our tradition there is no charge for accommodation or food at the Wat. As a Theravadin monastery, we are fully supported by donations in the form of food, money, and volunteer labour. Guests are encouraged to consider how they might contribute to the needs of maintaining the monastery, while at the same time cultivating wholesome states of mind.
First time visits are limited to one week. For those who have previously spent time with the community, it may be possible to arrange longer stays. Local guests may stay for up to one month, interstate and international guests, for up to three months. If you wish to stay at the Wat, please write or email to the Guest Monk at office@wbd.org.au
General Points
A monastery is a sanctuary from the usual worldly concerns for those who have dedicated themselves to spiritual practice. As guests are sharing in this life as visitors, it is not appropriate to come and go without notice or engage in external business during your stay. It is customary to ask one of the senior monks if you wish to make a telephone call. We ask people to leave their computers at home as email facilities are not available here for visitors.
Guests should dress modestly: no shorts, singlets, or revealing clothing. Try to maintain silence as much as possible. Guests are asked to be sensitive to the proper conduct of men and women in a monastic environment. Complete segregation of the sexes is mandatory and no men should enter the women's accommodations or vice versa, without permission from the senior monk.
What to Bring
- Torch - absolutely essential!
- Alarn clock
- Bedding including: sheets, pillow slip, sleeping bag.
- Towel and toiletries
- Warm clothing for early mornings and evenings (extreme weather conditions).
- Work clothes & shoes
- Sturdy walking shoes
- Rain protection (all year round)
- Sun protection
- Blanket to wrap around when in the meditation hall (optional)
- Insect repellent
- Hot water bottle (Winter)
- Water bottle
Please note the following requirements :
- Applicants should be a Buddhist and familiar with Theravadin Forest Tradition.
- Applicants should be experienced meditators and have completed at least one Buddhist retreat.
- Applicants should be in good physical and mental health.
- To refrain from killing or harming any living beings.
- To refrain from taking that which is not given.
- To refrain from any sexual activity. No physical contact or intimacy with the opposite sex.
- To refrain from false or harsh speech.
- To refrain from taking intoxicants which confuse the mind.
- To refrain from eating before sunrise and after noon.
- To refrain from entertainments, beautifications and adornments.
- To join in the monastery schedule and work duties.
- To refrain from using telephones, computers, and internet
Monastic Code
The Vinaya, the code of monastic discipline, establishes a relationship between the laypeople and the Sangha. Monks and nuns are prohibited from possessing money or property and from storing food. They are completely dependent on the laity in many ways, like having food offered, cutting grass or digging the earth.
Etiquette
In monasteries, emphasis is placed on establishing harmony by mindfulness and consideration for others. Guests are invited to share in these observances of beautiful behaviour and sensitivity.
Before entering a shrine room or living space it is necessary to remove the shoes. Although visitors are not obliged to, there is the custom of bowing to the shrine or teacher. The triple bow, to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, is usually done upon entering or leaving the meditation hall. At the end of a formal meditation period, respect is usually paid to the senior monk with the triple bow. When in the meditation hall, please move around as quietly as possible. Care should be taken not to point the feet at the shrine or at other people generally, as this is considered impolite.
When offering something to a monk or nun or talking with them, one should not stand looming over them but rather approach them at the same level at which they are sitting.
Offering
Monks and nuns are allowed to accept and consume their daily meal in the period between dawn and noon. Anything they intend to eat or drink, except water, must be formally offered into the hands or placed on or into something in direct contact with the hands.
Ordination at Wat Buddha Dhamma
During the first year of residency, the applicant is called an anagarika, “homeless one”, shaves his/her head, dresses in white and keeps the eight precepts, follows the routine of the monastery, and serves the monastic community by doing those tasks ordained monks and nuns are no longer permitted to do: such as cooking, driving, handling money, and digging earth. At the completion of the first year, if he/she wishes to continue with the training, the applicant is required to make a formal request for acceptance as a novice. As a novice he/she then wears the brown robes similar to the monks and nuns and keeps the ten precepts. After about one year serving the community as a novice, the candidate may request ordination as a monk/nun. At this stage he/she would have to be prepared to relinquish his/her material wealth and train in the Monastic Code of a monk or nun.
While we welcome overseas trainees, we ask that they be responsible for all their travel and visa expenses, and must arrive with a return air ticket and travel health insurance.
**On Full Moon and New Moon Days the evening meditation practice may continue all night.
To Download the 'Info for new guest & application form' please go to Resources page.
about wbd l visiting/staying l calendar of events l gallery l donations/dana l contact us l resources l FAQ l site map
©WAT BUDDHA DHAMMA FOREST MONASTERY 2008. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
site designed & developed by Noy Sitlakone aka Sitt
no ants were harmed in the making of this website
