Samanadipa Forest Buddhist Monastery

Vision

We aim to keep the place simple and basic since we believe such conditions are supportive of our practice. The Buddha emphasized that monks should be easy to be taken care of.

The Monastery’s main purpose is to serve as a residence for a small number of Buddhist monks and laity. Based on the strict standard of the discipline, the monks are dedicated to the renunciation of sensuality and material possessions.

The Monastery also supports the lay community in their practice of Buddhist teachings. By offering almsfood and other requisites to the monastic community, visitors to the Monastery develop generosity (dāna) in the traditional Buddhist form. Visitors can deepen their theoretical knowledge of the Buddha’s teaching, discuss their practice and receive encouragement to apply this knowledge to their own life. Samaṇadīpa serves as a sanctuary of quiet reflection and contemplation, where the peaceful, natural environment and the teachings allow visitors to find peace in their hearts.

To support those who wish to train themselves according to the instructions given by the Buddha, Samaṇadīpa offers: 

  • accommodation at the guest house (called Nirodha) for a few lay guests to experience a glimpse of monastic life, 

  • study of the Buddha’s Teachings,

  • dhamma conversations with monks,

  • daily opportunities to offer almsfood and requisites to the resident monks or help with work.

The Buddha created monastic communities as the optimal lifestyle for those seeking to understand suffering (dukkha) and freedom from it. The main purpose and responsibility of a Buddhist monk or nun is to put the teachings into practice. Committed to simplicity, renunciation (having no money and few possessions) and devotion to meditation, monastics do not aim to seek pleasure through self-indulgence or worldly distractions. Instead they strive for a subtler inner happiness that comes with the renunciation of sensuality. As one’s wisdom develops so does one’s capacity to help others.

Monastic life in all of its activities is designed to develop positive qualities that lead to awakening — qualities such as generosity, loving kindness, integrity, humility, determined effort and a continuity of clear awareness. Since the time of the Buddha, monks and nuns have followed his example by living in forests, mountains and caves. Far from the stress and business that afflict modern life, a tranquil natural setting provides the perfect environment for developing serenity and insight.