Monasteries Worldwide in the
Lineage of Ajahn Chah
AUSTRALIA
Buddha Bodhivana Monastery
A large monastery located in East
Warburton, about one and a half
hours from Melbourne.
Abbot: Ajahn Kalyano
www.buddhabodhivana.org
Wat Buddha Dhamma
A remote monastery located in
Dharug National Park, New South
Wales, outside of Sydney.
Abbot: Ajahn Khemavaro
www.wbd.org.au
Dhammagiri Forest Monastery
A quiet monastery located adjacent
to a National Park in the hills on the
outskirts of Brisbane.
Abbot: Ajahn Dhammasiha
www.dhammagiri.net
Vimokkharam Forest Hermitage
A small hermitage in the
Dandenong Ranges of Melbourne.
Abbot: Ajahn Hasapañño
www.vimokkharam.org
Bodhisaddha Forest Monastery
A branch of Wat Marp Jan about
an hour outside of Sydney.
Abbot: Ajahn Varadhammo
www.bodhisaddha.org
Bodhipāla Monastery
A new monastery near Adelaide
Abbot: Ajahn Nyanadipo
www.bodhipalamonastery.org
BRAZIL
Suddhavari Buddhist Monastery
Another emerging monastery,
located near the small hill city of
São Lourenço, Minas Gerais State,
Brazil.
Abbot: Ajahn Mudito
www.suddhavari.org
CANADA
Tisarana Buddhist Monastery
Located near Perth, Ontario
Abbot: Ajahn Viradhammo.
www.tisarana.ca
Arrow River Forest Hermitage
A small hermitage in Thunder
Bay, Ontario.
Abbot: Ajahn Punnadhammo.
https://www.arrowriver.ca
Sitavana (Birken Forest Monastery)
A monastery and retreat centerin remote British Columbia.
Abbot: Ajahn Sona.
www.birken.ca
GERMANY
Muttodaya Waldkloster
A forest monastery not far from
Nuremberg in Germany,
with websites in German, English
and Thai.
Abbot: Ajahn Cattamalo.
www.muttodaya.org
ITALY
Santacittarama Monastero
Located near Rome in Italy.
Three main languages: Italian,
Thai, and English.
Abbot: Ajahn Chandapalo.
www.santacittarama.org
NEW ZEALAND
Bodhinyanarama
Established by Ajahn Sumedho
already in the mid-eighties, near
Wellington.
Abbot: Ajahn Kusalo
www.bodhinyanarama.net.nz
Vimutti Buddhist Monastery
Located outside of Auckland.
Abbot: Ajahn Chandako
www.vimutti.org.nz
NORWAY
Lokuttara Vihara (Skiptvet
Buddhist Monastery)
A recently established forest
monastery in Norway, not far
from Oslo.
Abbot: Ajahn Kongrit.
www.lokuttara.net
PORTUGAL
Sumedharama
Located near Lisbon, Portugal.
Abbot: Ajahn Vajiro
www.sumedharama.pt
SWITZERLAND
Dhammapala Kloster
Located in Kandersteg, Switzerland,
surrounded by towering mountains.
Main languages are German and
English. Annual newsletters are also
produced in French and Thai.
Abbot: Ajahn Abhinando.
www.dhammapala.ch
UNITED KINGDOM
Amaravati Buddhist Monastery
The largest Western monastery in
our tradition, near London, with
communities of monks and nuns,
and a retreat center.
Founded by Ajahn Sumedho.
Abbot: Ajahn Amaro.
www.amaravati.org
UNITED KINGDOM (continued)
Cittaviveka
(Chithurst Buddhist Monastery)
The first Ajahn Chah forest
monastery outside of Thailand.
Founded by Ajahn Chah and
Ajahn Sumedho, with communities
of monks and nuns.
Abbot: Ajahn Ahimsako.
www.cittaviveka.org
Aruna Ratanagiri
(Harnham Buddhist Monastery)
A monastery established already
in the
1980s, in Northumberland, near
the Scottish border.
Abbot: Ajahn Munindo.
www.ratanagiri.org.uk
Hartridge Buddhist Monastery
A small monastery in the Devon
countryside.
Abbot: Ajahn Jutindharo.
www.hartridgemonastery.org
The Forest Hermitage
(Wat Pah Santidhamma)
A hermitage already established in
the 1980s, in Warwickshire, England.
Abbot: Ajahn Khemadhammo.
www.foresthermitage.org.uk
Milntuim Hermitage
In Perthshire, Scotland, is a place
where nuns can live in a female
community or on solitary retreat.
Abbess: Ajahn Candasiri.
USA
Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery
A large training monastery in
California near San Francisco, the
first to be established in North
America.
Co-Abbots: Ajahn Karunadhammo,
Ajahn Nyaniko
Founding Abbot: Ajahn Pasanno.
www.abhayagiri.org
Pacific Hermitage
A branch of Abhayagiri in the Pacific
Northwest.
Abbot: Ajahn Sudanto.
www.pacifichermitage.org
Temple Forest Monastery (Jetavana)
An emerging monastery in Temple,New Hampshire, not far from Boston.
Co-Abbots: Ajahn Jayanto, Ajahn Anando.
www.forestmonastery.org
INDIA
The Aranya Vihara Trust has a meditation center in New Delhi and is starting a monastery, Saṅghārāma, near Rampur Gainda, district Yamunanagar, Haryana.
https://aranyavihara.in/
NB: The above are links to Western monasteries that consider themselves as part of the tradition of Ajahn Chah, as far as we are aware of. The list has no claim to completeness, there may be other monasteries that are simply unknown to us.
THAILAND
N.B.: There are hundreds of branch monasteries of the Ajahn Chah tradition in Thailand. The following is only a selection of those with long established practice of Western monks staying and training there.
Wat Nong Pah Pong
This is the main monastery for the Ajahn Chah
community, the original monastery established
by Ajahn Chah himself, near Ubon Rajathani.
The website is in Thai only.
Abbot: Ajahn Liem
www.watnongpahpong.org
Wat Pah Nanachat
The ‘International Forest Monastery’.
Wat Pah Nanachat was established by Ajahn Chah,
who asked Ajahn Sumedho to be the first abbot.
Located a few miles from Wat Pah Pong, it is the
main monastery in Thailand for Western monks
in the Ajahn Chah community.
Abbot: Ajahn Kevali.
www.watpahnanachat.org
Wat Marp Jan
A large monastery in Rayong Province, which also
accepts Westerners who wish to ordain as monks.
Abbot: Ajahn Anan
https://watmarpjan.org/en
Wat Boonyawad
A large monastery in Chonburi Province,
whichalso accepts Westerners who wish
to become monks.
Abbot: Ajahn Dtun
www.watboonyawad.com
Wat Ratanawan
Located in Korat Province, with English-
speaking monks living and training alongside
Thai monks.
Abbot: Ajahn Nyanadhammo
Anandagiri Forest Monastery
Located in Petchabun Province, with English-
speaking monks living and training alongside
Thai monks.
Abbot: Ajahn Achalo
www.peacebeyondsuffering.org/anandagiri.html
