Bodhi
Tree Forest Monasteryand Retreat Centre was founded by Venerable
Pannyavaro (Mahathero) an Australian monk of over 25 years service in 2005.
Ordained in the Thai tradition, he spent many years studying and practicing in Burma and Sri Lanka. He is better known as the founder and webmaster of BuddhaNet.net, the World Buddhist Directory and the Buddhist eLibrary project.
Pannyavaro is working on developing a meditation community to serve both lay and monastic practitioners on ninety-five acres of beautiful land at Tullera fifteen minutes from Lismore in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, Australia. This land has been purchased as a sanctuary and hermitage - known as Bodhi Tree Forest Monastery and Communtity Retreat Centre. Site works and development are being planned.
Supportive Conditions
Supportive conditions for ordained and lay practitioners to undertake intensive meditation practice are hard to find in western countries. To assist people to penetrate the heart of the Buddha's teaching the Buddha Dharma Education Association is currently planning to built a meditation retreat complex on its land at Bodhi Tree Forest Monastery.
The Land
The land forms and tree cover at Bodhi Tree naturally divide the land making it easy for different activities to coexist here. From two streams with beautiful rock pools the land rises to a large flat plateau. There is a good balance of cleared and forested land with many impressive old trees, the creek valleys have plenty of flat and gently sloping areas. The plateau of 15 acres of rich red soil has expansive and uplifting views and is a natural choice for the Retreat Centre.
Retreat Centre
When the Bodhi Tree Retreat Centre is built with proper facilities - see above - we will offer weekends, 9-day and teaching retreats for the local, national and international community. There is a great need for these facilities in Australia. We expect our location will attract many visitors from Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sydney to our programs and retreats. Australia is a vast country and there are as yet no Theravada meditation centres north of Sydney.
Bush Regeneration Project at Bodhi Tree
In 2006-2007, using the Envirofund, the Bodhi Tree Forest Monastery has been able to plant approximately 1,500 rain forest tree along our creek and rock pool. Since then we have extended our bush regeneration and revegitation project over the past four years and have now planted over 5,000 local rain forest trees and plants, which are now thriving! click here to see the slide show of our forest regeneration project.
click herefor a slide showof photographs of Bodhi Tree Monastery & Retreat Centre.
Buddhanet.net
BuddhaNet.Net now has a home base at Bodhi Tree Monastery. Ven Pannyavaro pioneered a Buddhist presence on the Internet as the founder and webmaster of BuddhaNet.net since 1992. We have also establish the World Buddhist Directory database and the Buddhist eLibrary. We plan a BuddhaNet Multimedia centre and library on the land to facilitate the work of developing educational resources and transferring print, audio and multimedia resources into digital formats for the World Buddhist eLibrary.
URGENT APPEAL (8th April 2012)
This easter friday, Bodhi Tree Retreat Centre's much loved and valued tractor was burnt to the ground. Fortunatley nobody was hurt in the fire. But we are now in deperate need of a replacement to help maintain the property. To read the full story, please click here. If you are able to help with a donation, please click here.
Please watch this video about the Bodhi Tree Forest Monastery
Supporting The Four Fold Community
The Buddha taught that the four fold community of Monks and Nuns, Lay women and Lay men needed to be strong and healthy for the Teachings to flourish. Mindful of this, we wish to support the meditation practice needs of all four groups.
Just as a Bodhi Tree gives shade to whoever sits under it the Bodhi Tree Monastery is non-sectarian. Whoever wishes to train and practice in the Insight Traditions of Theravada Buddhism is welcome. This includes ordained and lay Sangha of other Buddhist traditions as well as people of different religious traditions.
The Ordained Sangha in Australia
Bodhi Tree is a place for monks and nuns returning from training in Asia. Western monks and nuns often struggle to continue their vocation and training without the basic supports of food, shelter and community that is available in Asia, but more difficult to find in non-Buddhist countries.
The Lay Community
The Retreat Centre will cater for the needs for lay people with introductory teachings, long weekend retreats and 9-days vipassana meditation retreats for the lay community.
Eventually, when the purpose built retreat centre is ready, meditators- both lay and monastic - will have the faciliies for intensive practice away from the usual responsibilities of lay life, but close to qualified Teachers.
Service
Atthacariya or beneficial action for the common good is one of the Buddha's four teaching on the foundations of community (Sangha Vatthu).
The Buddha Dharma Education Association intends to set up a Trusts under Australian Law to promote and support initiatives in the areas of aid work, social justice, environmental repair and peace at a local, national and international level. A working centre for Ordained and Lay Sangha will continue, and enhance the ancient pattern of the natural flow of Insight into Action and Service in community (atthacariya). Please help us build and growas fulfilling the vision of the Bodhi Tree is a big undertaking.
Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc.
The Buddha Dharma Education Association (BDEA Inc.) was established in 1992 by Ven. Pannyavaro (Mahathero). Ordained in Thailand over 25 years ago he is also a teacher in the Burmese 'Mahasi Sayadaw' Vipassana Tradition. He teaches in Australia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
BDEA Inc. is an incorporated community and Buddhist educatioin organisation under Australian Law responsible for Buddhanet.net and the Bodhi Tree Forest Monastery and Community Retreat Centre..
Making a Donation
We ask you, as a member of the larger National and International Buddhist community for your financial help.
A meditation cabin costs AUD$15,000.
The BuddhaNet Multimedia Facility will cost AUD$180,000.
The large Meditation Hall will cost AUD$250,000.
The Retreat Centre's Kitchen and Dinning room cost AUD$ 250,000.
Roads and drainage will cost AUD$50,000
There are Several Ways to Donate
Use the secure on line credit card facility at:
www.buddhanet.net/dana/donation_form.htm
You can send cheques or money orders made out to ‘Buddha Dharma Education Association.
Australian residents can make a gift that is fully tax deductible under Australian Taxation Law. Make these donations to 'BDEA School Building Trust Fund'. This Trust fund is only for building and site development works. An official receipt for tax purposes will be issued to you.
Bush Regeneration Project at Bodhi Tree
click here
Making a Donation
