A SPIRITUAL GATHERING PLACE

WHAT TO EXPECT

Is this your first day visiting our monastery? We know you feel different when you come to a place like a monastery, experiencing the tranquillity there. You are welcome to the shrine room and pay your veneration to the Supreme Buddha first. We are here to help you in finding information about the day-to-day activities and also about the other programs. Please contact us.

LOCATION AND PARKING

We are located in a quiet, beautiful, greenery-filled area in Mount Evelyn in Victoria.  You do not need to worry about parking.  We have lots of parking spaces in the premises itself.

DRESS CODE 

There is no special dress code.  Mostly people come in white clothing. Sometimes people visit our monastery when they happened to pass our location. Then they come in their usual clothing.  Preferably, the plain, simple, and decent clothing is the best for both men and women.  We only expect from the visitors to humbly remove shoes and hats when you are in the monastery.

SHOULD I SIT ON THE FLOOR?

There is no such a rule. We have plenty of small cushions which can be used for sitting down at the meditation programs or at the Buddha Vandana.  If you find difficulty on sitting down in a low level, there are chairs, without any hesitation use them and be comfortable.

WILL I BE COMPELLED TO JOIN OR CONVERT?

Not at all.  We do not even get you to register for our programs and all the activities that are carried out by us are free of charge.  You are welcome to participate in programs at any time. If you have any questions when you are here you can get them cleared then and there.  Any questions arise in you now?  Please contact us. We will get back to you as soon as possible. 

WHO ARE THE MONKS? HOW DO YOU GREET THEM?

The monks are ordained and trained in the ancient Theravada Buddhist tradition. You can recognize them because they wear robes and shave their heads. The only thing you really need to know about interacting with them is that they don’t shake hands or hug. You can greet them with a smile or by placing your palms together in front of your chest. They are available after any of the activities to answer questions about meditation or Buddhism.

BOWING?
  • While you are here, you will see people bowing to the monks and to the Buddha statue. Bowing to people we respect is an ancient practice all around the world. Don’t feel any pressure to bow if you are not comfortable doing so. People bow in all kinds of different ways, so no need to try and “get it right.”