Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Buddhist Society of Western Australia
what & who is the buddhist society of WA

The Buddhist Society of Western Australia is a non-profit organization with the aim of helping people to learn the teachings of Buddhism and to see them in practice in their own lives.
a history of the Buddhist Society of WA
a history of the Buddhist Society of WA
Home / About / a history of the Buddhist Society of WA
From small beginnings, with inauguration on Vesak Day 1973, the Buddhist Society of Western Australia (BSWA) has grown to be one of the most dynamic Buddhist organisations in Australia. From its inception, the BSWA was culturally diverse. With the arrival of the monks and the increasing participation from the community this aspect became stronger. Complemented by the strong leadership provided by the sangha, the BSWA has equally appealed to the Asian and Western communities and therein lie the secret of its success.

1973-2003
The BSWA has led a pioneering trail in Australia since the 1980s, establishing the first dedicated Buddhist forest monastery in the Southern Hemisphere at Serpentine in the hills southeast of Perth. More recently the first Theravadan Buddhist nuns’ monastery in the Southern Hemisphere has been established at Gidgegannup, northeast of Perth.

In 1981, a delegation representing the BSWA travelled to the northeast of Thailand in order to invite monks from the Forest Tradition of the great meditation master Ajahn Chah to come and stay in Western Australia. This would turn out to be a highly fortuitous move. As a result, the then abbot of Wat Nanachat, an Australian monk by the name of Ajahn Jagaro, and another Australian monk, Venerable Puriso came to Perth in 1982.

The two monks took up residence at the house-cum-Buddhist centre in Magnolia Street, North Perth. Conditions there were radically different from the conditions for monks in Thailand where monks were venerated and well supported. Going on an alms round in North Perth would often arouse verbal abuse. Australian society was still not familiar at all with Buddhist monks, and misunderstandings were destined to occur. Unlike traditional Buddhists, Australians new to Buddhism often felt an awkwardness when communicating with th Sangha (Buddhist monks), and part of the role of the monks was to familiarize Westerners with some of the customs relating to the conduct of the monks (e.g. not handling money, not eating after midday, and not coming into contact with the opposite sex).

However, the customs did not form an insurmountable barrier as was demonstrated by the popularity of the teachings given by Ajahn Jagaro. Each Friday evening there were between 70 and 80 people crammed inside the house at Magnolia Street, lining the halls and even outside on the verandah. Daily meditation sessions were also well attended. A regular Newsletter was published from May 1982 to meet demand for Buddhist teachings and inform the community of upcoming events.

The Bodhinaya Forest Monastery in Serpentine came in being in 1983 and was named after Ven. Ajahn Chah Bodhinyana. Through the efforts of Ajahn Jagaro and the newly arrived Ven. Brahmavamso, the monastery has grown from empty forest land to its present state with over 20 monks resident in forest huts each Rains Retreat.

John Bowman, a former paratrooper, was the first to become a samanera (novice) monk to go forth into robes in Western Australia in 1984. A year later he became the first monk to become a fully ordained bhikkhu, taking the name Ariyasilo.

Initially when the BSWA established Bodhinyana Monastery, it was intended to be modelled upon the Theosophical Society’s retreat centre having facilities for both monks and lay people. But as the development of the Monastery progressed, Ajahn Jagaro steered its development in the direction of being a dedicated forest monastery with facilities dedicated towards monastic practice with only limited facilities for lay people.

In early 1987, the BSWA purchased a deconsecrated Anglican Church opposite a five acre park. The move to 18-20 Nanson Way, Nollamara took place on 18 April 1987. The official opening took place amidst much pegeantry in November – the Governor of WA was invited along the opening as well as senior sangha from other states and other Buddhist schools. The opening of the new centre was to have very positive impact upon the membership of the BSWA. The re-named Dhammaloka Buddhist Centre has since undergone considerable revovation and expansion with the addition of many facilities including a Dhamma teaching hall.

It was not long until capacity crowds were turning up for the regular Friday night teachings. The regular Saturday beginners’ meditation classes were booming too. On one occasion the organisers decided to advertise the meditation classes (which like all the teaching services provided by the BSWA are free of charge) in the West Australian newspaper. Well over one hundred people turned up for the first class at the beginning of the month for a class held in a room that could fit 30 people at a squeeze. No further advertising was ordered. Word of mouth continues to provide a steady flow of beginner meditators to this day.

In 1995 the Spiritual Director of the BSWA and founding abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery took a sabbatical from his duties and later disrobed. Ajahn Jagaro’s departure created a leadership vacuum, which went on to be more than adequately filled by his deputy Ajahn Brahmavamso. Ajahn Brahm reinforced high standards of conduct and dedicated meditation practice for the monks resident at Bodhinyana, a quality which flowed on to lay practitioners. He developed a style of teaching that was humourous, sensitive, practical and strongly based on personal realisations. Yet he emphasized the importance of not watering down the original teachings of the Buddha for Western audiences, not being afraid to teach the deeper, more challenging aspects of the Buddha’s Teachings. This did not stop his popularity as a Dhamma teacher from growing both amongst the laity and the monks. Meditation retreats were booked out ever more quickly and more monks overseas began to apply to come to train at Bodhinyana for periods of time.

In 1998, the Buddhist Society purchased nearly 600 acres of forested land in the hills northeast of Perth for the development of dedicated forest monastery for nuns. It was the fulfilment of one of the BSWA’s stated objectives: to provide the same opportunities and facilities for practice to all disciples of the Buddha’s fourfold assembly – monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen. The establishment of Dhammasara as a monastery specifically for nuns is not a modern phenomenon. Rather, it re-establishes a tradition initiated by the Lord Buddha himself.

By the year 2000, Ajahn Brahm would be giving talks overseas to crowds in excess of 3000 in places like Singapore and Malaysia, and the monasteries would be full to capacity during the annual Rains Retreat, having turned down some requests due to lack of accommodation. From 2001, Australian born and Sri Lankan trained nun Ajahn Sister Vayama became the Deputy Spiritual Director of the BSWA in addition to the founding abbott of Dhammasara, taking on the teaching duties including giving talks interstate and overseas.

The high standard of practice and discipline of the Sangha leadership has been the most important factor contributing to success. The fact that the Sangha leadership have been Westerners who’ve ordained and practiced in an orthodox Theravada Buddhist tradition has given them an appeal to both traditional Asian Buddhists and new Western Buddhists. But there is also an appeal that transcends such cultural perspectives and traditions. That is the strength and vibrancy of the Forest Tradition of Buddhist monasticism, which leads people deep meditative insights and peace. The practical wisdom of the teachers in this tradition appeals to people seeking spiritual progress regardless of the cultural background.

The efforts and self-sacrifice made by lay members of the BSWA from the early days to the present has also been an essential ingredient for success. No individual or group of individuals has dominated the BSWA to serve their own interests. Hence teh BSWA has served the needs of the whole community and has become a haven for Buddhists from many different backgrounds. The lay community has been inspired by the high standards set by the sangha and has sought to keep high standards of its own. Today the community attached to the BSWA remains united in their respect for the sangha and in their practice to develop their own minds.

With interest in Buddhism continually growing and a firm foundation in the practice of Buddhist principles, the BSWA will continue to grow rapidly for many years to come, becoming a source of support for individuals and communities in other parts of Australia and even in other parts of the world.
:- https://bswa.org/our-locations/

 

Dhammaloka City Centre
Dhammaloka is the main teaching and administrative centre for the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. Located in Nollamara, just 15 minutes from Perth CBD, the Dhammaloka City Centre offers a range of services including regular dharma teachings and meditation classes, as well as WA's largest Buddhist library.

Dhammasara Monastery
Open Daily 10am - 1pm

Dhammasara Buddhist Nuns Monastery is dedicated to provide opportunity to committed lay women to taste the monastic lifestyle firsthand, and if they wish to undertake the training to become fully ordained nuns, in realising 'The Goal & Heartwood (Dhammasara)' of this Holy Life.

Toodyay Road Upgrade (till mid-2018)
During the roadworks there will be speed restrictions and traffic management on Toodyay Road, with one lane maintained in each direction at all times. There will be side road closures on Stoneville Road and Reen Road. The dates and detours of these closures will be advertised on-site.

Travelling from Midland on Toodyay Road, you may alternate route by entering from The Springs Road, that joins to Reen Road. See map below.

bushfire safety for day visitors announcements and updates visiting & daily food offering (Dana) donate to Dhammasara guest stay at Dhammasara ordaining at Dhammasara history of Dhammasara Donation Appeal: Dhammasara New Kuti Project

Jhana Grove Retreat Centre
Jhana Grove is a dedicated meditation retreat centre nestled in a valley of the Darling Scarp adjacent Bodhinyana Monastery in Serpentine. It can accommodate up to 60 guests at one time each with their own room and ensuite. This allows a great deal of privacy and thus maximises the benefits of meditation practice. Connected to the cottages, by a covered walkway, is a large, air-conditioned meditation hall with three adjoining halls for the convenient practice of walking meditation. There is also a well-equipped kitchen and dining area, as well as laundry, office, and storage facilities. A small caretakers residence completes the centre.

Please go to the bottom of the page for links to the transport forum, as well as instructions on how to get to Jhana Grove.
Contact Us
keep in touch
Home / Contact Us
Phone
Australia: 08 9345 1711
International: +61 8 9345 1711

Post
18 Nanson Way, Nollamara, WA 6061, Australia
PO Box 3135 Yokine WA 6060, Australia

Email
General inquiries: Dimi ; Email – admin@bswa.org
Society membership and general inquiries alternative: Lucky ; Email – asec@bswa.org
:- https://bswa.org/

 

Ajahn Brahm Indonesia Road 2018

Ajahn Brahm will be touring Indonesia on the below dates. The theme of the show will be LIVE IN PEACE.

This will also include the book launch of the title BEAR MEDITATION.

1st of May: Talk Show in Medan
2nd of May: Talk Show in Pekanbaru
3rd-6th of May: Retreat in Jakarta
6th of May: Talk Show in Jakarta

http://ehipassiko.or.id/ajahn-brahmali-indonesia-roadshow-2018/

 

Letter from Ajahn Brahm on his resignation as Spiritual Director of BSWA
Dear Members
As you would have heard or seen from the announcement, I did resign as the Spiritual Director of BSWA, at the end of the AGM last night.
The committee had agreed on a proposal to amend the Constitution of the BSWA to allow the committee to appoint a subcommittee consisting of members of BSWA. At present, the Constitution of the BSWA only allows a subcommittee to be made up of serving committee members. In Ajahn Brahm’s opinion, this increases the workload of existing committee members by excluding non-committee members from helping on a subcommittee. It also increases my own workload, and stops us to tapping the expertise of our current members.

Despite me showing strong support for this amendment and advising the members at the AGM how this will reduce my workload, this proposal was blocked by a small group using proxies which, though legal, was unethical in my opinion. Proxies were, apparently, solicited without giving a balanced explanation of the background to this proposal.
As such, I have decided to step down as the Spiritual Director of BSWA. In practice, this means Venerable Hasapanna will be the Spiritual Director and I will be the Assistant Spiritual Director.
When the Buddha was not heard at Kosambi, He went to the Parileyya Forest for three months. I doubt that the lay members of the BSWA will wait that long to settle this matter.
In the meantime, please continue to give your support to the new committee who now has top priority to sort this out.

With Mega Metta, Ajahn Brahm
:- https://bswa.org/letter-ajahn-brahm-resignation-spiritual-director-bswa/

 

Mindful or Mind Full? By - Ven Ajahn Brahm Live (teaching)
https://palungjit.org/threads/mindful-or-mind-full-by-ven-ajahn-brahm-live.638144/

 

An Introduction to Jhana Grove Meditation Retreat Centre

Bodhinyana Buddhist Monastery - Coming Home to Stillness & Peace

BSWA Retreats 2011-15 & Media
Nov 6, 2016

 

An Introduction to Bodhinyana Buddhist Monastery

BSWA Retreats 2011-15 & Media
Nov 24, 2017
This short video introduces you to Bodhinyana Buddhist Monastery, the forest monastery for monks of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. It is located in the hills near Serpentine and headed by Ajahn Brahm.
Kusala Hermitage Impressions 2021

Ajahns Santutthi and Jhanarato (J.R.), Venerable Vimokkha, and Scotty, with the help of many kind supporters and volunteers, have transformed a simple horse stables into a beautiful, warm and peaceful monastic dwelling place. Kusala Hermitage is surrounded by trees and wildlife, bathed in sunlight and often visited by magnificent cloud formation and mist at the bottom of the valley in Roleystone. It is located in the Southern Perth hills, bordering the Canning River in front and Wungong Regional Park at the back. Living together in harmony, sharing out the work that still needs to be done (and which is ongoing, really...), while enjoying the natural beauty, each other's company, but also solitude and stillness. In a cozy room or out in the forest, by the gurgling river or on a scenic walk in the hills all at its doorstep. Hopefully this video can give you a sense of it all.
Music Attribution: “Cinematic Trailer” by Scott Holmes from the Free Music Archive, CC BY-NC