Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage
| Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage | |
|---|---|
 | |
Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage | |
| Information | |
| Tradition/Linage | Forest Tradition, Ajahn Chah |
| Main School | Theravada |
| People | |
| Abbot(s) | BUORG-Names::Names::Bhikkhu Dhammasiha |
| Contact Infotmation | |
| Address | 10 Ben Varden Avenue Kholo Queensland 4306 Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | service=google }} {{#geocode:10Ben Varden AvenueKholoQueenslandAustralia|format=float|service=google}} service=google }}The "_geo" type of this property is invalid |
| Map | {{#display_map:{{#geocode:10Ben Varden AvenueKholoQueenslandAustralia}}|height=250px|width=250px|zoom=18}} |
| Phone | Phone::07 3201 2041 |
| Website | Website::http://www.dhammagiri.org.au/ "Website" has not been listed as valid URI scheme. |
| Email::contact@dhammagiri.org.auURIs of the form "Email::contact@dhammagiri.org.au" are not allowed. | |
Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage
Dhammagiri is a small Theravada Buddhist forest monastery associated with the tradition of Ajahn Chah. It aims to transcend today's bewildering confusion of Buddhist gurus, dogmas and techniques by returning to the original teachings of the Buddha as found in the early parts of the Pali canon. To support those who wish to train themselves according to the instructions given by the Buddha, Dhammagiri provides:
- Solitary meditation huts for a small number of resident monks.
- Secluded accommodation for a few lay guests to experience monastic life temporarily on retreats.
- Dhamma talks and guided meditations by experienced senior monks, including visits by some of the most outstanding meditation masters of our time.
- Advice and spiritual guidance for lay visitors on how to apply the ageless wisdom of the Buddha to the challenges of daily life in the 21st century.
- Daily opportunities to offer almsfood and requisites to the resident sangha, and to share merits with departed ones.
Located on 85 acres in a serene, natural environment amid forested hills adjoining D’Aguilar National Park, yet only 45 mins drive from Brisbane CBD, Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage provides us with ideal conditions to follow the Buddha’s advice.
The Idea of Dhammagiri
The idea of Dhammagiri is to establish a Hermitage in the Theravāda Buddhist forest tradition. It is the first of its kind in Queensland. The Hermitage's main purpose is to serve as residence for a small number of Buddhist monks. Based on a strict standard of virtue, the monks are dedicated to renunciation of sensuality and material possessions. In simplicity and solitude they practice meditation to develop states of profound stillness, concentration and bliss (samādhi).The resultant calm and one-pointedness of mind is used to develop insight into things as they really are. Wisdom arises and is progressively deepened in a process of thorough investigation of reality (vipassanā), until ultimately the mind is liberated from greed, hatred, and delusion in the experience of Nibbāna.
Dhammagiri also supports the lay community in their practice of the Buddhist teachings. By offering almsfood and other requisites to the monastic community, and by sharing their merits with deceased relatives and all living beings, visitors to the Hermitage develop generosity (dāna) in the traditional Buddhist form. After the meal, the senior monk is available for discussion. Visitors can deepen their theoretical knowledge of the Buddha's teaching, and receive instructions and encouragement to apply this knowledge to their own particular problems and conditions in everyday life. On the weekends, guided meditations provide an opportunity to develop concentration. In lay life with its multiple demands and pressures, calm and clarity often appear unachievable. Dhammagiri serves as a sanctuary of quiet reflection and contemplation, where the serene, natural environment and the teachings from experienced monks allow visitors to rediscover peace in their heart. For experienced meditators, who wish to join the monastic community temporarily, we offer male and female accommodation suitable for periods of intensive meditation practice.
May all visitors to Dhammagiri experience the peace of samādhi and may it lead them to understand the Buddhist teachings on ever deeper levels. May they sharpen their wisdom until insight arises and attachments are abandoned in the realisation of Nibbāna. May they share all the knowledge, contentment and calm they develop at the Hermitage with all living beings in an attitude of kindness and compassion.
Bhikkhu Dhammasiha
Bhikkhu Dhammasiha was born in West Germany on 5th December 1966. After finishing high school in Hanover and serving as a conscript in the German armed forces, he studied business administration in West Berlin. As the curriculum was not too demanding, he was left with plenty of time and energy for his genuine interests: Schopenhauer’s philosophy, Indian religion and culture, and a thorough exploration of the suffering and disappointment inherent in sensual pleasures. A powerful lesson on impermanence was provided by the fall of the Berlin-Wall, and the dramatic changes it entailed. After finishing his degree in 1993, he attempted a compromise of material necessities and spiritual aspirations by starting a PhD on “Indian Corporate Culture”. However, during field research in India, he read the Dhammapada which hit him as a true revelation. He travelled to Sarnath and Bodh Gaya, and finally succeeded in dropping worldly concerns to fully devote his life to the spiritual quest.
He ordained as a Theravāda Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka in June 1995, with most Ven. Pandita K. Sri Jinavamsa as preceptor. For three years he trained at Nissarana Vana, Meetirigala in Sri Lanka, a forest monastery dedicated to solitary practice of meditation, and meticulous observance of the Theravāda Vinaya. His approach to practice was guided by the Suttas of the Pāli Canon, and by the examples of senior monks like Ven. Nanavimala, Ven. Nanadipa and Ven. Bhikku Bodhi.
In 1998 he came to Australia and started training in the tradition of Ajahn Chah, first at Bodhinyana Monastery in Perth, and later at Vimokkharam, a quiet Forest Hermitage in Melbourne’s Dandenong Ranges. During this period, he was fortunate to receive teachings from some of the foremost living teachers of the Thai Forest Tradition, like Tan Ajahn Tui and Tan Ajahn Plien, on their visits to Australia.
Bhikkhu Dhammasiha arrived in Brisbane in 2007 on invitation by Brisbane Buddhist Vihara, to help in establishing a forest monastery in South East Queensland. He is now the abbot of Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage, the first forest monastery in Brisbane, and the only one in Queensland associated with the tradition of Ajahn Chah. The hermitage is located in serene, natural environment amid forested hills adjoining D’Aguilar National Park,only 33km (45mins) from Brisbane’s city centre.
