Birken Forest Monastery, in Pali called Sītavana, sits on a forested 200-acre property in the Knutsford area of British Columbia, in the Cariboo region inland from Kamloops. The setting is northern interior BC: pine and Douglas fir forest, dry summers, cold snowy winters. The monastery is one of the principal Thai Forest tradition monasteries in North America, established in the lineage of Ajahn Chah and the Western branch monasteries that descend from his teaching. The monastery was founded in 2001-2002 in its current form, after Ajahn Sona, an American monastic ordained in the Thai Forest tradition, established the property as a permanent forest monastery for both monastic training and lay retreat. Birken had earlier existed as a smaller hermitage; the move to the current site allowed for the expanded campus including a meditation hall, kuti for resident monastics and lay retreatants, and walking grounds through the BC forest. Ajahn Sona has been the abbot of Birken throughout the monastery's modern existence and is one of the more publicly accessible Thai Forest monastics in North America, with a substantial archive of recorded dharma talks freely available online. The monastery hosts long lay retreats during the snow-free months, alongside the steady rhythm of monastic training. Programs include alms-round (pindapata) when conditions allow, daily chanting and meditation, dharma talks, and individual interviews with the abbot. The monastery follows the standard Thai Forest dana model: all teachings, accommodation, and meals are offered free of charge, supported entirely by lay donations. The monastery does not charge fees and does not solicit donations during retreats; lay support arrives organically from past retreatants and the broader Thai Forest community in BC and across North America.
The daily form follows traditional Thai Forest Theravada monastic discipline. Wake-up is around 4 a.m. for the morning chanting and meditation. Monastics go on alms-round (pindapata) in nearby villages or accept dana brought to the monastery, then take the single meal of the day before noon. Afternoons are for study, meditation, and practical work in the monastery. Evening puja and meditation follow at dusk. Lay retreatants on retreat follow a parallel schedule, sitting and walking through the day, eating the morning and midday meals provided, and observing eight precepts during their stay. Instruction is given primarily through evening dharma talks (desana) and through individual interviews with the senior monastic teaching the retreat. Posture is open. Phones are stored.
The teaching line is the Thai Forest tradition descended from Ajahn Chah, the 20th-century Thai monk who reformed Theravada forest practice and accepted Western students at Wat Pah Pong and the dedicated branch monastery Wat Pah Nanachat. Birken is a sister monastery to Tisarana in Ontario, Abhayagiri in California, and Aruna Ratanagiri (Harnham) in the UK, all part of the broader Wat Pah Pong family. Currently led by Ajahn Sona, the abbot since the monastery's founding in its current form.
Yogis training in the Thai Forest tradition or Burmese Mahasi line who want sustained retreat in a working monastic setting.
Lay practitioners ready to take on eight precepts (including no eating after noon) for the duration of a stay in a traditional monastic container.
People considering monastic ordination or longer monastic-flavored stays, who want to test the form in a residential setting.
Arrival is at the monastery gate. Lay retreatants check in with the work monk and are oriented to monastic protocol: how to address monastics, eight-precept observance, alms-round etiquette where applicable, and the daily schedule. Lodging is in shared dormitories or simple kuti (huts) depending on the monastery. Meals are taken communally; lay retreatants eat after the monastic offering. Phones go in a basket. Modest dress (long sleeves, long pants, no bright colors) is expected. Departure is typically after the morning meal on the closing day. First-time visitors may join shorter weekend orientation retreats before booking longer stays.
Lodging is in simple shared dormitories or solo kuti (small huts) scattered through the monastery grounds, depending on the property. Bathrooms are typically shared. Meals are vegetarian or vegetarian-accommodating, taken communally before noon. The grounds extend through forest with walking paths used for both monastic and lay walking meditation. Heating and air conditioning are minimal in many of the kuti; the monastic standard of moderate physical conditions is part of the form.
All teachings, accommodation, and meals are free of charge. The monastery operates on dana, the traditional Buddhist practice of voluntary giving by the lay community. There are no published fees, no minimum donations, and no fee schedules. Retreatants are invited to give what they can at the close of their stay; the donation supports the monastery's operations. Travel to the monastery is on the retreatant. The dana model is the standard form for Theravada forest monasteries worldwide.
A Thai Forest monastery in BC's interior, with Ajahn Sona's published dharma talks reaching well beyond Knutsford.
No. The monastery operates on dana, the traditional practice of voluntary giving. There is no fee for teachings, accommodation, or meals. Retreatants are invited to give what they can at the close of their stay. The dana model is the standard form for Theravada forest monasteries worldwide and is part of the lineage's approach to lay support of monastic practice.
The eight precepts taken by lay retreatants during their stay are: refrain from killing, stealing, sexual conduct, lying, intoxicants, eating after noon, entertainment and adornment, and sleeping on luxurious beds. They are observed for the duration of the retreat to align lay practice with monastic discipline. Senior staff explain the precepts at orientation.
The monastery sits within the Western branch of Wat Pah Pong, Ajahn Chah's monastery in northeast Thailand, by way of Ajahn Sona. The abbot since the monastery's founding in its current form.
Many forest monasteries welcome first-time lay retreatants for shorter weekend stays as orientation to the form. Longer stays typically require prior contact with the monastery and demonstrated commitment to the practice. The monastery's website lists current arrangements for first-time visitors.
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