Tisarana Buddhist Monastery occupies a 110-acre forested property near Perth, Ontario, in the eastern Ontario countryside about 80 kilometers southwest of Ottawa. The setting is Canadian Shield forest with a small lake, pine and hardwood stands, and a quiet rural neighborhood. The monastery was established in 2005-2006 as the first Thai Forest tradition monastery in eastern Canada, and it has since grown into one of the principal Theravada monastic communities in North America. Ajahn Viradhammo, an American-born Thai Forest monastic ordained at Wat Pah Pong under Ajahn Chah, was the founding abbot. He had previously served as abbot of Bodhinyanarama in New Zealand and at other Western branch monasteries before establishing Tisarana. The monastery's character reflects his decades of training in the Ajahn Chah lineage and his role as one of the senior Western Thai Forest teachers. Tisarana hosts both resident monastic training and lay retreats. The campus includes a meditation hall (sala), kuti for monastics and lay retreatants, a dining hall, and walking trails through the forest and around the small lake. Lay retreats run primarily in the snow-free months, with the monastery accepting lay residents for periods from a weekend to several months. The schedule integrates lay practitioners into the daily monastic rhythm. The monastery is part of the wider Western Thai Forest network: a sister monastery to Abhayagiri in California, Birken in BC, Cittaviveka in the UK, Aruna Ratanagiri (Harnham), and others. All operate on the dana model. Visiting senior monastics from across the network teach periodically at Tisarana.
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. The monastery sits within the network of Western branch monasteries Ajahn Sumedho and Ajahn Pasanno helped establish following their training at Wat Pah Pong. Currently led by Ajahn Viradhammo and a community of resident monastics in the Wat Pah Pong network.
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.
The eastern Canadian outpost of Wat Pah Pong, in Ontario forest with a small lake.
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 Viradhammo and a community of resident monastics in the Wat Pah Pong network.
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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