Karen Monastery & Community Centre in Bendigo

About the monastery

The Karen Buddhist monastery in Bendigo is much more than a place of worship.

The monastery is:

• A community centre for Christian Karen as well as Buddhist Karen
• A cultural centre
• A place where newly arrived refugees (Christian and Buddhist) can stay while they look for long term accommodation
• A place where visitors to Bendigo can stay
• A residence for monks and nus

As there is no other Theravada Buddhist  monastery in Bendigo, our community welcomes Thai and Sri Lankan Buddhists, as well as Australians  with an interest in Buddhism.

We have recently purchased a property to use as a monastery.

We are raising funds so we can convert the garage on the property into a prayer hall.

We only have one monk at the moment and we are planning to bring more monks and nuns from refugee camps in Thailand.

We are also inviting an Australian monk or nun to join our community - click here for more information.

Regular activities

On the first Sunday of each month we usually join the Community Day at Atisha Centre.

Most other Sunday mornings we have chanting and a shared meal. All are welcome - please bring food to share. The chanting starts at 10:30am, however please call beforehand to confirm.

On Sunday afternoons we have Buddhist "Sunday School". Our teacher is Australian and the Sunday School is in English. Activities include singing, drawing, learning stories about the Buddha's life, and guided meditations. Sunday School activities are based on both the Theravada tradition and the Thich Nhat Hanh tradition. All children are welcome. Sunday School starts at 1:30pm.

The monastery and community centre are at:

26 Hercules Street

Long Gully 3556

Enquiries: ashinmoonieinda@yahoo.com.au or 0435 200 752