Visit - November 2022

Issue 27: March 2024 'Monastery for a Month'

Update: New Dates for Our Spring 2024 ‘Monastery for a Month’ – March 18 to April 14, 2024.

Greetings,

Aranya Refuge Monastery for a Month - March 2024

We are excited to announce that Aranya Refuge will have a temporary monastery for the month of March 2024. The monastery will be located at Earthspring Sanctuary, a retreat centre 40 minutes from Victoria, BC. Earthspring provides a wilderness refuge suitable for forest monks and for those wishing to participate in the daily schedule of a Theravada Buddhist monastery. 

Taan Ajaan Geoff and Taan Mike were the resident monks at Aranya Refuge’s monastery for a month at Earthspring in November 2022. They found the location was very supportive for their practice.

Ajaan Peter and Taan Will, senior monks from Metta Forest Monastery, will be our monks in residence for March 2024.

Ajaan Peter and Taan Will have been to Vancouver Island for previous month-long visits. Taan Will came for Aranya Refuge’s inaugural month-long visit in May 2018 and Ajaan Peter came for a month-long visit in May 2019. We look forward to their return to Vancouver Island.

The Monastery Experience
The monastery experience is not a scheduled retreat as found at some meditation retreat centers, as a monastery is always in “retreat” mode, where lay visitors join in the daily schedule and follow the Eight Precepts. Please read the Monastery Etiquette and Visitor Guidelines for details.

As well, you can view photos from our successful November 2022 temporary monastery here.

Visiting and Staying at the Monastery

Overnight Guests
We have spaces available for Overnight Guests to stay for one week periods, Monday to Sunday, from March 4 - Mar 30 2024. Accommodation options include single rooms, dorm space, small heated cabins - bed only.

Please apply to be an Overnight Guest here.

Day Visitors
Day Visitors are welcome from March 4 2024 - March 30 2024.

Registered Day Visitors can join the daily schedule, such as offering food in the early morning, engaging in self-directed practice on the grounds, and joining the meditation gatherings.

Please apply to be a Day Visitor here.

Offering Food to the Monks
We welcome anyone who wishes to bring food for the monks. Please email ahead of time for meal planning purposes.

Please email us at registrar@aranyarefuge.org

Anumodana for supporting the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.

  • Aranya Refuge Board of Directors: Taan Ajaan Geoff, Jacqui Balfour, Brock Brown, Russ Callaghan, June Fukushima, Irfan Pirbhai

  • Registration Team: Suzan Denis, Cameron Young

Issue 24: November 2022 ‘Monastery for a Month' Wrap Up

Dear Friends of Aranya Refuge,

We are writing to express our deep gratitude for the opportunity to have a Monastery for a Month held on Vancouver Island in November 2022.   

We’re thrilled to report that the event was a great success, thanks to our resident monastics, Abbot Taan Ajaan Geoff, Taan Mike, and to all the participants. We sincerely appreciate the generosity and support of people like you.

Taan Ajaan Geoff was the heartbeat of the community, leading daily practice, extended fireside Q&A sessions and daily Dhamma talks that weaved together each day’s themes. Taan Mike served as Ajaan’s attendant, while also helping around the monastery – and quickly developing an easy familiarity with the intricate trail system of the old-growth forests. The venue for the temporary monastery – Earthspring Sanctuary – provided an ideal setting for practice: lush, serene, unpredictable, nourishing.

Throughout the course of the month, 50 people assembled to form a Parisā – a community of lay and ordained Dhamma practitioners. 

Most participants were local from Vancouver Island, Salt Spring Island, Vancouver, and the lower mainland ; some traveled from further across Canada, and others ventured in from the United States.

There were overnight guests, day visitors who stayed nearby, drop-in guests, supporters who brought or sent food to the monastery, and many dedicated Dhamma friends around the world sharing enthusiasm and support through online groups and chat messages.

Here are some photos and teachings from the month.

As we look ahead to 2023, Taan Ajaan Geoff and the other members of the Aranya Refuge Board of Directors are exploring how we can continue to support monks from Wat Metta to return for a month of practice and teachings.

If you’re interested in supporting the expenses from last month’s Monastery for the Month, please know that your financial contributions will cover costs related to travel & accommodation for Taan Ajaan Geoff and Taan Mike from Wat Metta to Victoria; groceries and requisites for the monks; rental of Earthspring Sanctuary; additional supplies needed throughout the month; and event insurance. Click here for information on how to contribute.

Anumodana to all who contributed past and present, and made it possible to go ahead with the “pop-up” monastery this year. 🙏

We also look forward to continuing to practice and grow together in community. If you would like to join other students of Taan Ajaan Geoff for regular online practice, please visit the following groups:

You can also find the full collection of Taan Ajaan Geoff’s evening and morning talks under “November 2022” on dhammatalks.org.

If you have any questions about Aranya Refuge Theravada Buddhist Monastery, our plans for the future, or how to get involved, feel free to email us at info@aranyarefuge.org.

With deep gratitude,

The Aranya Refuge team

Issue 23: Updates from the 'Monastery for a Month'

The half-way mark has now passed at Aranya Refuge’s Monastery for a Month on Vancouver Island. It’s been going wonderfully.

Taan Ajaan Geoff and Taan Mike have settled in nicely at Earthspring Sanctuary & Retreat Center (the location of the temporary Monastery). 

There is an abundance of scenic beauty in this coastal Highland region of Vancouver Island: filled with old-growth forests, native plant and animal life, and spectacular lookouts.

There’ve been some adventures along the way. Unexpected snow storms, power outages and learning the idiosyncrasies of the rustic buildings on the property. A conducive environment for practice. 🙂

Aranya Refuge Monastery has maintained a schedule similar to that at Metta Forest Monastery (Wat Metta).

Most overnight guests have stayed for a week at a time. There have been guests who’ve rented places nearby to attend daily. Most guests have been from British Columbia, but we’ve had some guests drive, take the ferry, or fly from Washington and California.

The support from the community has been very positive. There is a palpable excitement about the prospect of establishing a Thai Forest monastery on Vancouver Island for the monks from Wat Metta.

Day Visitors are still welcome to participate throughout the rest of November. The daily schedule consists of morning meditation, meal offerings, self-directed practice, and an evening Q&A with Taan Ajaan Geoff, chanting, Dhamma talk, and meditation. Click here for more info.

Even more exciting, is that Taan Ajaan Geoff has consented to the Dhamma talks being recorded on video, to share with the larger community, so that even those who aren’t able to join in person can feel connected, practise together, and benefit from the teachings.

For the remainder of the month, we’ll be posting the evening’s Dhamma talk videos each day at 3PM PST, on both our Facebook & YouTube pages.

(or watch directly on YouTube)

We appreciate the new and familiar faces that have come to the Monastery, the online messages of support from friends far away, and the fortunate conditions that have allowed for us to set up a Thai Forest Monastery for the month of November on Vancouver Island, Canada.

Anumodana for supporting the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha.

Aranya Refuge Theravada Buddhist Monastery Board of Directors & Monastery Volunteers

Issue 22: Some Exciting News

Greetings,

We have exciting news to share: Taan Ajaan Geoff and Taan Mike will be in residence for the month of November 2022 at Aranya Refuge’s monastery for a month. 

The monastery will be located at  Earthspring Sanctuary, a retreat centre 40 minutes from Victoria, BC. Earthspring provides a wilderness refuge suitable for forest monks and for those wishing to participate in the daily schedule of a Theravada Buddhist monastery. 

This is not a scheduled retreat as found at some meditation retreat centers, as a monastery is always in “retreat” mode where lay visitors join in the daily schedule and follow the Eight Precepts. Please read the Monastery Etiquette and Visitor Guidelines for details.

For ease of reference, please go to this page on Aranya Refuge’s website.

Visiting and Staying at the Monastery

We have spaces available for Day Visitors for the period Nov 5 - Nov 27 2022 and for some Overnight Guests from Nov 7 - Nov 27 2022.

Please register to be a Day Visitor here and to be an Overnight Guest here.

Registered Day Visitors are welcome to join the daily schedule such as offering food in the early morning and engaging in self-directed practice on the grounds. Registered Overnight Guests are welcome to stay up to one week and will join the full Daily Schedule. Our preference is for overnight guests to stay 3 or more evenings as we are limiting the total number of participants each week for COVID-19 related precautions.

Those who wish to drop off food for the monks can sign up here:

We are carefully monitoring health risks related to COVID-19 and its variants. All guests are required to follow and agree to these COVID-19 Safety Protocols.

If you have questions, please email us at info@aranyarefuge.org.

Anumodana for supporting the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.

Aranya Refuge Board of Directors:

  • Taan Ajaan Geoff

  • Jacqui Balfour

  • Brock Brown

  • Russ Callaghan

  • June Fukushima

Monastery Organizers:

  • Kiran Shahbaz

  • Irfan Pirbhai

Issue 21: November 2022 'Monastery for a Month'

November 2022 ‘Monastery for a Month’

We are very pleased to announce that plans are underway for two monks from Metta Forest Monastery (Wat Metta) to reside on Vancouver Island for the month of November 2022.

Closer to the time, Taan Ajaan Geoff will let us know which monks will be available for Aranya Refuge’s Monastery for the Month.

Aranya Refuge has rented Earthspring Sanctuary, a retreat centre 40 minutes from Victoria, BC. Earthspring provides a wilderness refuge suitable for forest monks and for those wishing to participate in the daily schedule of a Theravada Buddhist monastery.

This is not a scheduled retreat as found at some meditation retreat centres, as a monastery is always in “retreat” mode where lay visitors join in the daily schedule and follow the Eight Precepts. Please read the Monastery Etiquette and Visitor Guidelines for details.

There will be opportunities for Day Visitors starting Nov 5 - Nov 27 2022 and Overnight Guests from Nov 7 - Nov 27 2022.

Registered Day Visitors are welcome to join the daily schedule such as offering food in the early morning and engaging in self-directed practice on the grounds. Registered Overnight Guests are welcome to stay up to one week and will join the full Daily Schedule.

Please register to be a Day Visitor here and to be an Overnight Guest here.

Those who wish to drop off food for the monks can sign up here.

We are carefully monitoring health risks related to COVID-19 and its variants. All guests are required to follow and agree to these COVID-19 Safety Protocols.

If you have questions, please email us at info@aranyarefuge.org.

We appreciate the fortunate conditions that make it possible to provide a Canadian wilderness refuge for the monks of Wat Metta and to see how a Thai Forest monastery may take shape on southern Vancouver Island.

Anumodana for supporting the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.

Aranya Refuge Theravada Board of Directors:

  • Taan Ajaan Geoff

  • Jacqui Balfour

  • Brock Brown

  • Russ Callaghan

  • June Fukushima

Monastery Organizers:

  • Irfan Pirbhai

  • Kiran Shahbaz