Questions visitors ask

Meditation is training the mind to be calm and clear. Buddhist practices build concentration, clarity and kindness, and help us see things as they really are. Here we teach ānāpānasati, attention to the breath, and mettā, the practice of loving-kindness. You can learn both at the Sunday sitting.

Vihāra is the Pāli word for a monastery, a dwelling place for monks. It is where the Sangha lives and practises, and where lay people come to learn, meditate and make offerings.

A bhikkhu is a man who has left household life, received full ordination and devoted himself to practising the Buddha's teaching. Bhikkhus keep the monastic code called the Vinaya and live on the offerings of lay supporters.

Sangha Dāna is giving to the community of monks: food, robes, medicine or other requisites. It is a practice that goes back to the Buddha's own lifetime. Generosity loosens the hold of greed, and the Buddha taught that gifts offered to the Sangha as a whole bring great benefit. Families often sponsor a Sangha Dāna to mark a birthday or to remember a loved one.

The Bodhi tree, known in India as the pipal or sacred fig, is the tree under which Siddhattha Gotama attained awakening at Bodh Gayā. Buddhists everywhere honour it. The tree at our Vihara grew from a sapling brought by Sri Lankan monks, from the line of the Sri Mahā Bodhi at Anurādhapura.

A chaitya (cetiya) is a sacred monument or shrine built in memory of the Buddha and enlightened disciples. It may hold relics, scriptures such as the Tipiṭaka, or other sacred objects, and Buddhists honour it for this reason. Our main shrine hall takes its arched form from the ancient rock-cut chaitya hall at Karle in Maharashtra.

Please wear modest clothing and remove your footwear before entering the shrine hall. Photography is welcome on the grounds, but please ask before photographing monks or ceremonies.

No. The Vihara is open to everyone, of any faith or none. All programs are free.

A simple, respectful greeting with palms joined (añjali) is enough. Please do not offer to shake hands, and women are kindly asked not to touch a monk or hand objects to him directly; place them on a cloth or table instead.

Yes. Monks take their last meal before noon, so food offerings are best brought between 10:30 and 11:30 am. For a full Sangha Dāna, please book a date with the office.

There is parking next to the lift that goes up to the shrine hall, so elderly visitors and wheelchair users can reach the main hall without climbing the stairs.

You can offer dāna for the Sangha, sponsor a festival offering, support a project such as the meditation quarters, or volunteer your time. See the Donate page for details.