Visiting Paññāgiri
Paññāgiri is a community of monastics and laypeople who practice the Theravada tradition. Laypeople, Buddhists, and people of other faiths are welcome to visit or stay here as guests and share life with the community.
Paññāgiri is open from early morning, when the community gathers for morning meditation, until after evening meditation. The gates are open from 5:00 am to 9:30 pm. Reservations are not required to visit the monastery.
If you are new to the tradition, or this is your first visit, we recommend arriving late in the morning when we gather for lunch and when other visitors or monastics are usually available to answer questions. Alternatively, you can join one of the meditation workshops held weekly. (See the schedule.)
Visitors come from all over. Some come for a few hours or for the day; others stay for a weekend, a few days, or longer. Perhaps they will bring an offering, or wish to learn to meditate, or simply find refuge from the stresses of the world. Paññāgirī provides an opportunity to deepen one’s understanding of Buddhism and oneself in an environment that fosters peaceful reflection.
Daily Routine
The day begins and ends with silent contemplation in community; there are also periods of walking meditation and time for individual practice and attending to personal needs. Following such a routine can be an excellent way to cultivate awareness and apply it in our daily lives.
- 5:00 a.m.: Meditation and chanting
- 6:15 a.m.: Daily cleaning – tasks in the main area of the monastery
- 7:15 a.m.: Breakfast
- 8:00 a.m.: Work period – general monastery tasks and maintenance, helping in the kitchen, etc.
- 11:00 a.m.: Food offering: Washing dishes and tidying the kitchen, followed by personal practice – individual meditation
- 5:00 p.m.: Tea
- 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.: Meditation and chanting
Uposatha Days
Uposatha Days are days dedicated to renewing one’s commitment to the practice of the Dhamma, observed by both monks and nuns as well as lay followers in Theravada Buddhist monasteries around the world.
On the days of the four phases of the moon—new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter—at Panñagiri, after the evening meditation and chanting, there is a short pause, and then Ajahn Ñāṇadassano offers a reflection on the Dhamma. This is followed by a period of sitting or walking meditation that lasts until midnight.
Especially on the days of the new moon and full moon, before the reflection, the resident lay community takes the Eight Precepts in a brief ceremony (from 8:15 to 8:30 p.m.) to support their meditation practice and revitalize their commitment to the practice of the Dhamma.
Uposatha days are periods of reflection and practice to which everyone is invited.
Schedule:
- 5:00 p.m.: Tea (Questions for the Ajahn)
- 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.: Meditation and chanting
- 8:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.: Short break
- 8:15 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.: Dhamma reflection offered by Ajahn Ñāṇadassano
- 9:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.: Seated or walking meditation.
The day following a lunar day is a day of rest, and there are no morning or evening meditations.
Uposatha Days Calendar
Note: The Uposatha Days calendar is determined by a traditional formula specific to each tradition and not based on the lunar calendar itself. Therefore, these dates do not always coincide with the astronomical dates of the lunar phases.