Coming to Stay

Visiting or staying at the Monastery

For administrative or general questions, and day visits use this form

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Please tell us about yourself and why you would like to come. Please include: dates you would like to stay, meditation experience, whether you have visited a Theravada Monastery before. Please include your age and gender. *

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Information about your stay

Guests can normally stay for a few days or longer, taking the opportunity to deepen their understanding of Buddhism and themselves in an environment that encourages peaceful reflection.

During the covid pandemic we were not been accepting any short term guests, although this resumed from 19th July for people already known to us. We are now full through August and for the moment we are not taking any bookings for September or later. We will update this information when we decide to resume having short stay guests.

If you have not stayed with us, or one of our sister monasteries, before we ask that your first visit is for an introductory weekend. We will offer dates for these once a month. The first weekend, 20th-22nd August, is full. We will post the dates for subsequent weekends here, but as yet these have not been decided.

For the period from September - December 2021 we are open to the possibility of a person staying for an extended period. This is open to people who have stayed with us before (or are otherwise well known to us), and could be for a period of a month or more.

If you are hoping to come from overseas then we may be able to be more flexible about dates and durations of stay. However whilst there are legal requirements to self isolate if coming from certain countries, then it is not possible to fulfil the isolation period here.

All guests are asked to observe the Eight Precepts (see below), follow the daily routine, and join in community activities during their stay. Individual retreats are not possible.

Guests may request an interview with a senior monk to discuss their practice. Newcomers to meditation are encouraged to plan their first visit to coincide with one of the monthly Meditation Workshops if possible.

In keeping with tradition there is no charge for staying at Hartridge Buddhist Monastery. Financial support is needed and appreciated, however; the community has no source of funds to pay running and maintenance costs other than through donations.

To arrange a stay, please write or email the guest monk, and if you are new to us please tell us about yourself and your interest to come and stay. If you are staying for the first time we usually limit a visit to up to 3 nights, although we may make exceptions if you are coming from overseas or have extensive experience elsewhere.

Please note that in January, February and March we do not have guests as this is the winter retreat time for the resident community. During these months we only start to take bookings for later in the year during March.

Eight Precepts

Monastic life is held within an ethical framework, centred on the Eight Precepts:

1. Harmlessness: not intentionally taking the life of any living creature.
2. Trustworthiness: not taking anything that is not given.
3. Celibacy: refraining from any sexual activity.
4. Right Speech: avoiding false, abusive or malicious speech.
5. Sobriety: not taking any intoxicating drink or drug.
6. Renunciation: not eating after mid-day.
7. Restraint: refraining from games and attending shows, and from self-adornment. (Guests are asked to dress modestly, and not to play radios, music, instruments etc)
8. Alertness: to refrain from over-indulgence in sleep.

These precepts are intended to moderate our outgoing tendencies, to heighten the sense of conscience and concern for others, and to encourage alertness. There are also a range of observances around maintaining a quiet atmosphere in the monastery, using accommodation and requisites with care, and dressing in a simple way. These also help to check casual or half-aware actions that we may carry out daily without really questioning them. Precepts and observances therefore form a framework for contemplation, a guide to cultivating heart and mind, and a means for daily-life Awakening.