Newbury Buddhist Monastery

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Newbury Buddhist Monastery

Ayya Khemma Buddhist centres Theravada Buddhism Venerable Samaloka

The Buddhist Society of Victoria (BSV) established a Buddhist Monastery for monks and nuns in Newbury, northwest of Melbourne in 2014, and opened a retreat centre there ten years later in 2025. It is one of the very few monasteries in the world to support both Bhikkhu and Bhikkhuni ordination and practice, and lay men’s and women’s practice, in the Theravadin tradition.i 

The BSV was founded in 1953 and has always had a strong affiliation with the Theravadan tradition and the Sri Lankan community, hosting prominent Buddhist teachers Sri Lankan Venerable Samaloka, Thai Buddhist Phra Khantipalo, and Ayya Khema in the 1970s and 1980s. The BSV then began a close relationship with the Thai Forest Tradition’s Western Australian resident monks and teachers Ajahn Jagaro and Ajahn Brahm in the 1980s.ii 

The BSV community worked towards the establishment of the Monastery and retreat centre, with generous contributions from local and international donors. The Newbury Buddhist Monastery (NBV) was officially opened on the 24 May 2015, by Ajahn Brahm, the BSV’s spiritual adviser. Since then kutis and sangha kitchens and halls have been built for the monks and nuns, and a lay meditation hall, commercial kitchen, and retreat accommodation has also been completed. BSV members, from diverse cultural backgrounds, provide dana in the form of food to the monks and nuns, and receive dharma teachings from them, each day as well as in weekend and longer retreats.  Ajahn Nissarano, a student of Ajahn Jagaro, Ajahn Brahm, and Ayya Khema, has been the NBM senior monk since 2020.iii  

Author: Anna Halafoff, Sioh Yang Tan 

Buddha statue, Newbury Buddhist Monastery, Newbury. (Image: Filip Milovac) Bhikkuni at Newbury Buddhist Monastery, Newbury. (Image: Filip Milovac) Monastics at Newbury Buddhist Monastery, Newbury. (Image: Filip Milovac) Sanctuary of Stillness Meditation Retreat Centre, Newbury Buddhist Monastery, Newbury. (Image: Filip Milovac) Buddha statue, Newbury Buddhist Monastery, Newbury. (Image: Filip Milovac) Buddha statue, Newbury Buddhist Monastery, Newbury. (Image: Filip Milovac) Sanctuary of Stillness Meditation Retreat Centre, Newbury Buddhist Monastery, Newbury. (Image: Filip Milovac)

References 

1  Buddhist Society of Victoria (BSV) Inc, 70 Years of the Buddhist Society of Victoria 1953-2023 (BSV, 2025): “NBM Home,” Buddhist Society of Victoria, accessed May 28, 2026, https://www.bsv.net.au/monastery/;  “About Us,” Buddhist Society of Victoria, accessed May 28, 2026,  https://www.bsv.net.au/about-us/ 

 2 BSV, 70 Years; Paul Croucher, Buddhism in Australia: 1848–1988 (New South Wales University Press, 1989).  

3  “NBM Home”; “About Us”; Ajahn Nissarao, interviewed by Venerable Juewei Shi, Buddhism in Australia project, 11 April 2025. 

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