Set on 583 acres of natural bushland in Gidgegannup, northeast of Perth, Dhammasara Nuns Monastery was established in 1998 by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia (BSWA). It is a training monastery for nuns in the Thai Forest Tradition and the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.¹ In 2009, Dhammasara hosted the first Theravada bhikkhuni (full female ordination) ceremony in the Western world, creating history and controversy in its wake.² 

English-born monk Ajahn Brahm, the spiritual director of BSWA first had the vision for Dhammasara. He inspired and facilitated the purchasing of the land for its development, through generous donations.³ Australian bhikkhuni Ajahn Vayama was Dhammasara’s first Abbess and original pioneer. For the first two years she lived alone on the property in a used caravan without electricity or running water.⁴ Ordained in Sri Lanka in 1985, and originally a student of Ayya Khema, it was Ajahn Vayama’s commitment and courage that sustained Dhammasara amidst considerable early hardships.  

In collaboration with Ajahn Brahm and BSWA, Ajahn Vayama attracted generous lay support over the following years. In 2001, the Nun’s Cottage with accommodation and basic facilities was constructed. Soon after, nine meditation huts were built in the forest with separate amenities for monastics. Women from around the world began making requests to live and train at Dhammasara. In 2010, Ajahn Hasapanna became Dhammasara’s Abbess, and oversaw the opening of a new Sala Complex in 2016, which included additional accommodation for monastics and lay guests.⁵ Dhammasara holds daily dana, regular retreats, and encourages all guests to follow the practices and activities of the monastery when they visit there.  

By: Ruth Fitzpatrick and Anna Halafoff

References: 

¹ “About Dhammasara: Beginnings to Now,” Buddhist Society of Western Australia (BSWA), accessed June 10, 2026, https://bswa.org/our-locations/history-of-dhammasara/; Peace Weekes, “The incredible Ajahn Vayama,” Buddhist Council of Western Australia, accessed June 10, 2026, https://buddhistcouncilwa.org.au/the-incredible-ajahn-vayama/; BSWA Webmaster, Dhammasara Bhikkhunīs 10th Anniversary, posted October 28, 2019, Youtube, 13 min., 5 sec., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38XccjzdN8U.

² Bhante Sujato, “How Australia’s first Theravada bhikkhuni ordination happened.” Sujato’s Blog, October 31, 2009, accessed June 10, 2026, https://sujato.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/how-australia’s-first-theravada-bhikkhuni ordination-happened/; Anna Halafoff, Emma Tomalin, and Caroline Starkey, “Gender equality and digital counter-publics in global Buddhism: bhikkhuni ordination in the Thai Forest Tradition in Australia,” Journal of Contemporary Religion 37, no. 1 (2022): 71-88, https://doi.org/10.1080/13537903.2021.2020442; BSWA, “About Dhammasara.”; Weekes, “Ajahn Vayama.” 

³ Ajahn Brahm, “Buddhist Life Stories of Australia |Ajahn Brahm,” conducted by Deakin University, interview, 2015, posted May 13, 2026, by Nan Tien Institute, YouTube, 1:07:13, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVQgufh5nro; Halafoff et al., “Gender equality.” 

⁴ Weekes, “Ajahn Vayama.”; BSWA, “About Dhammasara.”; Nan Tien Institute, “Ajahn Brahm.”; Peace Weekes, “A Brief History of Ajahn Vayama’s Life as a Theravada Buddhist Nun,” Patacara Bhikkhuni Hermitage, accessed August 25, 2026, https://patacarabhikkhunihermitage.com/ajahn-vayama/. 

⁵ Weekes, “Ajahn Vayama.”; BSWA, “About Dhammasara.”