Bodhinyana Monastery 

Located amidst rolling hills and jumping kangaroos near Serpentine Western Australia, Bodhinyana is the largest Theravadan Buddhist monastery outside of Asia. Bodhinyana was developed in 1983 by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia (BSWA), led at the time by Ajahn Jagaro and Ajahn Brahm. A monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition, Bodhinyana means the ‘wisdom of enlightenment’ and was named after Ajahn Chah, who Ajahn Jagaro and Ajahn Brahm trained under for nearly a decade in Northern Thailand.¹ 

With their Perth city centre booming, BSWA purchased the near empty forest land in Serpentine. In 1983 Ajahn Jagaro, Ajahn Brahm, and volunteers built Bodhinyana. It is now home to approximately 20 monks residing in kutis (simple huts) scattered over 242 acres with a long waiting list of men who wish to ordain and reside there. The main area of the monastery consists of a Dharma Hall for teachings and chanting, a kitchen and dining hall, an Abbot’s Hut, and accommodation for anagarikas (white robed, long-term residents). There is also a specially built cave where Ajahn Brahm resides. Most weekdays around 20-30 people visit to offer dana (food), around 100 on the weekends, and up to 2,000 on special Buddhist events.² 

Jhana Grove Retreat Centre  

In 2006, under the leadership and inspiration of Ajahn Brahm, the Buddhist Society of Western Australia (BSWA), purchased land adjacent to Bodhinyana Monastery and began developing Jhana Grove Retreat Centre. The centre hosts popular meditation retreats, including the annual Rains Retreat, and can accommodate up to 60 guests, each with their own room and ensuite. To ensure seclusion for retreatants, Jhana Grove is not open to the public.³ 

With the aspiration to maximise the benefits of meditation retreat, Jhana Grove was designed for participants to have privacy and comfort. Ajahn Brahm wanted to avoid attakilamatanu yoga (extreme austerities), ‘things which especially tire you, exhaust you,’ such as having to line up in long bathroom queues or sleep in dormitories leading to disturbed sleep. In addition to these factors, the benefits of developing their own BSWA retreat centre, largely run on donations, has meant that retreat costs have been kept low and are therefore accessible for far more people. 

By: Ruth Fitzpatrick and Anna Halafoff 

References: 

¹ “Bodhinyana Monastery,” Buddhist Society of Western Australia (BSWA), accessed June 19, 2026, https://bswa.org/location/bodhinyana-monastery/; “Ajahn Brahm,” Buddhist Society of Western Australia, accessed June 19, 2026, https://bswa.org/teachers/ajahn-brahm/; BSWA Retreats, “Bodhinyana Buddhist Monastery – Coming Home to Stillness & Peace”, November 7, 2016, 13 min., 34 sec., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOL5RTd-WDk. 

² BSWA, “Bodhinyana Monastery,”; BSWA, “Ajahn Brahm.” 

³ “Jhana Grove Retreat Centre,” Buddhist Society of Western Australia, accessed June 19, 2026, https://bswa.org/location/jhana-grove-retreat-centre/; BSWA, “Ajahn Brahm.”