Wat Buddhalavarn is a forest monastery and meditation centre located in outer southwest Sydney, where the largest concentration of the Lao community resides. It was established to provide a place for Buddhist worship, teaching and practice, as well as for learning about Lao traditions and culture. It is also a residence for Lao Buddhist monks and monks of other nationalities. Wat Buddhalavarn acknowledges that Buddhism may be a religion, philosophy or way of life for different people. It promotes peace, happiness and harmony through the cultivation of Buddhist ethics, kindness, mutual respect, mindfulness and wisdom.¹ 

Wat Buddhalavarn was incorporated in 1987. The Most Venerable Upasamo Thongsoun Phantha-oudom (born 1940) served as the Abbot and the first President of Wat Buddhalavarn Incorporated until 2016.² Wat Buddhalavarn was also home to the Most Venerable Santithito Ronald Wagner (1940–2014) for the last 18 years of his life. Venerable Santithito was a German Buddhist monk who ordained in 1971 and was a student of Ajahn Buddhadasa and Luang Por Paññananda. He arrived in Australia in 1990 and later became a founding member and senior guide of the Australian Sangha Association.³ 

Buddhists comprise 71% of Australians born in Lao according to the 2021 Census.⁴ For the Lao community, Buddhist temples are important centres of religious practice, community life and cultural transmission. Wat Buddhalavarn celebrates Song Kan (Lao New Year) annually with Buddhists as well as the broader Australian community. It is one of five Lao Buddhist temples in Sydney.⁵ 

By: Sioh Yang Tan and Juewei Shi

References: 

¹ “Monastery,” Wat Buddhalavarn Forest Monastery and Meditation Centre, accessed August 27, 2026, https://www.watbuddhalavarn.org.au/about-us/monastery/; Ashley Carruthers and Phouvanh Meuansanith, “Lao,” in Dictionary of Sydney, accessed August 27, 2026, https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/lao. 

² “The most senior monks,” Wat Buddhalavarn Forest Monastery and Meditation Centre, accessed August 27, 2026, https://www.watbuddhalavarn.org.au/about-us/laos/. 

³ “The passing of a giant of Australian Buddhism – Ven. Santitittho Mahathera,” FABC News, Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils, 2014, https://www.buddhistcouncil.org.au/index.php/news/the-passing-of-a-giant-of-australian-buddhism-ven-santitittho-mahathera; Bhante Sujato, “On the passing of Bhante Santitthito,” Sujato’s Blog, August 30, 2014, https://sujato.wordpress.com/2014/08/30/on-the-passing-of-bhante-santitthito/; “The most senior monks,” Wat Buddhalavarn. 

⁴ Australian Bureau of Statistics, “People in Australia who were born in Laos,” accessed August 27, 2026, https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/5103_AUS. 

⁵ Carruthers and Meuansanith, “Lao”; “Monastery,” Wat Buddhalavarn.