The next Lay Forum will take place at the monastery on Sunday 1 December, from 2.00-4.30 pm in the Shrine Room of the main house. Topic – The Brahmaviharas (Sublime States of Mind) Date and time – Sunday 1 December from 2:00-4:30 pm Place – the ground floor of the main house The Lay Forum consists of a short, ten-minute meditation, followed by a talk by a layperson and then by a monk or nun. Each of these two talks will last approximately fifteen minutes. After this, there is some informal discussion in small groups of around five people for forty-five minutes, followed by a larger group sharing for thirty minutes. We usually chant one of the reflections at the end, finishing with a cup of tea and chocolate until 4.30 pm. The Lay Forum is open to all, emphasizing valuing your extensive life experience and aspirations regardless of your familiarity with Buddhism, though committed practitioners are especially welcome. Some people may wish to stay on to meet with a monk or nun for the weekly teatime Q&A at 5.00 pm in one of the ground floor rooms of the Main House. The weekly guided meditation follows at 7.30 pm in the Dhamma Hall. As always, people are welcome to come earlier in the day and participate in the midday meal offering, which is at 10.30 am until the end of March. If you wish to receive the monastery newsletter and regular updates about Cittaviveka, please visit this website's Subscription Registration page.

A Dhamma talk will be offered every Saturday evening, beginning with chanting and silent meditation at 7.30 pm. Guided meditations occur each week on Sunday evenings at 7.30 pm, also live streamed via the monastery YouTube channel. On most Full and New Moons, the Cittaviveka community will hold a meditation vigil at 7.30 pm, continuing until midnight. The evening programme will include chanting, silent meditation and some form of a Dhamma teaching, either a reading or a recorded talk. Please feel free to join us for as much of the evening as you wish. You can download a calendar showing the lunar days using this link.

Use of the Dhamma Hall Visitors are now welcome to visit the monastery from early morning until the end of the group practice session that evening, i.e. evening pujas, guided meditations, Dhamma talks and midnight vigils. ​ We ask people to refrain from visiting the monastery if they are feeling unwell with symptoms of respiratory illnesses. Dhamma Teachings Commencing on 31 August, a Dhamma talk will be offered every Saturday evening, beginning with chanting and silent meditation at 7.30 pm. Guided meditations occur each week on Sunday evenings at 7.30 pm, also live streamed via the monastery YouTube channel. On most Full and New Moons, the Cittaviveka community will hold a meditation vigil at 7.30 pm, continuing until midnight. The evening programme will include chanting, silent meditation and some form of a Dhamma teaching, either a reading or a recorded talk. Please feel free to join us for as much of the evening as you wish. You can download a calendar showing the lunar days using this link. Sharing the Midday Meal Offering Now that it is winter, the midday meal offering is at 10.30 am. Making Food Offerings The arrangements for people wishing to offer prepared dishes for the meal will remain the same, taking dishes directly to the kitchen. Other requisites can also be offered at the house or in the Dhamma Hall. Monastery Routine Please visit our website to view the monastery's daily routine. As always, please regularly check our website for changes or updates. Also, please consider signing up for our e-newsletter and announcements. You can do this by visiting the Subscribe to Newsletter page on our website. Closing Time For those of you who plan to park a car within the monastery grounds, please note that the driveway generally closes at 9:00 pm when metal bollards block entry and exit. On nights when Dhamma talks and late-night vigils take place, closing time is fifteen minutes after the end of the gathering.

The weekly Sunday teatime Q&A with a senior monk or nun will take place on the ground floor of the main house starting at 5.00 pm. Everyone is welcome to stay afterwards and join in with the weekly guided meditation at 7.30 pm in the Dhamma Hall. The tea time Q&A does not happen during the months of January, February, and March (the annual Winter Retreat).

A PDF of the 2024 calendar is available for download from the forestsangha.org website. To obtain a printed copy we suggest you visit your nearest monastery and see if they still have any to distribute.

On Saturday 6 August 2022, George Sharp passed away peacefully at his home in north London, aged 89. From 1972 to 1995 he served as Chairman of The English Sangha Trust, and since then has remained a close friend and supporter of our sangha. In late 1976 he initiated the invitation to Ajahn Chah to come to England and establish the first monastery in the West in the tradition of the Forest Sangha. George was formerly an art director, as well as being an award winning artist, painter and illustrator. His work includes illustrations for James Clavell’s Thrump-O-Moto and M.M. Kaye’s Kipling. Here follows a brief account of George and his initial efforts to establish a Forest Sangha monastery in Britain, as recounted by Luang Por Sumedho: I was very impressed by George’s understanding of what was needed, that we weren’t going to be put in an impossible position of just becoming meditation teachers or writing newsletters. His whole emphasis was guided by the wisdom of Ajahn Maha Boowa and Ajahn Paññavaddho regarding the establishment of a forest monastery where the development of a bhikkhu could be made possible within the European setting. That impressed me so much that I encouraged George to come and visit Thailand and to meet Luang Por Chah, because I thought that he should at least come and see what our life is like. Living in a city townhouse is different from living in the Thai Forest tradition. But if George came to Wat Pah Pong in Ubon, then he would see for himself: ‘Is this what you really want?’