Name: Metta Forest Monastery
Item: Metta Forest Monastery
Author: Send an Enquiry

Metta Forest Monastery is a meditation monastery in the lineage of the Thai Forest Tradition. Founded in 1990 by Ajaan Suwat Suvaco, it has been under the direction of Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Ajaan Geoff) as abbot and meditation teacher since 1993. Their Dhamma teachings and more information about Buddhism, meditation and the Thai Forest Tradition can be found at dhammatalks.org.

The Monastery is outside of Valley Center, California at the end of a road in an avocado orchard surrounded by the mountains and chaparral of northern San Diego County.

Being a monastery, its primary purpose is to give men the opportunity to ordain as bhikkhus to practice in line with Dhamma and Vinaya (training rules) taught by the Buddha over 2,500 years ago. Currently there are nine American monks and one Thai monk in residence.

Laymen and laywomen are also welcomed at the Monastery to practice in line with the Buddha’s teachings. Please see the visitor Information pages about day visits and overnight retreats.

Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu was born Geoffrey DeGraff in 1949 and was introduced to the Buddha's teaching on the Four Noble Truths as a high schooler,during a plane ride from the Philippines.[2] After graduating in 1971 with a degree in European Intellectual History from Oberlin College, he travelled to Thailand, where he practiced meditation under Ajaan Fuang Jotiko, who had studied under Ajaan Lee. He was ordained in 1976 at Ajaan Lee's Wat Asokaram, where Ajaan Lee's nephew, Phra Rajvarakhun (Samrong Gunavuddho), served as preceptor for his ordination. Later, he took residence at Wat Dhammasathit in Thailand, where he continued studying under Ajaan Fuang.[3]

Before Ajaan Fuang's death in 1986, he expressed his wish for Ajaan Geoff to become abbot of Wat Dhammasathit. Some time after his teacher's death, Ajaan Geoff was offered the position of abbot, but with "strings... attached" and no authority since he was a Westerner in a monastery founded by and for Thai monks. Instead of taking that position, he travelled to San Diego County in 1991, upon request of Ajaan Suwat Suvaco, where he helped start Metta Forest Monastery.[2] He became abbot of the monastery in 1993.[3] In 1995, Ajaan Geoff became the first American-born, non-Thai bhikkhu to be given the title, authority, and responsibility of Preceptor (Upajjhaya) in the Dhammayut Order. He also serves as Treasurer of that order in the United States.

5:30 ‒ 6:35
Morning meditation

After a few minutes of chanting, the monk plays a recorded Dhamma talk at the beginning of the hour’s meditation.
6:45 ‒ 8:30
Morning chores

Ask one of the long-term guests what would be helpful.
8:30
Alms round

The monks walk on their alms round down the road to the kitchen area where the laypeople put rice in their bowls.
8:45
The monks’ meal

The rest of the food brought or cooked by the laypeople is offered to the monks at the sala
9:00
Morning chanting

After offering the meal the laypeople perform the morning chanting. On Sundays the senior monk leads the laypeople in chanting the ceremony for taking the Five Precepts.
9:30
The laypeople’s meal

The laypeople have a potluck meal at the kitchen area.
10:00 ‒ 11:00
Cleanup

Cleanup after the meal.
11:00am ‒ 5:00pm
The afternoon

Each visitor is assigned an individual sitting platform and walking path in the orchard, and is free to structure the time for walking or sitting meditation, study or resting as he or she sees fit.
5:00 ‒ 5:30
Q & A

A question and answer session with Taan Ajaan Geoff about the Dhamma and meditation practice.
5:30 ‒ 7:00
Afternoon chores

The monks or the long-term guests will let you know what would be helpful. If you have special skills make sure to let them know.
8:00 ‒ 9:20
Evening meditation

The evening session consists of about 20 minutes of chanting followed by an hour’s meditation. Taan Ajaan Geoff usually gives a Dhamma talk with meditation instructions for the first 10 or 20 minutes of the sit.
9:20 ‒ bedtime
Nighttime

The rest of the night is free for walking or sitting meditation, study, or resting.

Reservations

If you would like to come for an overnight visit, just call or write to make a reservation.

All spots for guests are usually taken 2 to 3 months in advance, but you can call on shorter notice in case of cancellations. Usually, there are five to twenty visitors at any one time. Summer is the high season despite the hot weather.

First-time guests are allowed to stay a maximum of two weeks.
Generally

There are no scheduled retreats at the Monastery as there are at most meditation retreat centers. Rather, the Monastery is always in “retreat” mode, and visitors drop into and out of the routine according to their own schedules. All visitors are asked to observe the Eight Precepts and to participate fully in the daily schedule of the Monastery.
Lodgings

Our accommodations are very simple. There are 8’x 8’ wooden platforms in the shade of the avocado orchard where tents can be pitched. Each platform has an accompanying walking path for meditation. There is also a dormitory-style 8-room guesthouse. The rooms are private and have a sleeping platform with some storage and a space heater, but no air-conditioning. The guesthouse has 2 full-baths and a half-bath.

The tent-dwellers have bathroom and shower privileges in the guesthouse and bathhouse, and space to keep some toiletries. There are almost always some vacant platforms and walking paths in the orchard for the guesthouse-dwellers to use for meditation.

If you’re not sure which, stay on a platform. If you can’t camp in San Diego, you can’t anywhere. See the page on the weather.
Food

The sixth of the eight precepts basically limits overnight visitors to one meal per day. If you have a medical condition or other compelling reason to be exempted from this precept please call to alert one of the monks to your situation.

The food at the Monastery is not vegetarian as is sometimes assumed. The monks respect the generosity of all the laypeople and do not refuse any offerings of food. The food available to lay visitors is the same as what’s first offered to the monks. If you have special dietary needs due to illness or allergies, please call to confirm that the kitchen will be able to accommodate them. Lacto-ovo vegetarians do well enough as long as they’re not set on absolute purity. The Monastery cannot accommodate vegan diets as it’s proven to be too disruptive.
Free

We don’t charge for room or board, or, of course, teachings. Everything is provided in the spirit of generosity by the monks and supporters of the Monastery.

You should bring:

a tent (if you’re going to use one)
a sleeping bag or bed linens
a pillow (if you’re going to use one)
a sleeping pad
a towel
a flashlight
an alarm clock or watch
shoes or boots you can garden or work in
comfortable, loose-fitting clothing (see also weather and monastery etiquette)
your own snacks if you have special dietary needs and cannot follow the 6th Precept in the evenings
Avoid bringing personal snacks that require refrigeration, as the Monastery usually doesn’t have extra space in the fridges.
Avoid bringing snacks or supplements that require cooking.

You might bring:

an umbrella
a sun hat
sun screen
a personal water bottle

You don’t need to bring:

meditation cushions (We have a large and varied supply, but you can bring your own if you want.)
electronic devices such as microwave ovens, hair dryers, and irons. The Monastery has a solar system with limited power. More efficient devices such as smart phones and laptops are okay, but you might consider leaving them behind anyway.
a wardrobe full of clothes as there are no washers and dryers available. There are tubs for hand-washing and clothes lines for drying.

Metta Forest Monastery

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