☸️ Successful Two-Month Monastery at Tugwell Cottage, Sooke
Dear Dhamma Friends,
We're pleased to share the positive outcomes of our Two-Month Monastery program held from February to March 2025 in Sooke, BC. This extended monastery experience built upon previous successful programs and represented an important milestone in Aranya Refuge's efforts toward establishing a permanent monastery on Vancouver Island.
⏱️ A Glimpse into Monastery Life
The two houses on adjoining properties at Tugwell Cottage provided an amenable setting for the monks' residence and the community space, including a living room converted into a Sala. The wood stove in the Lay House created a warm atmosphere during cool days, with monks taking on the task of splitting kindling and transporting firewood.
Following a schedule similar to Wat Mettā, days began early with meditation practice time, group sitting, chanting, and a guided meditation or Dhamma talk from Than Ajaan Geoff.
As the day progressed, monks would clean the Sala by sweeping, dusting, and stocking firewood, while lay people took care of the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms. Lay people cooked for the monks, and the community gathered daily for the meal offering, with monks giving blessings before the meal. Both overnight guests and day visitors who came for dana at mealtime participated in this important tradition.
A quiet period from 11am to 5pm provided space for deeper practice, with optional group sits scheduled at noon and mid-afternoon.
Evenings brought the community together again to gather with the monks. The evening sessions included Q&A sessions at tea time, chanting, making merit for the deceased, listening to a Dhamma talk from Than Ajaan Geoff, and a group sit.
🌲 Natural Beauty and Wilderness Practice
The temporary monastery setting offered a blend of shelter and wilderness. The surrounding forests provided abundant opportunities for walking meditation and reflection. The monks often remarked on the "moss-covered rocks that made it look ancient" among the huge cedars, arbutus trees and other diverse plant life in the forest.
Visitors and residents alike appreciated the "extensive network of trails" behind the cottages, with frequent wildlife sightings enriching the connection to nature. Deer became regular visitors to the backyard. The gentle rain created a peaceful soundtrack for practice, though one volunteer noted with amusement that umbrellas became "essential walking companions" for outdoor meditation.
"You can practice anywhere, cold, hot, rain, dry," reflected Than Peter. "All have challenges but it's about willingness to make it work."
The group organized occasional day trips to nearby natural wonders, including beaches with views of the cascading Olympic mountains to the south, or others with stunning waterfalls crashing directly onto the shore. These excursions provided opportunities to practice mindfulness in different settings while enjoying the region's remarkable coastal beauty.
👥 Community in Practice
The two-month monastery program welcomed 35 overnight guests and 14 day visitors, creating a vibrant community dedicated to Dhamma practice. Approximately three-quarters of participants came from Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, with the remainder traveling from further away.
The week-long stays for most participants created a good atmosphere of connection. Tea times provided casual opportunities for residents and visitors to get to know one other. One volunteer mentioned how a particularly rainy day led to an interesting Dhamma discussion about impermanence as the group watched "patterns form in puddles outside the Sala windows."
From these shared experiences emerged a sense of gratitude.
Anumodana to all who contributed—in person, online, or with interest and goodwill from afar—to make this year's program a success.
📅 Upcoming Events
August 9-10, 2025: Teachings in Victoria with Than Ajaan Geoff
Than Ajaan Geoff will offer teachings at Goward House in Victoria. This hybrid event (available both in-person and via Zoom) is co-hosted with the Victoria Insight Meditation Society and Aranya Refuge. Official announcement and registration will open 4 weeks before the event.
February-March 2026: Two-Month Monastery Program
We're pleased to announce we'll be returning to Tugwell Cottage for our next two-month monastery program. Announcements and registration will open in October 2025.
📢 Community Updates
Wat Mettā recently held a Sima consecration ceremony. (see photos and video)
Than Ajaan Geoff is currently teaching in Europe: April 21-30 at Monastère de Ségriès in France on the theme "Desire", and May 1-8 in Poland with events in Warsaw, Kraków, and Łódź.
We welcome Tiara Letourneau, who has joined the Aranya Refuge Board of Directors.
🙏 In Loving Memory
Remembering June Fukushima and her contributions to Aranya Refuge. We will miss June's presence and we recollect all the positive contributions she made in her life, including her dedication to making the Dhamma available to so many.
In loving memory.
Questions?
Send us an email: registrar@aranyarefuge.org
Anumodana for supporting the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha to take roots in a wilderness home on Vancouver Island.
Monastery for Two Months Operations team and volunteers: Brock Brown, Kiko Brown, Duncan Murphy, Metta VanderVliet
Registration Team Volunteers: Kiko Brown, Suzan Denis, Brock Brown, Sihan Lin, Irfan Pirbhai
Aranya Refuge Board of Directors: Than Ajaan Geoff, Brock Brown, Jacqui Balfour, Russ Callaghan, June Fukushima (in loving memory), Irfan Pirbhai, Tiara Letourneau
“Recently, when we were in Canada, camping in the Kootenay mountains, we camped next to Kootenay River, which is not an especially large river, but the current is extremely fast. It’s very strong. Whole trees have been carried off by the river. You had the sense that if you went down into the river, you had no idea: Maybe a tree right under the surface of the water could come along to knock the wind out of you and carry you off, too.
So you can understand why the Buddha used, as one of his main images of life, a swift-flowing river that you have to get across. Change happens so quickly in life, it can be so strong, that it can knock the wind out of you and carry you off.
What you need is some way to get across the river. The image he has is of a raft. The raft is the noble eightfold path. The standard image is that you take the raft across the river and as you finally start approaching the other bank, there comes a point where your feet can touch the bottom of a river. That’s called gaining a foothold. It’s a symbol for your first experience of the deathless. You gain a foothold in the deathless. Then, ultimately, you get up, out of the river. You stand on high ground. That’s nibbana. At that point, you’re totally safe. At that point, you don’t even need the raft anymore.”
Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu
Crossing The River
June 14, 2006