Mahapajapati Monastery is a meditation monastery for women dedicated to living the Buddha’s teachings. We are a monastic and contemplative community in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, and as such, we value both solitude and social harmony. We invite you to share in our simple, quiet life of practice and study.

The monastery is in Pioneertown, California, on eighty acres of high desert in the southern part of the state. Founded in 2007 by Therese Duchesne, Mahapajapati Monastery was under the guidance of Ayya Gunasari as invited abbess until 2020, and Ayya Ñāņadīpa since 2023.

May all beings be well and happy!

With Metta,
Mahāpajāpatī Bhikkhunī Sangha

• 
  May 2023 Dhamma Journal – Purpose and Benefits of Meditation
  Dear Mahāpajāpati Dhamma Friends, This month we continue the Comprehensive Survey of Buddhist Meditation chapter with the Purpose and Benefits of Meditation. May you be well, happy, and peaceful. 1.3. Purpose and Benefits of Meditation Along with the popularity of meditation in modern days, the youthand the aged alike pursue meditation with different purposes. Somepeople…

  Continue reading →

• 
  Huts (Kuṭis) Fund Raising
  Dear Mahapajapati Dhamma friends, Recently, there are a lot of meditators signing up small huts for self-retreat at Mahapajapati. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough huts to accommodate them. Therefore, Mahapajapati needs 4 more huts (kuṭis) to provide accommodation to meditators. Each hut estimate costs $5,000. One can donate one hut, or donate as much as one can afford. Please…

  Continue reading →

• 
  April 2023 Dhamma Journal – Popularity of Meditation within the Domain of Medical Science
  Dear Mahāpajāpati Dhamma Friends, This month we continue the Comprehensive Survey of Buddhist Meditation chapter with the Various Interpretations of the term ‘Meditation’. May you be well, happy, and peaceful. 1.2. Various Interpretations of the term ‘Meditation’ The word ‘meditation’ comes from the Latin word ‘meditāriī’, which has a range of meanings including reflecting on,…

  Continue reading →

• 
  March 2023 Dhamma Journal – Popularity of Meditation within the Domain of Medical Science
  Dear Mahāpajāpati Dhamma Friends, This month we continue the Comprehensive Survey of Buddhist Meditation chapter with Meditation’s popularity in the Medical Science domain. May you be well, happy, and peaceful. 1.1. Popularity of Meditation within the Domain of Medical Science. Researchers have learned that meditation has been used since antiquity as a component of numerous…

  Continue reading →

• 
  February 2023 Dhamma Journal – A Comprehensive Survey of Buddhist Meditation
  Dear Mahāpajāpati Dhamma Friends, How are you? Hope you are all doing well. We would like to inform you that from now on, every month we will share with you a topic regarding our thesis. Hopefully, it will help to strengthen your knowledge of meditation. May you be well, happy, and peaceful. Chapter 1 –…

  Continue reading →

• 
  Mahapajapati Foundation Announcement
  Dear Mahāpajāpati Dhamma Friends, We have good news! After consultation with the elder bhikkhus, the bhikkhunī Sanghas, and the Mahāpajāpati community, and after meeting with the Board members.  we have made the decision to keep the Mahāpajāpati Foundation intact.  This is in honor of Mahāpajāpati, the aunt of the Buddha.  This is also in honor of Ayya Gunasari,…

  Continue reading →