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
Mahapajapati Monastery 