Opportunities are now open to aspiring & supportive women for stewardship at our new Dhammadharini Monastery in Penngrove.

The Dhammadharini Monastery is a rural monastic residence for women, located 45 miles north of San Francisco, at the western foot of Sonoma Mountain. At the monastery, there is a regular schedule of meditation and Dhamma study for residents and local friends. The participation of friends from diverse backgrounds makes for a rich blend of Buddhist cultures.

Our monastics are fully dedicated to realizing the teachings of the Buddha, manifesting this Dhamma in every aspect of life. In the spirit of lovingkindness and generosity, we freely share the teachings of the Buddha with all who come. Bhikkhunis (the fully ordained monastics of this tradition) do not use money, engage in business or keep stored up wealth – not even stored up food. As the Buddha himself lived and guided the original Sangha, our bhikkhunis depend entirely on the freewill generosity of othersfor their daily requisites of life. 

Friends and supporters have blessed our monastic community with a beautiful space for practice as well as the requisite of food. This leaves a few simple duties shared among residents and residential visitors: preparing food, keeping the spaces clean and maintained, transportation and minor purchases. During the initial period at our new monastery, there will also be projects setting up the space for full residency and use.

Please contact us to apply for a visit for up to two weeks for your first visit, or for a longer stay for those who have been with us before.

Long or short-term stewardship has been an important support for the bhikkhus and bhikkhunis’ way of life from ancient times. Offering a period of service as a steward offers the offerer herself time to stay closely together with the monastic sangha, to participate in our way of contemplative life, and can be one way to explore one's interest in monastic ordination. Stewards are the conduits and caretakers of the generosity and kindness of the whole community, a position in which many streams of merit converge. 

Opportunities at Aranya Bodhi Hermitage

It is also possible to have residential visits to Aranya Bodhi, Dhammadharini's forest hermitage on the Sonoma Coast, or to alternate your time between the two settings. Aranya Bodhi, go here.