Welcome to Cittaviveka! Or at least a brief tour of it... Cittaviveka (pronounced chitta-vee-vayka) is also known as Chithurst Buddhist Monastery and is a monastery in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism, more specifically in the lineage of the Thai forest masters. As such it is a residence for bhikkhus (monks) and siladharas (nuns), where their life of training in ethics, meditation and renunciation can be supported in a quiet rural environment. The monastery is not a retreat centre, but a living environment of woodland, ponds, wildlife – and human dwellings. Here, through ethical guidelines, meditation and community work, we practise living in harmony. The community welcomes men and women who wish to visit, stay as guests or make a commitment to the monastic life. Like the Buddha’s teaching, the beauty and peace of Cittaviveka can only be experienced by entering into it; however, this website is an invitation for you to browse and ‘come and see’ for yourself in advance.

About this site

The various sections of the website may give you a feel for the monastery and address your initial enquiries.

About this Place is a guided tour of the monastery that presents its ethos, aims and style, along with a backward glance at where we’ve come from in the past 2,500 years.

Visiting and Staying tells how to get here, when, and also what standards you should observe in the monastery. It outlines the daily routines and the shifts of program for each season. Also if you’re thinking of taking up monastic training for a period of time, this is where to look.

News is what it says: an occasional newsletter that tells you what’s going on (there’s generally not much). Mostly it connects you to the human current of the monastery.

Support lets you know how you can help out, offer service, or make donations.

Teachings is a periodically renewed sampling of the teachings given at Cittaviveka, or by the teachers resident here.

Images presents some aspects of the environment - some 160 acres of woodland, wooden huts and traditional stone buildings - that provides the tranquil context for our practice.

Links connects you to other monasteries, and to places where you can download talks from various teachers in this lineage.

Contact - our address and phone number should you wish to make specific enquiries.