Ajahn Vayama

The abbess of Dhammasara Nuns Monastery is Ajahn Vayama, an Australian Bhikkhuni, who was ordained in Sri Lanka in 1985, and who spent the first ten years of her monastic life there. She afterwards spent a year with the community of Ajahn Sumedho, a disciple of Ajahn Chah, at Amaravati Monastery in England, before returning to live in Australia.

In 1998 the Buddhist Society of Western Australia invited her to take up the position of Abbess of the Dhammasara Nun's Monastery. She has been living on the land since December 1998. The life of the monastery, the daily offering of the meal by devoted lay supporters, and teaching of the Dhamma by Ajahn Vayama, has been continuing since that time. Over the years Ajahn Vayama has given numerous talks to the lay community at Dhammaloka Buddhist Centre. Her recordings are widely available on the Internet. Apart form giving daily Dhamma talks at her monastery and offering personal councelling/interviews to the lay community there, she has also been teaching in prisons, attending to the ill and dying in hospital and holding wedding and funeral services.

At her monastery the first trainee nun, Anagarika Elisabeth, upon completing her two years training, became ordained as sister Nirodha in May 2003. She thereby became the first Theravada nun to be ordained in Western Australia. Veverable Seri was ordained in July 2004. And Venerable Hasapanna was ordained in May 2006. Venerable Mudita was the first Perth-born nun to be ordained at her monastery.

While monastery facilities have grown and the Sangha has increased to 4 nuns and 3 anagarikas during the 2009 Rains Retreat, Ajahn has lately stepped back from giving Dhamma talks to large audiences. She is receiving some medical treatment and is concentrating on teaching the nuns as well as focusing on intense personal practice. Her health continue to improve steadily.  To hear her teachings it is best to come for Dana (daily meal offering) at Dhammasara monastery where she gives a Dhamma talk and offers personal interviews.

Ajahn Vayama has also been very active in making full Bhikkuni ordination available at Dhammasara Monastery. In traditional Theravadan Buddhist countries the female Sangha has died out over the centuries, leaving only a handful of 10-precept (lesser) nuns and Mai-Chees living the monastic life. She is a keen proponent of the restoration of the ancient Bhikkuni tradtion established by the Buddha two and a half thousand years ago. Ajahn Vayama and her nuns were ordained as full Bhikkhunis in October 2009.