Dhammasala Forest Monastery is Buddhist temple, monastery and meditation center located on 28 acres of forested land in Perry Michigan. The monastery includes a temple, living quarters for the monks, walking paths and meditation shelters.
Founded in 2000 by Ajahn Khemasanto, the purpose of Dhammasala is to give monks the opportunity to practice in line with the Dhamma (doctrine) and Vinaya (training rules) taught by the Buddha over 2,500 year ago.
Dhammasala also invites visitors to learn and practice in line with the Buddha’s teachings.
Asalha Puja and the Rains retreat – Saturday, July 16, 2022
Asalha is the lunar month of July. It is a celebration of the Buddha’s first Dhamma talk given to the five former ascetics whom he once practiced with. This first Dhamma talk is called the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (the turning of the Dhamma wheel). This Sutta is concerned with the middle way between self-torture and a life of pleasure. The Buddha went on to explain the Four Noble Truths and lays out the teaching for the first time. The end of this talk was beginning of the teaching and the beginning of the order of monks. This took place on a full moon night at the deer refuge at the meeting place of the seers near Varanasi. Also, Saturday is the beginning of the rains-retreat for Buddhist monks. The rains-retreat lasts for three months and is a time when monks do not travel unless it is Dhamma business. The rains retreat is a time for renewed effort in practice. (note: the actual date for Asalha is the 13th and rains is 14th)
The day’s schedule will be as follows:
Day’s Schedule:
Morning:
10:00 AM taking the precepts and chanting
10:30 AM Alms round
11:00 AM food offerings
12:00 PM offerings to the monks and donations to Dhammasala followed by Dhamma Talks in Thai/English
Evening:
5:30PM Dhamma Talk in English
6:00-6:30PM Meditation.
Dhammasala Forest Monastery
14780 Beardslee Rd.
Perry, MI
Te: 517-675-1010
Daily and Weekly Events
Food offering –daily from 10:30 am to noon
Offering food to monks is one of the oldest traditions in Buddhism. Daily beginning at 10:30 am, visitors bring prepared foods to offer the monks.
Dhamma class–Saturdays from 5:30 to 6:30
Classes restart May 21, 2022. Please bring & wear a KN95 or better mask while indoors.
Format is 30 minutes of Q&A plus 30 minutes of meditation.
Grounds maintenance–Saturdays from 3:00 to 5:00 pm
Dhammasala seeks volunteers to help with basic grounds work and maintenance.
