Registration for Day Visitors

Aranya Refuge Theravada Buddhist Monastery has rented Tugwell Cottage, near Sooke, BC, for two months in February/March 2025.

Bhikkhus from Metta Forest Monastery (Wat Metta) will be in residence, with some monks staying for a month and others for 2-week periods.

Tugwell Cottage is in rural Sooke, BC. Guests are welcome to meditate in the meditation hall and join the daily schedule of a Theravada Buddhist monastery. The location offers a large open yard with a creek running through the property. The house has a large wrap-around deck available for outdoor walking or sitting meditation. A forest and trails are nearby, offering a wilderness refuge suitable for forest monks in the Thai Forest tradition. The monks will stay in a separate house on an adjacent property.

Tugwell Cottage is approximately 15 minutes by car from downtown Sooke and 50 km from downtown Victoria.

We welcome applications for Day Visitors from Sunday, February 2, through to Sunday, March 30, 2025.

Tugwell Cottage, Sooke BC

Please see the Monastery Etiquette and Visitor Guidelines that includes:

If you are dropping in to only offer food, please arrive no later than 8:30am.
Please bring items that are cooked/prepared and ready to be offered.
Please indicate what you will be bringing so that the cooks can plan accordingly.
If you would like more information about what to bring, contact us at registrar@aranyarefuge.org.

If you are joining the monastery for a full day, please arrive no later than 8am.

If you are joining the monastery for just the morning meditation and, or the evening meditation gathering, please arrive at least 10 minutes before the start of the meditation so you can get settled.

Your stay will be confirmed by the organizers upon completion of this Participant Agreement.