About Witheren Heights Buddhist Monastery
A quiet forest sanctuary devoted to meditation, mindfulness and Buddhist practice.
Witheren Heights Buddhist Monastery exists as a quiet space for meditation and reflection, set within a forest that has been left largely to itself. There is no crowd here, no rush — only trees, light, and the slow rhythm of the day. Visitors are welcomed with the same quiet attention the forest itself offers: a place to sit, to walk, and to be still.
Our Purpose
Our purpose is simple: to offer a peaceful setting for meditation, mindfulness and compassionate living, rooted in Buddhist practice. We hope that anyone who spends time here — whether for an afternoon or a single quiet hour — leaves a little more settled than they arrived.
Our Forest Setting
Silence and simplicity are at the heart of this place. Surrounded by forest, the monastery draws on the natural quiet of the land itself — the sound of wind through the trees, the slow change of light through the day, and the stillness that comes from being away from noise and distraction.
Our Meditation Huts
Two simple meditation huts sit within the forest, each a quiet space for individual practice. They are unadorned by design — a place to sit, breathe and be still, without distraction. Both huts are used for meditation only.
Neither hut is set up for overnight accommodation, and there is no fixed schedule attached to their use — they exist simply as still places within a still forest, available when quietly needed.
Our Guiding Values
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Simplicity
Keeping life and practice uncomplicated, close to the essentials.
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Compassion
Meeting ourselves and others with kindness and understanding.
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Mindfulness
Staying gently present, moment by moment.
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Respect for Nature
Treating the forest as a teacher and a home to be cared for.
A Few Traditional Sayings
Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.
The DhammapadaWhen you realize nothing is lacking, the whole world belongs to you.
Zen ProverbThe quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.
Buddhist Teaching