Wat Thai Bhavana Ballarat group look to expand Buddhist spiritual offerings

In 2018, the region welcomed its first Buddhist temple at 19 Griffeys Lane, Mount Helen.

The temple, situated on a four-hectare block, is run by the Wat Thai Bhavana Ballarat group. It features a public meditation room, a living space for monks and a Buddhist shrine at the rear of the property.

Since 2018, Ballarat's buddhist community has risen with now more than 850 people identifying as Buddhist according to the 2021 census, up from 759 in 2016.

Monk Tommy Jitrsawand said it was this rationale which was behind their permit application to the City of Ballarat seeking to increase their occupancy from 60 to 100 people.

He said this would be especially important for celebrating Thailand's most revered Songkran festival, which marks the start of the Buddhist New Year, held in April.

"We can only have a maximum of 60 people on site at any one time, so we can't have the festival here (at the temple) because of the restrictions," Mr Jitrsawand said.

"If we can have our limit increased, then we could share more of our festivities and traditions as we have seen more people not just from the Thai community but from the Filipino, Sri Lankan and Indian communities come to the temple over the past five years."

Senior monk Ajahn Maha Chi said having the permit approved would also allow them to showcase more of their religious site and aid with their future plans.

"We're hoping to create three zones which cater to all different groups. We're looking to have the first zone which would be at the entrance of the temple in the gardens which will be open to anyone interested in Buddhism," Mr Chi said.

"We're planning to have signs and information panels letting people know more about Buddhism and they wouldn't have to approach a monk and they could visit at any time as the land belongs to us all.

"Our second zone would be for anyone wanting to speak to a monk and were wanting a monk's blessing or wanted to give offerings to the monks, whether that be food or donations.

"The third zone would be an accommodation for the monks, away from the public."

Mr Jitrsawand said their proposal, which had been prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, had taken inspiration from botanical gardens across the state.

"We want to be a freeing and welcoming space and I really liked how different botanical gardens were set out," he said.

He also said they felt compelled to submit the application now rather than later due to witnessing the dilemma other temples had endured trying to accomodate more worshippers.

"We saw some of the issues other temples faced because they didn't have the required permit to have more people and they had troubles getting it later on so we wanted to be proactive and get it hopefully in time for next year's Songkran festival," Mr Jitrsawand said.

Meditation sessions are held weekly and monthly at the temple. However, the monks are flexible in catering for people whose schedules may not fit with the designated time slots.

"If someone is wanting to learn the practice of meditation we're happy to find a time more suitable to them," Mr Jitrsawand said.

The religious site is open five days a week with closures on Friday and Saturday. Although, it can be opened upon request for special prayers if a devotee has had a loved one die.

Included in their application is a plan to create three bathrooms.

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