About Us

The long-lasting dream of the Slovak Buddhist sangha was materialized and Javorie, a Theravada Meditation Centre was opened in 2013. Slovakia has gained a very enjoyable space for practicing Satipatthana-Vipassana meditation. Bhante Sujiva, who has been coming to Slovakia for over 20 years, is our mentor. We have welcomed numerous distinguished teachers in the Centre, we have organized many meditation courses, and we have provided access to the public of Buddha’s teaching.

We have sought to create a site where people can meditate without being disturbed and can engage in intensive meditation practices.

The Centre is situated in Central Slovakia near the town of Zvolen. The complex consists of the main building with 13 rooms, two meditation rooms, a kitchen and a dining room. In summer the guests can use also 14 kuties (cabins) with outdoor toilettes/bathrooms.

Monks, teachers and organizers can also be accommodated in three larger cabins (Sati, Samadhi, Panna) with their own bathrooms and kitchenettes . Plus we have two more kuties (Viriya, Viveka) outside of our premises, these are designed especially for retreats for monks, but could be used for yogis as well. The Centre complex covers a two-hectare area amidst forest in the Javorie Mountains.

In summer season meditations can be made outdoors in the forest, just like at Buddha’s time! We have our own spring and check its water on a regular basis. We seek to be environment-friendly, we cook healthy and by zero waste standards thanks to BezOdpadu.sk, we sort waste, we have a biological waste-water treatment unit, we plant trees and we are going to start a garden.