The Pannarama Buddhist Meditation Centre of New Zealand was created to offer individuals an opportunity to understand Buddha's teachings and practice meditation under the guidance of a skillful teacher. As part of the International Buddhist Sati (Vipassana) Meditation Group we want to help others to gain freedom from selfishness, anger, grief, prejudice and narrow thinking. We hope to help others cultivate a clean and beautiful mind, and thereby wisdom and compassion for the creation of peace and happiness for everyone in the world.

We offer free meditation practice at all our centres: New Zealand, India and Korea and hope to create many more Pannarama Sati schools around the globe. We believe that this type of Buddhist training is the best path to happiness and freedom. The New Zealand centre, surrounded by native bush, is a quiet oasis for retreat from your daily activities and busy environment. Within this beautiful setting you can relax your mind and rediscover your connection with nature and other people.

At the New Zealand centre we are very lucky to have an energetic and insightful teacher - Yasala Bhante. Born in Korea in 1964 she became a Buddhist nun in 1984. She spent 4 years in the Unmun Temple Sangha College. Following college Yasala completed meditation training in the Zen and Sati traditions in Korea and Myanmar. Yasala Bhante first followed the 'great vehicle' - Mahayana Buddhism, but over time has come to be an adherent of Theraveda due to it's closeness to early Buddhism. A student of Pali, she is enthusiastic to understand and teach the original doctrine of the Buddha, free from cultural interpretations. She has attended the International Sati Camp in Bodhgaya, India to study the early dhamma books written in Pali and practice the original Buddhist meditation training.

In 2002 Yasala Bhante began teaching in Korea and New Zealand and in 2007 was gifted land north of Kerikeri in Takou Bay for the creation of a meditation centre. As of April 2008 we have created a Charitable Trust to facilitate the maintenance of the land, development of the local Buddhist community and building of a new meditation hall.