Dhammapala, Buddhist monastery in Kandersteg, Switzerland

Dhammapala is a Buddhist monastery in Kandersteg situated at about 1200 meters (3900 feet) elevation in the Swiss Alps, within the canton of Bern. The grounds accommodate meditation practice and are maintained by a small resident community that regularly receives visitors.

Swiss supporters of Ajahn Chah's Sangha invited two monks from Amaravati in 1988 to set up a Buddhist centre in Konolfingen near Bern. Growing interest led to the purchase of a larger house in Kandersteg in 1991. The Canadian monk Ajahn Thiradhammo served as senior monk and abbot for the first seventeen years.

The monastery follows the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravada Buddhism, and visitors can observe meditation practices that shape daily life here. The rhythm of monastic routines creates a space centered on inner work and contemplation.

The monastery sits in Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland, in the canton of Bern. Those wishing to stay or practise there should ask the monks in advance, since the community arranges spiritual advice, instruction in the teaching and introductions to Vipassana meditation for everyone who requests them. The monks also lead meditation groups in Switzerland and Germany and hold retreats elsewhere in Europe.

The first abbot, the Canadian monk Ajahn Thiradhammo, led the monastery for its first seventeen years. His successor Khemasiri, born in Magdeburg in 1950, handed the office to Abhinando, born in Hamburg in 1966, in October 2018.