The Buddhist Society of Western Australia was formed in 1973 with one overarching goal which persists to the present day: that people will be able to hear the Dhamma, practice the Dhamma and realise the Dhamma for themselves. The Dhamma is the teachings given by The Buddha over 2600 years ago, and those teachers point to an underlying and transcendent reality which everyone can experience directly for themselves. In order to see reality as it truly is without the fetters of craving and desire, the Buddha established a series of practices taken together are referred to as the Eightfold Path. This path of practice includes developing generosity and kindness, morality, and meditation, leading to the unfolding of wisdom.Since the time of the Buddha up until today, people across time and place have taken to the practice as both laymen and monastics in order to see the truth (dhamma) directly for themselves. This is the tradition which the Buddhist Society of Western Australia seeks to establish and sustain in the contemporary world, so that through practice people can realise the Dhamma for themselves and be free from suffering.The Gradual PathThe Buddha also referred to the practice as the Gradual Path as it unfolds gradually of time and in stages. The Buddhist Society of Western Australia seeks to support people striving to understand the human experience and escape from suffering at the stage where they are at. We offer free beginners courses in meditation to the general public as a first step. There are also numerous teachings on meditation available online to those new to meditation. For those wanting to take things further there are a range of practices that can be voluntarily adopted including the Five Precepts which is a morality practice aimed at reducing harm to others and refraining from the creation of unwholesome actions (kamma). There are also weekend and nine-day meditation retreats offered at our Jhana Grove Retreat Centre in Serpentine for those seeking to deepen their meditation. For those that want to take on a full-time commitment to practice, there is the option of spending time at one of our monasteries, or even ordaining as a monk or nun.The teachings are made available at different levels so that people interested in developing their understanding of the Buddhist teachings and their own practice can develop through progress stages as and when they are willing and able to do so.