It soon became apparent that the time had come to search for a place to establish a proper monastery. In the summer of 1978, a generous benefactor offered 108 acres of woodland, Hammer Wood, located in West Sussex. In 1979, Chithurst House - less than half a mile away from the forest - came up for sale with its outbuildings and land. The Trust sold the Hampstead Vihara and purchased it immediately.

Another benefactor purchased a small cottage adjacent to Hammer Wood as residence for the nuns, allowing training for women to be established in England for the first time.

These became Cittaviveka, Chithurst Buddhist Monastery, the first Forest Monastery in Britain.