The community consists of monks, novices and postulants from a wide range of nationalities, usually numbering around eight Sangha members.
When, in 1980, a group of local yoga students tried to find a suitable cottage which they could offer as a retreat facility to the Sangha, farmer John Wake of Harnham Hall, Harnham, near Belsay responded, and they agreed to rent one of his farm cottages.
The primary focus for Aruna Ratanagiri monastery is to provide and maintain a sanctuary suitable for the training and ongoing practice of Theravada bhikkhus, in keeping with the Pali Vinaya and forest tradition of Northeast Thailand.
Today, through freely distributed books and Dhamma talks, regular discussion groups and Sunday evening talks, and also in the context of more than five times yearly meditation retreats, Harnham offers spiritual support for practitioners far and wide.
Monks from Harnham regularly visit affiliated Buddhist meditation groups in the north east of England and Scotland.