A traveler's guide to Buddhist meditation retreats in Thailand
Since I've traveled to (and at times lived in) Thailand every year since 1998, I'm occasionally asked to recommend a Buddhist meditation retreat for long-term travelers. I can easily recommend some specific starting points for practicing meditation in Thailand (and if you keep reading, you'll find a few recommendations below), but over time I've found that it's more instructive to just tell people this: Find your own damn Buddhist meditation retreat!
In saying this, I'm not being grumpy and standoffish -- it really is good travel advice. Far too often, Western Buddhists (and prospective Buddhists) travel to Asia like it's one big spiritual shopping mall, flitting from monastery to monastery without ever wandering out to truly experience the host country. And while I can appreciate these people's enthusiasm, this is a very limited and superficial way to explore the Buddhist faith.
By pointing this out, I don't mean to disparage the Thai monasteries that help instruct Western seekers. Rather, my point is that you shouldn't pick-and-choose your spiritual quest like it was something that can be ordered from a catalogue. Religion may be divinely inspired, but it also comes into being within a socio-cultural context. Unless you allow yourself to wander away from the wats and see how normal Thais practice their Buddhism, you'll only be "accessorizing" your own Western socio-cultural notions with convenient, smooth-edged Buddhist ones.
So my advice is this: Travel to Thailand, but save the monasteries for last. Give yourself a month (if you have the time -- and I recommend that you make the time, for example booking a Bangkok hotel room ahead of time will save you time)) to wander the country, north and south, jungles and beaches, Bangkok and Isaan. It's dirt cheap to travel in Thailand, so knock yourself out. Go on a trek. Learn to scuba dive. Talk to everyone -- Thais and travelers, rural villagers and middle-class urbanites -- and listen to what they have to say. If it comes up in the conversation, ask people about Buddhism, or Buddhist meditation. Watch how people live. Enjoy the backpacker hangouts if that's your thing -- but try to get off the travel-circuit and explore small, everyday Thai towns. Learn Thai phrases and make Thai friends.
After a month of this, your visa will have expired, and you will have probably have fallen in love with Thailand. Perfect. Now pop across the border, renew your visa, and come back to Thailand. Not only will you know by then what kind of meditation center best suits your interests -- you'll also have an experience of Thailand that is far more intimate and authentic than what you'd have experienced walled up in some monastery. You'll also have a better idea of the role Buddhism plays in the lives of the people who've been practicing it for thousands of years -- and not just the role it can play in your California (or wherever) lifestyle.
Some more serious Western Buddhists might balk at this advice, claiming that they want to spend the entirety of their travel time studying meditation -- not gallivanting around doing seemingly frivolous activities. But for these people, I think the normal experience of a Buddhist country is even more important: It will help them understand the socio-cultural context of their discipline. Even if your vacation time is short, it's worth it to make the time to see Thailand (or any country) as a layperson as well as a seeker.
For people who are really serious about their Buddhism, I might also offer an additional challenge: While you are still in the West, seek out and spend some time with some sincere Christians and Jews. After all, if you were raised in the West, you probably have innate Judeo-Christian values (such as individualism and humanism) that don't exactly mesh with certain Eastern values (such as duty and fatalism). Thus, unless you can appreciate the positive application of Western spiritual values, you might have trouble reconciling your old Western instincts with your new Eastern disciplines. Buddhism does not require the rejection of other religions, and many people (such as the Catholic monk and philosopher Thomas Merton, who met with the Dalai Lama back in the sixties) have found that the best way to embrace Buddhism is to use its principles to inform and expand their traditional Christian or Jewish faith. (This will obviously require a rather liberal reading of Christianity or Judaism -- but just because you don't see open-minded Judeo-Christians on the evening news doesn't mean they don't exist.)
OK, having said all that, I'm sure there are still a few people out there who honestly don't have the time to sniff out their own Buddhist experience in Asia. Thus, here are three good starting points for those interested in experiencing Buddhist meditation in Thailand:
Bangkok:
International Buddhist Meditation Center
Lardprao Lane 15
Bangkok 10900
+66 (02) 511-0439
South Thailand:
Suan Mokkh (Garden of Liberation)
Amphur Chaiya
Surat Thani 84110
North Thailand:
Northern Insight Meditation Center (Wat Rampoeng)
Tambon Suthep
Amper Muang
Chiang Mai 50000
+66 (053) 278-620
For more comprehensive information about Buddhist meditation centers in Thailand, try this online guide:
Meditation Centres in Thailand
Finally, if you're new to Theravada Buddhism and the fundamentals of Buddhist mediation, here are three books that will lend insight:
What the Buddha Taught, by Walpola Rahula
A simple and relevant introduction to Theravada Buddhism.
The Heart of Buddhist Meditation, by Nyanaponika Thera
A good introduction to the Buddha's "Way of Mindfulness".
Mindfulness in Plain English, by Henepola Gunaratana
Another good nuts-and-bolts manual to basic Buddhist meditation.
Image: ecodallaluna (flickr)
2005-01-03 19:09
Wonderful advice! I completely agree!
I spent three months volunteering in Thailand with the Burma Volunteer Program. It turned into one of the best experiences of my life. I taught refugees and Buddhist monks. Check out the website www.burmavolunteer.com to see how you can make a real difference in people's life.
After those three months, I went to a monastery in Northern Thailand to learn from a two-meter tall Israeli monk and his Abott, Phra Ajahn Luang Ta.
The monastery was nestled between two mountains down a little stream-lined path about a kilometer from the small road between Pae and Mae Hong Son. The mediation huts, grounds, salas, all other aspects of the operations were
well-maintained by Ajahn Luang Ta and the families who lived on the property. These people gardened and cooked two wonderful vegan meals a day. Some days I felt downright spoiled! All one needs to bring are two changes of white clothes and a flashlight for going into the meditation caves. Even if one isn't there to meditate, it could be a great place to write or just unwind. And it all works on donations, so anyone is welcome.
If anyone is passing through, here are directions: Wat Tam Wua is on the only road between Mae Hong Son and Pai. The address is:
Wat Tam Wua Forest Monastery
Ban Maesuya, Amphur Muang
Mae Hong Son, 5800
Thailand.
It's about an hour from Mae Hong Song and maybe two from Pai, give or take and very easy to reach.
You can read about it on my blog, A Backpack and a Keyboard at:
https://www.matrixmasters.com/blog/josh/2004/05/week-and-half-meditating-in-thai.html
Peace, Love and Light,
~joshaway
2008-11-30 16:39
Great advice. I really feel that having well-grounded motivations (or at least taking an honest look at them) for doing extensive Buddhist meditation can help when visiting a meditation center.
I do want to let you know about a center that I am associated with, Karuna Meditation Center in Kamala, Phuket.
We opened the center specifically for westerners wanting to come and learn and practice Buddhist meditation in a Buddhist country but with English-speaking teachers. This allows visitors to get a chance to delve into meditations that the Buddha taught and to interact with native-English speaking teachers who understand a western perspective and can communicate effectively in teaching sessions and meditation interviews.
All of the teachers are or have been Buddhist monks or nuns and have done extensive meditation throughout Asia (India, Tibet, Burma, Sri Lanka, and Thailand).
You can contact us at info@meditate-thailand.com or at https://www.meditate-thailand.com
Thank you for the opportunity to let me tell you about our center.
2009-07-15 02:00
Yes Karuna Mediation Center is an excellent place. It's exactly what I'm looking for when looking for Thailand Meditation. Kamala is one of the most beautiful, relaxing places in Phuket.
2009-12-16 12:13
sarawak is a beautiful place. if only i have the karma and capacity to build and run a buddhist retreat centre in the forest or mountain to benefit all beings ?NAMO AMITABHA
2010-02-15 01:14
If you really like to experience meditation in its purest, try Devabahavn in Koh Samui. This is a small meditation center in the mountains of Koh Samui, away from all the bustling tourism. It is founded by the famous headmonk of Wat Suan Mook in Suratthani and offers a variety of meditiations. Check it out.
2010-05-16 14:59
I agree with the author. I attended a retreat at Karuna last year. I have to say it was one of the most beneficial things I've done for myself in my life. I loved the daily guided meditation and philosophy teachings, and also loved the yoga, which ties the aspects of mind and body together. I hope I can find the money and time to go back and do the full-scale rain retreat next year.
2010-06-07 07:18
I think doing a retreat in Thailand is a great idea. I have found that there are varying degrees of buddhist disipline in Thailand amonst the Thai people. I did a meditation retreat after living here for 5 months and wished I had done it earlier. There are some thai people that take meditation and following the precepts seriously, and there are those who don't. Doing a retreat has connected me with some dedicated buddhists. Not only that, it has enabled me to live a more 'now' experience. So, having done the retreat has definately given me a more solid connection with these people. The retreat I did was not a silent one either - whic allowed for a real sense of connection amongst us. Don't hesitate! Do he retreat straight away!!!
2010-07-20 17:43
Claire...I too am going to be in Thailand in January as part of a larger trip and am hoping to spend some time at a meditation retreat. I too would also be unsure about no human voice for any longer than 2 or 3 days! It's good to read about like minded people.
I hope you enjoy your trip.
2010-07-24 11:45
Hi,
I just have a quiestion to Koh Samui Villas. I tried to find Devabahavn in Koh Samui, that you have mentioned, but I couldn't find anything. Can you help me on finding that place?
Thanks.
2010-08-21 08:41
Hey, all!
My name's Shea. I'm a Canadian student currently doing an internship in Japan.
I'm looking into spending some time in SE Asia from January to May of next year (2011) and I'd really like to spend a month or two in a Buddhist meditation setting - perhaps a monastery.
I've done a couple of 10-day retreats as well as some smaller 3- and single-day ones. I consider myself a Zen student and prefer things like zazen, Anapana or Vipassana over guided meditation or Metta.
Also, I'm on a pretty strict budget, so if staying in monastery would be more expensive than just sleeping in a hut on the beach, I'm probably not going to do it.
So what are your recommendations? As in: Where should I go looking and who should I talk to? Obviously, the best places aren't going to run their own websites in English. But is there a specific hotbed in SE Asia that offers cheap, honest, monastic meditation?
Cheers!
Shea
2010-08-21 08:44
Err... sorry, guys! I put this post up after reading the comments you left, but BEFORE reading the very helpful and very relevant TOPIC of this post! Haha!
Great advice! I'll take it to heart.
Best of luck, everyone
Shea
2011-11-16 16:37
Excellent site. I am looking for best place to study Buddhism: Thailand or Tibet? Im a new (hopeful) American ex-patriate, have read a great deal but need the real experience.
I am selling my "american dream" home to have real peace and inner quality. So toxic what is going on here.
sincerely,
Mariegabrielle