Silence at the edge of Thailand Wat Thaton. The town of Thaton is 90 min. drive from Chiang Rai, less than 5 km from the Burmese border beside the Mae.
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Silence at the edge of Thailand
Wat Thaton
The town of Thaton is 90 min. drive from Chiang Rai, less than 5 km from the Burmese border beside the
Mae Kong River
Atop a high hill, Wat Thaton is home to a famous Abbot
and 80 novice monks. Novices follow less rules than monks, adhere to
strict discipline, and have to study Buddhist literature
and Pali language.
Further up the hill are Kuti’s where
monks, lay people, and meditators live.
My home for the next 10
days
Ajahn Suthep, our meditation teacher, Britta (German music teacher), Walter (Retired Swiss music
conductor)
Panyavudho, the main translator and Foreign
Correspondant
Every morning at 3:30 a.m., this monk rings a deafening bell as wake-up call
4 a.m.: Monks, laypeople, and meditators gather in the Chanting hall for 45-60 minutes of chanting, followed
by 1 hour of walking/sitting meditation
6 a.m.: I usually go back to bed in my Kuti till 7:30ish, while the monks go on alms
round.
Breakfast and lunch is delivered at 8:30 a.m. and I have to ration. The food is good!
9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Meditation at the meditation hall.
One third of the meditation hall.
The Standing Buddha: Another place to meditate
Downstairs, where I
meditate if I come here
Upstairs
The Standing Buddha is 30 minutes walk from our Kuti with lots of up and down hills
View of Thaton from my meditation area downstairs
Britta doing some stretches upstairs
Great views of the Mae Kong river
A new Chedi under contruction can be seen on the way to the Standing
Buddha. Chedi’s are to house Buddha relics.
Lunch / Rest time 12:00 - 1:30. Meditators eat 2 meals a day. The white lines are anti-ants chalk.
Outside the meditation hall. 1:30 – 5:00 p.m. continue
meditation.
5 – 6 p.m.: Shower with cold water. This is the hardest part of
the day.
Sam (American writer). 6 – 8 p.m.: Chanting and meditation.
8 – 9+ p.m.: Every 2 days we discuss our meditation progress and other matters with Ajahn Suthep and
Panyavudho
Putting my camera on a stand
9+ p.m. – 3:30 a.m. Sleep.
A 30+cm long Gecko guards my window
against moths and other insects
Many spiders guard my kuti against mosquitoes, ants and other insects
A nice view in Chiang Rai
A fancy looking JVC mini-hifi for
S$400
The connecting tunnel between domestic and international flights at