I am not Buddhist, and I don’t like meditation very much (it’s hard), but I was intrigued by the opportunity to live at a monastery in Thailand. In particular, I was interested in maintaining complete silence during my stay. The thought of not talking made me uncomfortable, so it seemed like a good area for growth. I also didn’t know much about Buddhism - what better place to learn?
I chose to keep my phone completely off during the stay as well, so this photo of the entrance sign is the only image I have from the experience.
Wat Pa Tam Wua is a relaxed and laid back monastery compared to similar experiences in the area. I attended with approximately 100 other guests, and 80% were tourists. There is a store with food nearby if the fasting is too difficul, WiFi at the store if you need to connect, and silence is completely optional. The rules are flexible to make this experience accessible to a diverse range of tourists.
To get to the monastery from Pai, you simply go to bus station downtown and buy a ticket to the city of Mae Hong Son. The first bus leaves at 8:30am - I took the 9:30am. Tickets are 150 baht ($5USD).
Tell the bus driver you want to go to Wat Pa Tam Wua, and he will drop you off 2 hours into the 3 hour journey.
The monastery is a one kilometer walk from where you will be dropped off.
You do not need a reservation at the monastery; you will be welcomed any time before 6pm. The experience is free but donations are appreciated.
Silence is optional, but recommended. Approximately 50% of attendees chose to be silent, including myself. You can change your mind at any time, and clip-on badges indicate who is silent and who is not.
The monastery grounds are almost comically beautiful. Spacious green lawns with spaces to sit in the shade, a cool river to walk trough, a dirt path for barefoot walking meditation through the forest, large yellow flowers that fall from the trees. Everyone wears non-gendered flowing white clothes that are provided.
The day begins at 5am, when I would hop out of bed and pop my head into the kitchen to see if there was anything I could do to help. Only a few volunteers wandered over in the morning, but it was my favorite part of the day.
Rice offering to the monks is a ceremony at 6:30am, followed by a vegan breakfast at 7:00am. Morning Vispassana and Buddhism lessons start at 8:00am, and include walking, sitting, and laying down meditation.
Monks cannot eat food that is not offered to them, so at 10:30am another ceremony is hosted for attendees to offer food to the monks.
Lunch is served at 11:00am, and the rest of the day is fasting.
Afternoon Vispassana includes more walking, sitting, and laying down meditation.
At 4:00pm everyone begins cleaning something. Nobody tells you to do this - it’s just on the schedule so everyone quietly finds somewhere to help. I preferred to sweep leaves every day.
Evening Chanting at 6:00pm includes Buddhist traditional chanting and sitting meditation.
By 8:00pm every night, I was in bed. Dorm accommodation is a mat on the floor, but if you stay longer you can request a private kuti (also free) and those have real beds.
Although I am still not a Buddhist and still do not love meditiation, I was surprised with how easy it was to stay silent. It was a good reminder that my voice is often not necessary in a conversation.
I found meditation to be extremely difficult, but working meditation was something I enjoyed immensely. Mindless, repetitive tasks like peeling cucumbers and sweeping leaves were my favorite parts of the day.
When I entered the retreat, I was advised to put the thoughts that interrupted my meditation into baskets before pushing them away, and that I would be surprised by which baskets filled up first.
My baskets were ”nice things I could do” and “criticisms for not doing nice things.” I did not expect that at all.
While this experience was difficult, and three days was plenty, I learned a lot. I arrived on a bus the first day with three men, and none of them were there by the second day at noon. I wouldn‘t describe this retreat as “fun.”
I do, however, strongly recommend some type of monastery experience if you have the time in Thailand - especially if the idea of it makes you uncomfortable.
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