Buddhist Meditation Courses In Thailand

[sabaijai]

Thailand’s reputation as a safe and peaceful destination is attracting thousands of foreigners from all over the world to learn more about the 2,547-year-old Buddhist faith and one of its most famous practices, the art of meditation. At Wat Mahathat, the primary centre of meditation studies in Bangkok, nearly 4,000 foreigners have taken courses between 1998 and 2003, and monks are predicting steady growth in the years ahead.

Although Buddhism is the dominant religion in Sri Lanka, Bhutan, throughout the Mekong region, China and Northeast Asia, Thailand has gained an influential position as a centre of learning and knowledge. Major institutions like the World Fellowship of Buddhists and the Mahachulalongkorn-rajavidyalaya Buddhist University are located in Bangkok. Visits to prominent temples accompanied by laymen’s explanations of the faith are standard features of tours taken by the 10 million visitors who travel to Thailand each year.

The West is becoming increasingly enamoured with the ways of the East. Early interest in martial arts like karate and tae-kwon-do has matured to embrace more peaceful practices such as tai chi, yoga, Ayurveda, Thai massage and, of course, meditation. High-profile figures like the Dalai Lama, a Nobel Prize winner, have helped attract more interest in the faith.

The many students of Buddhism and meditation in Thailand range from local expatriate residents to passing visitors. Some seek to study the religion as a philosophy. Others come to learn meditation techniques in order to become instructors themselves in the proliferating number of schools and institutions in the west. Still others seek to become monks. Increasingly, many are studying Buddhist principles for use in business management techniques and conflict resolution. By far the vast majority, however, see Buddhist philosophy and meditation as a means of attaining good mental and physical health, personal fulfillment and satisfaction.

Seeking inner peace is becoming a powerful global phenomenon in the face of seemingly uncontrollable external conflicts and social mayhem. The pursuit of material wealth and bodies-beautiful is widely perceived as a short-sighted and short-term objective that does little to lift the human spirit. The breakdown of family values and the ruthless competition of political and economic systems only accelerate this search. Indeed, monks and meditation instructors note that meditation is non-denominational; by seeking to enhance concentration and mind-power, the technique can be used by anyone to enhance the practice of their own religion, whatever that may be.

This philosophy is indeed the bedrock of the Buddhist religion, which was founded by a prince who abandoned his legacy of riches in order to identify with those who were truly suffering, and to pursue Truth and Enlightenment. His simple formula for the alleviation of suffering, known as the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, imparts the message that every human being has it within him/herself to attain peace, starting first with the individual and then expanding, like ripples on a placid lake, to families, communities, even companies and countries.

Wat Mahathat, one of the few places in Thailand which keeps records of its students, says enrollments in its meditation courses rose from 540 in 1998 to 871 in 2002, falling back in 2003 to 596 due to global factors like the SARS crisis and the war in Iraq, which affected travel movements across the world. Women outnumbered men by a ratio of 52:48. Of the 659 students who signed up between March, 2003, and March, 2004, a total of 161 were from the United States, 87 from the UK, 78 from Germany and 45 from Canada. Altogether, there were students from 45 countries, including such distant places as Ecuador, South Africa and Scotland.

To capitalise on the trend and a growing number of inquiries, the Tourism Authority of Thailand recently produced a guidebook which lists places of Buddhist learning throughout Thailand. While many training centres are located in Bangkok, others are forest retreats. Courses range in length from just a weekend to 10 days and four weeks, depending on the level the individual wishes to attain. Students can also choose from a broad range of categories and techniques of learning meditation.

Certainly, the process is an intrinsic part of the search for enlightenment. According to Wat Mahathat’s Phra Suputh Kosalo, students seek to get away from the competitive stress of modern life. They dress in unadorned white attire, eat simple food, abstain from alcohol, avoid exposure to the mass media, maintain as much as possible an elegant silence, clean their own living areas -- all part of the process of expunging pride, arrogance and egotism while acquiring humility, modesty and simplicity.

While it was once difficult to find instructors in English, this is changing. Not only is the new generation of Thai monks more familiar with English, many former students have become skillful enough to instruct others in a variety of foreign languages. At the same time, many foreign students find it more challenging and enlightening if they learn Thai. There is no official ‘charge’ for the various courses; finances are usually handled via donations that are at the discretion of the student.

Dominique Whitehead, 34, a Briton, took a four-week meditation course at Wat Mahathat in April. He says the experience in Thailand was far superior to similar studies he had undertaken in France where he lived for 20 years before moving to Hong Kong. His regular visits to Thailand and the friendships he made got him more interested in Buddhism. Stressing that it is critical and essential to have a good teacher, Dominique says schools that offer ‘meditation classes’ in the West need to obtain some kind of certification about the levels of qualification their instructors have attained. Asked how the classes were helping him in his daily life, he responded, “They help me stay sane.”

As interest grows, Thailand is bringing its neighbours into the fold. Tourism authorities of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand recently launched the concept of ‘Four Countries - One Destination’ which includes joint marketing and promotion programmes based on the region’s shared culture, history and religious background. The officials agreed to identify and link various spots along a Buddhist Pilgrimage Trail, such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, That Luang in Vientiane, Mandalay in Myanmar and Ayutthaya in Thailand.

This linkage will soon be extended to India and Nepal, where Buddhism took root before being spread eastwards by the Buddha’s disciples in subsequent centuries. The Asian Development Bank is also funding a Buddhist pilgrimage circuit that will include India and Nepal, plus Bhutan and Bangladesh. The bank is seeking to fund transportation linkages and attract long overdue infrastructure investment in some of the world’s holiest spots. The two primary sites are Lumbini in Nepal, where the Buddha was born, and Bodhgaya in India, where he attained enlightenment. Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

By dint of its unique geographical position, Thailand will remain at the heart of these efforts. And its biggest asset will be word-of-mouth promotion. Mr Whitehead says he plans to bring at least 10 of his friends to introduce them to meditation classes in Thailand. As long as the world continues to slide into turmoil and conflict, there will be no shortage of takers for solutions that transcend the conventional.

THAILAND – CENTRE OF BUDDHIST LEARNING AND TRADITIONS

Contact information:

Mahachulalongkorn Rajvidyalaya University

www.mcu.ac.th/mcu_eng/

World Fellowship of Buddhists

www.wfb-hq.org/

The Buddhist Information Network

www.dhammathai.org/

BUDDHIST MEDITATION CENTRES

International Buddhist Meditation Centre (IBMC)

Wat Mahathat Dhamma Vicaya Hall

Tha Prachan, Bangkok

Tel: +66 (0) 2623 6326, 2626 6328

Section Five – Wat Mahathat

Tha Prachan, Bangkok

Tel: +66 (0) 2222 6011

Suan Mokkh Forest Monastery

Amphoe Chaiya, Surat Thani province

Tel: +66 7743 1596 – 7, 7743 1552, 7743 1661 – 2

Fax: +66 7743 1597

Website: www.suanmokkh.org

Sathira-Dhammasthan Ashram

Community Spiritual Centre

24/5 Soi Wacharaphon, Ramindra 55 Road

Tel: +66 (0) 2510 6697, 2510 4756, 2509 2237

Fax: +66 (0) 2519 4633

Website: www.savika.org

E-mail: [email protected]

World Fellowship of Buddhists

Sukhumvit Soi 24, Bangkok

Tel: +66 (0) 2661 1284 – 9

Fax: +66 (0) 2661 0555

Wat Phra That

Sri Chomthong

Tambon Ban Luang,

Amphoe Chom Thong, Chiang Mai

Tel: +66 5382 6869

Fax: +66 5334 1664

Northern Insight Meditation Center at

Wat Rampoeng Temple (Tapotharam)

Tambon Suthep, Amphoe Meuang,

Chiang Mai

Tel/Fax: +66 5327 8620

MEDITATION COURSES FOR CHILDREN

Initial studies indicate that meditation improves the learning ability of young children. Hence in 2003, more than 50 Thai schools introduced meditation into their courses and organised meditation camps for students. Wat Asokaram Temple reveals that students who practice meditation are more focused in the learning process. They are also able to extend and apply their sharpened ability to focus in other tasks.

Source: “Fun in the Sun – Summer Activities for Kids”, The Nation

House of Dhamma Insight Meditation Centre

Soi Lad Prao 15, Bangkok

Tel: +66 (0) 2511 0439

Saeng Arun Ashram

Sathorn Soi 10, Sathorn Road, Bangkok

Tel: +66 (0) 2237 0080

Sathira Dhammasathan

Tel: +66 (0) 2509 0085, 2510 6697

Website: www.savika.org

Young Buddhist Association of Thailand (YBAT)

Pathum Thani

Tel: +66 (0) 2805 0790 – 4

Website: www.ybat.org

Vipassana Meditation Centres offering 10-day residential courses in the tradition of

Sayagyi U Ba Khin as taught by S.N. Goenka

Website: www.dhamma.org

Dhamma Kamala

Thailand Vipassana Centre,

200 Ban Noenpasuk, Tambon Dongkeelek,

Mueang District, Prachin Buri 25000,

Thailand

Tel: +66 (0) 2521 0392

Fax: +66 (0) 2552 1753

Dhamma Suvanna, Bangkok

E-mail: [email protected]

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