Travelling Thailand As A Phra Farrang.....

[Para]

I was wondering is any of the foreign Monks on the board could share stories about their experiences travelling Thailand. I am keen to visit other temples so any insight would be welcomed.

Para

[fabianfred]

I haven't really done much travel yet as a monk. I am at a temple in Fang and go to Chiangmai city every few months. Travel on the big red bus is half fare (40baht) and I always sit on the bench seat at the back. Thais are very respectful to Farang monks since we are a relative rarity and they assume we have more commitment.

Being able to speak good Thai is a great advantage because everyone wants to be able to ask you questions but are usually unable because of their poor English and shyness to show it.

I rarely have to pay for a meal in Chiangmai since either the resturant owner or a customer grab the chance to pay for the meal and offer it. I enjoy walking barefoot and it is very comfortable in Chiangmai since the pavements and roads are well swept....(not like my alms round in Fang beside the main road which is covered in sharp little pieces of grit.)

I went on tudong to Pai area with my companion Farang monk here at this temple last October for a week. Thais very helpful and bending over backwards to assist.

My companion, Phra Greg, tells a nice story about his trip into Thailand from Malasia as a monk where he ordained. The VIP treatment he got on the airlines and waiting lounges. One stewardess mistook him for Phra Sumedho and asked him for a tape..... lol.

[hookedondhamma]

Hi Para. I don't know how well the ones I stayed at will work for you, but the ones I went to were strictly based out of my respect to the abbot/or former abbot of that temple, and his accompanying teachings. All of the monks were wonderful, but my overall impressions:

There was: Wat Sriaphaiwan in Loei Province. My hut was in the forested area of the temple. Luang Pu Ton is an incredible monk (of course) and now that I'm away I realize how much of an honor it was to stay there. If you get a chance to go visit, send me a pm, there's a very great group of monks that I will never forget. That temple was my first taste of culture shock. And I'm glad it was, I was taught many a valuable lesson there. In fact, it was there I was officially labeled 'kon Isaan.'

There is also Wat Srijan in Loei Province (where I went to study Buddhist Philosophy for a while). The abbot there is quite a character. The head monk of studies has a big place in my heart. He never saw me as a foreigner, and there was many a time he would have me eat with the senior monks (he knew I had a fondness for Isaan, and made sure I was kept well-fed with Laotian food when he could). The head monk of the novices is also a stellar guy. You should check out his bowl if you ever go.

There is also Wat Weluwan in Loei Province, though which หมูบ้าน I can't remember. At the time I was there there were two other monks (for some reason no one wanted to stay there for long). It was beautiful, and the laypeople gave me much inspiration when I was feeling low sometimes. Minus the cobra in the tea shack, but it is our partner in Dhamma, right?

Wat Asokaram: Ever since I came across his teachings from Ajahn Geoffs website, I've always held him in high regard. In fact, it is his teachings that I go to any time I come across a problem. It was a big deal for me to stay over there for a while. Many, many monks, but they all have the same big heart. There was nothing like walking into the Dhutanga stupa for the first time and seeing the relics of so many Phra Ajaahns. The chanting there was really special for me, and to this day I carry around that blue book, memorizing this and that. I lived in the hut by the ocean (there are quite a few), literally about 5 meters away, so it was amazing to meditate on a full-moon day hearing the sounds of water in the Chao Phraya. There is actually a monk who ordained under Ajaahn Geoff there who speaks fluent English, and he taught me quite a bit about meditation - a concrete example of a practicing monk, in my eyes. There was also another monk there from the states at that time - but I don't know if he's there or not. The switch from speaking Isaan to Thai occured there, and the library is chock-full of books in English.

At Wat Kao Jin Lae in Lobpuri, I lived in the hut at the top of the mountain, below and to the side of the gigantic Buddha image. The abbot there is remarkable as well, and something I'd yet to see at that point, he went out of his way to teach, even if no questions were answered. It was also the first temple which had caves, monkeys. As well as a seperate branch in the forested area much like my home temple in Isaan (no electricity, water had to be collected for use, etc.).

Wat Glang in Lopburi was the first Mon temple I stayed at, so the learning of Mon culture went hand-in-hand while living there. The abbot there I eventually came to know him like my father, my family. Also the first temple in the 'city' proper - the temple was literally in a neighborhood. Meaning kids all around at every hour. It was there I learned the happiness that came from the giving of a genuine gift. I'll never forget those kids or that temple. And then the great flood of Thailand came in the middle of Pansaa.

Moved to the the main temple in Lopburi with 2 other monks and a novice, where we were studying Pali at the time. In fact, I still frequent that temple often to help with certain events, help the Abbot, etc.

There have been quite a few other, mostly in Isaan whose names I never remembered, but nonetheless equally wonderful places to practice.

But I find that we all have our preferences. Even though I'm now in the city (Pali studies), my first choice are forest temples in Isaan. It's just what I was 'brought up' in, and that's where my 'roots' are.

I really could go on and on, but I believe enough has been said. If there's anything else feel free to contact me. For the most part a majority of my being able to navigate through Thailand has been based on language skills. I've found that if I listen with my 'ears' a new language is hard to grasp, so I used Benjawan's Thai course book 1 and from there have just had an open heart. When you can listen with your ears as well as your heart, the Thai language (or any other for that matter) becomes exquisitely beautiful.

[Para]

hookedondhamma thank you for taking the time to reply you have answered my question perfectly.

Para.