Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Travel

I Meditated at a Buddhist Monastery in Thailand For a Week. Here’s What I Learned.

An experience you will never forget.

Thailand meditator!
Illustration by Railyn Hearns

Zen. Curiosity. Silence. Those three words paint the picture of my time spent meditating at a Buddhist monastery in northern Thailand.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to participate in a meditation retreat in a Buddhist monastery far north in the Thailand mountains? Probably not, but now that I’ve put the idea in your head, keep reading to learn all about it. 

Thailand is a beautiful country, full of devout Buddhists. I bet you’ve heard of the lively city of Bangkok, famous for its New Year’s parties, and the beautiful islands such as Phi Phi in the south. But there is a very peaceful underside to Thai life. The Buddhist culture is centered heavily on meditation and seeking Enlightenment, and I am proposing a unique idea for your next Thailand trip: join a meditation retreat!

It’s an excellent way to immerse yourself in Thai culture and learn a lot about the Buddhist religion. It allows you to take some time to quiet your brain (which is very important in our noisy world today!) There are many monasteries that offer free stays led by English-speaking workers and monks, the most popular being the one that I stayed in, Wat Pa Tam Wua.

A photo of the monastery
A photo of the beautiful Wat Pa Tam Wua. Credit: Catherine Furby

It’s not for the weak!

This is just a quick warning for those of you who might not know much about meditation and Buddhism! Life at the monastery is no joke. We meditated for several hours a day, with intense chanting on our knees, facing the Buddha statue at night.

It’s not a place to go for a relaxing resort-style trip. You need to be committed to expanding your mind and being open to learning new things. The day begins at five in the morning where you can choose to meditate individually or help in the kitchen, where only three or four Thai people are working to feed hundreds of meditators. 

That being said, the intensity is part of what makes the whole experience so changing. Throw yourself into something new!

Working in the kitchen in the early hours of the day
A photo of garlic peeling at five in the morning before the meditations began. Credit: Catherine Furby

In practice

At Wat Pa Tam Wua, they are very dedicated to practicing Buddhism. The monks lead the meditations, and after the afternoon meditation session, you can listen to the monks talk about the Dharma, the right way of living. In the evening, there are nightly chanting sessions worshiping the Buddha. If you’re like me and like to throw yourself into things without really planning, this can be pretty shocking at first!

I recommend doing some research (and reading this article!) before you go to get an idea of what you’re getting into. It’s a fantastic way to experience a new religion up close, but you must be respectful and keep your mind open! No growth will happen if you shut yourself off from things that are unfamiliar to you.

Ask questions if you’re afraid of accidentally offending a part of Thai culture or religion! The workers at the monastery will be more than happy to help you learn how to make sure you’re staying respectful. What I found most helpful was quietly observing what was going on around me before properly participating.

The monks!
In this photo, the ritual of feeding the monks before we eat is pictured. In Thai Buddhism, the monks cannot eat unless they are gifted food first. Credit: Catherine Furby

Shhhhh

It might be different at other monastery retreats, but at the one I went to, there was the option to take the vow of silence, which I realized most people did. You can put a little silent badge on, and everyone respects your decision. 

When was the last time you went days without speaking? Before this retreat, I don’t think I had gone more than 20 minutes without speaking (except maybe when I was sleeping!). Being silent caused me a lot of introspective thoughts, and I can say I know myself better now. I highly recommend staying quiet for at least a few days at your meditation retreat! 

The journey

Since I’m focusing on Wat Pa Tam Wua specifically in this article, I’ll fill you in on the journey to the monastery. Now, this is a tricky one! Again, I’m not much of a planner and it came back to bite me this time as I scrambled for a route to reach the monks. So I’m writing this to save you from my mistakes! 

Thailand is very large, and it’s worth taking the time to see as much of it as you can. I flew into Bangkok and enjoyed exploring the various markets and art cafes.

From Bangkok, for most monastery experiences you’ll need to make your way to the north, as is the case for Wat Pa Tam Wua.

Book in advance!

If you plan ahead, you can book a sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. The ride is roughly twelve hours, and I’ve heard that it’s very comfortable in the sleeper car.

If it’s booked out, no worries! You can do what I did, which requires slightly more endurance. I sat on a bench in the last car next to two other people with the window open. The fresh air was nice, but at the end, I realized I was covered in dirt! Although the journey was long, I felt accomplished when I finally reached Chiang Mai. My own sort of meditation, you could say.

But it doesn’t end there! Once in Chiang Mai, you’ll have to catch another bus from there to get further north for most monasteries. Book in advance to secure yourself a seat! If not it’s quite hard to get there because the monastery check-in closes at 4 pm. You need to make sure you can arrive before then because from Chiang Mai it’s about a six-hour drive.

Takeaways

I learned so much from my meditation retreat at the monastery. It’s wonderful to experience different religions up close. Opportunities like this really open your mind to something that puts you out of your comfort zone. While practicing silence and peace, I felt myself growing and learning a very comfortable type of solitude.

In today’s world, it’s very important to take time to look into yourself. After all, it’s important to be able to hang out with only your brain because you are you for the rest of your life! Get to know yourself.

Insight

my interviewee
Guille, interviewed below! Credit: Guille Navone

I reached out to a participant that I met at the monastery, a traveler named Guille (pictured above). She has been working seasonally and has found herself traveling alone to Thailand. I asked her about her experience meditating, and she told me that her experience at Wat Pa Tam Wua was very beautiful. She learned a lot about staying open and told me that she recommends the experience to others, saying:

‘I believe it’s an experience everyone can attend because you are completely free, and it helps to learn new things and try to connect with yourself. You don’t need to be “spiritual” or know how to meditate to attend, as it was a very open place.’

Guille also told me that she went with the expectation of meeting people on a more “elevated” level of life and found that that wasn’t the case. She learned that this expectation had a negative effect, and she realized she needed to accept reality as it is, not as she wanted it to be.

“In the end, everything that happened, the good and the bad, helped me a lot to become more aware of myself and to accept reality as it is,” Guille said.

If you want to hear more about Guille’s experience, feel free to reach out to her

Go out and experience!

Some more monastery views! Credit: Catherine Furby

The world waits for you! I hope this article provided you with some useful information about your potential monastery retreat. Above all, I hope you now feel motivated to seek out a more unconventional type of travel. Keep your minds open and stay curious, fellow travelers!






Written By

Hello! My name is Katie and I'm a travel writer for Trill Mag. I'm from Chicago, but currently living in Dublin, Ireland for college at TCD. I'm OBSESSED with traveling and experiencing all the world has to offer, and writing is a wonderful outlet for all that life on the road has taught me. It's beautiful to be alive!

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement

You May Also Like

A young girl with her bag packed full of must-haves, off to her semester abroad!A young girl with her bag packed full of must-haves, off to her semester abroad!

Travel

Useful items to make your life easier during you semester abroad!

Black authors - black history monthBlack authors - black history month

Books

Celebrate Black History Month with these must-read books by black authors that explore black identity, culture, and history.

College

A college degree is not just a diploma to flaunt. For first-generation students it's becoming a ground-breaker.

Image of fireworks in the shape of '2025' over blue water.Image of fireworks in the shape of '2025' over blue water.

Opinion

Let’s stop making resolutions we can't keep.