The Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage [Wat Suan Mokkh] Naga 9 Thai Art • Amulet
The Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage (sub-branch of Wat Suan Mokkh)
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The Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage (sub-branch of Wat Suan Mokkh) was founded by the Venerable Ajahn Buddhadasa in 1989. Since then about 25,000 people, coming from all over the world, from many walks of life, between 17 and more than 70 years of age, have participated in the monthly meditation retreats here.
Wat Suan Mokkh is a forest monastery where about 40 monks live in little huts in the forest. From July to September, during the traditional three month rain retreat, the number of monks may increase to more than 70. Another part of the monastery grounds is reserved for nuns and lay women.
At one time, before 1996, a small community of foreigners lived at Wat Suan Mokkh, known worldwide as a centre for meditation. Today only occasionally foreigners will stay longer than two or three days before or after the retreat at the associated International Dharma Hermitage about 1.5 km to the east of the main monastery.
This hermitage attracts more than 1,000 foreigners a year to Wat Suan Mokkh, which sometimes appears as Wat Suan Mok in some publications and websites that try to capture the pronunciation. The visitors attend 10-day silent retreats with instruction in meditation and Dharma. The instructions at the International Dharma Hermitage are given in English.
There are a number of other buildings at Wat Suan Mokkh, including the Spiritual Theatre and the assembly hall in the form of a big ship - a metaphor for the Dharma - with a foreign library and the sculpture workshop. The foreign library has a variety of books on meditation, Buddhism and related topics in many languages including English, German, French and Japanese.
Anyone arriving early for a retreat, wanting to stay longer or arriving during retreats is welcome to stay, initially for up to 7 days, at the main monastery. If, after 7 days, you intend to prolong your stay, you need to get permission by the abbot of Suan Mokkh or his representative. Permission will readily be granted to dedicated meditators and students of Buddhism. Doing a chore (community work like sweeping leaves) while staying is part of the practice. Accommodation in dorms (for men) or individual rooms (for women) is free; food is available inside the monastery or at the nearby stalls.
website: suanmokkh.org (Wat Suan Mokkh)
suanmokkh-idh.org (Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage)
Address: Wat Suan Mokkh, Ampoe Chaiya, Surat Thani 84110 Thailand.
Surat Thani (often shortened tp Surat, Thai: สุราษฎร์ธานี) former name Chaiya Province is the largest of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, on the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means city of good people, a title given to the city by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI).
The area of Surat Thani was already inhabited in prehistoric times by Semang and Malayan tribes. Founded in the 3rd century, until the 13th century the Srivijaya kingdom dominated the Malay Peninsula. The city Chaiya contains several ruins from Srivijaya times, and was probably a regional capital of the kingdom. Some Thai historians even claim that it was the capital of the kingdom itself for some time, but this is generally disputed. Wiang Sa was another main settlement of that time.
After the fall of the Srivijaya, it was divided into the cities (mueang) Chaiya, Thatong (now Kanchanadit), and Khirirat Nikhom. While Chaiya was administered directly from the capital, Thatong and Khirirat were controlled by the Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom. In 1899 they were merged into one province named Chaiya. In 1915, the court of the Monthon Chumphon was moved to Bandon, which received its new name Surat Thani on 29 July 1915 during a visit of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI), and was likely influenced by the major port city of Surat in Gujarat, India. The monthon was renamed Surat accordingly. In 1926 it was abolished and incorporated into monthon Nakhon Si Thammarat. In 1933 the monthon was dissolved, so the province became the first level administrative subdivision.
The provincial administration was first located in a building in Tha Kham (Amphoe Phunphin). Shortly before World War II, it was moved to the city of Surat Thani on the banks of the Tapi River (which is named after the Tapi river in southern Gujarat, India. When the Japanese invaded Thailand on 8 December 1941, the building caught fire in the battle for the city and was destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1954, but on 19 March 1982, it was destroyed by a bomb planted by communist rebels, killing 5 people. The third building was erected in the south of the city. The former site of the provincial hall is now the city pillar shrine (Lak Mueang).