BUDDHIST RETREAT IN NORTHERN THAILAND

• Interested in a different kind of holiday?• Ever thought about exploring Buddhism?• How about a trip across your inner landscape?• Are you up for a spiritual adventure?

This cultural exchange program is a joint effort between individual temples in Northern Thailand and the Blood Foundation, a small NGO based in Northern Thailand that runs education and health projects for Burmese refugees, Hill Tribe villages and disadvantaged Thai children, seeking to offer pilgrims a unique opportunity to experience all the riches and rewards of monastic life in Thailand. The aim is to foster a meaningful cultural exchange and to provide opportunities for spiritual progression within the Thai Buddhist framework.

In Thai culture it is common for men to join the temple and ordain as a monk for short periods. Foreign guests now have the opportunity to join this once in a lifetime cultural experience.

Offering both women and men the chance to live on the temple grounds while they study Buddhism, practice meditation and learn the basics of the ancient Pali language, the program has been designed for travelers seeking that authentic Thai experience. A team of guest coordinators make the experience as comfortable as possible for visitors as they explore Buddhism and spirituality within a Thai cultural framework. One of the features of the program is the English-speaking Dhamma teachers whose daily lessons make up a key facet of the experience.

Participants can stay for as long or as short as they like . Women who stay for a minimum of seven days are invited during the week to take the Eight Precepts and to wear the white robes of a lay Acolyte. Men who stay for a minimum of fourteen days have the chance to ordain as an actual novice monk and to wear the traditional orange robes.

For those who are interested in the program but are currently not in a position to stay for only a very limited time, we invite you to participate in a short course, consisting of several days in order to get a glimpse of the life in a temple.

We do encourage people to stay for a minimum of 21 days, during which time they should be able to progress sufficiently to become ordained as a monk. If circumstances require we also offer a reduced 14 day program.

SHORT STAYS (1-7 DAYS)You will stay at the temple in one of the build-ings reserved for lay visitors (men and women sleep in separate quarters), get a glimpse of temple life, learn some Buddhist basic teaching and gain an introduction to meditation and chanting.

From the morning you arrive at the temple you are subject to the Five Precepts. These are the rules that a Lay Buddhist should follow. For the duration of your stay all guests are required to follow these five guidelines at least:1. Refrain from killing. Eating meat is OK, killing anything is not2. Refrain from stealing 3. Refrain from sexual misconduct. No sexual activity is allowed at the temple4. Refrain from false speech 5. Refrain from intoxicants. No drugs or alcohol

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WHERE? Fang district ~ 150 km north of Chiang Mai (3 hours drive) ~ 110 km west of Chiang Rai (2 hours drive)

BUDDHIST RETREAT IN NORTHERN THAILAND

Diethelm Travel (Thailand) Ltd., 14/F Kian Gwan Bldg. II, 140/1 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330 Tel. +66 (0) 2660 7000, Fax +66 (0) 2660 7020, E-mail: sales@diethelmtravel.com

Short Stay Packages (1-7 days) include: • Private van transfer from/to Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai • Three cooked meals per day • Accommodation in shared living quarters on the temple • Tuition materials • Dhamma lessons in English • Meditation lessons in a safe, supported environment LONG STAYS (2,3 OR 4 weeks) • Live at the temple • Study with the monks • Follow the 10 precepts of a novice • Practice meditation and chanting • You will be ordained as a novice monk at the discretion of your supervising Abbott. Once you undertake the 8 precepts, usually around halfway through the first week there are three additional rules to follow: 6. Refrain from eating after noon. Two meals per day, breakfast in the morning and then lunch at 11:30. 7. Refrain from making music, attending performances, wearing perfume, cosmetics and decorative accessories. 8. Abstain from luxurious chairs and beds. The 10 Precepts For men who are going through the ordination process there is one additional precept. Also the 7th precept is split in two hence the total of 10 precepts. 10. Refrain from handling money. Male guests, who desire to undergo the ordination to become a novice monk, are required to shave their heads, as well as the beard and eyebrows, take the 10 precepts and wear the orange robes. As a woman, you will not ordain as a monk or a nun but you will be invited to take the 8 precepts and wear the white robe of a traditional lay acolyte. Long Stay Packages (2,3,4 weeks) include: • 3 cooked meals per day when on the 5 precepts (first

week) • 2 cooked meals per day when on the 8 precepts (2nd

week onwards) • Clean accommodation • Transfers by public bus are provided to and from

Chiang Mai and/or Chiang Rai • Tuition materials in English

• Robes • Daily Dhamma lessons in English • Meditation lessons • Pali language learning • Provisions for ceremonies • Temple donation • Safe, supported environment

Located on the grounds of Wat (Temple) Sriboonruang, there is also a school that caters to boys who are orphans or whose parents are unable to take care of them. Apart from the religious training they receive as novice monks, the boys are given a conventional education including Math, Science, Art, Thai and English. Many of them are very keen to practice and learn English and there will be many opportunities to chat with them and learn about their lives. FOOD A small canteen on the temple grounds caters freshly cooked Thai meals for guests participating in the program. Vegetarian meals can be arranged upon request. ACCOMMODATION There are 3 structures (one large wooden building and 2 small living quarters), accommodating 2-3 guests of the same gender per room. Bedsheets, pillows and blankets are provided. Bathroom facilities are shared and are basic (cold water shower and Thai style toilets). Men may need to share a room with another man and women may share a room with another woman. While couples are welcome on the program they are required to sleep separately for the duration of their stay). Please note, that the Buddhist Lent from August through to October is a very busy time in the temple and accommodation might not be available, unless you book early.