Wat Ram Poeng
In 2002, when we were in Chaing Mai for the first time, we booked a ride in a mini van to go up to Wat Doi Suthep. This is the temple that is perched half-way up on a forested mountain overlooking all of Chaing Mai. Only a few kilometers from the Royal Summer Palace, it is said to be the official northern temple of the Royal family. If there is only one place that you see in Chaing Mai, we were told more than once, go to Wat Doi Suthep. Beautiful golden temples sit atop more than 300 steps with two giant serpents flanking the stairway all the way up. Numerous breathtaking Buddha statues, hundreds of small brass bells that chime in the wind hanging from the traditional Thai roofs; huge bells and gongs that reverberate when you strike them, and beautiful flowering plants mingle with each other. It is an experience to behold.
We were the only two tourists in the van that day. Our driver told us that as a Buddhist, he loved to show people some of the interesting wats (temple grounds) of Chaing Mai; would we be interested? Of course, we said without hesitation. About a kilometer away from the busy streets of Chaing Mai, just as we started to climb the forested mountain, we drove through the gate of another temple. He parked the van, and told us to feel free to walk around for as long as we wanted.
As soon as we stepped out of the van we were engulfed in a blanket of peacefulness that was beyond description. There was no mistaking a remarkable presence that touched us to the very core of our being. We were surrounded by an essence of quiet reverence. For several moments we stood there, unable to move, unable to make sense of what we were experiencing, but knowing without a doubt that this was what we had been searching for.
We were standing in front the library of the wat. All around was a canopy of ancient trees, flowering bushes, Buddha statues, and an ancient stupa (pagoda). We saw monks in their orange robes, and women that we later learned were nuns, in their white loose pants and blouses, slowing walking and attending to their business. Even the dogs, of which we saw quite a few, seemed to be in a mindful state of bliss.
When I first heard about temples in Thailand, I wrongly assumed that this would be a single building. In fact, almost every wat is a compound surrounded by a stone wall, which creates a womb-like atmosphere within. One always gets the feeling of stepping into a different realm when entering through the outside gate of a wat. Some of the compounds are larger than others, each one having its own personality. Slowly walking around this wat, whose name we didn’t even know yet, we realized that this was a relatively large compound, probably equivalent to the size of a large square city block. There are two main gates opposite to each other, with a road that connects these gates. In the centre of the whole area is a chedi, a circular pyramid shaped stupa or pagoda. This particular one is hundreds of years old made of old red brick. A wide yellow cloth is wrapped around one of the bottom levels. Surrounding the chedi, in a counter-clockwise direction, are various buildings and open spaces, which we later learned were the meditation hall, dining room, the hall where the nuns pray and chant, a cobblestone square with a beautiful golden Buddha statue, the bot (temple) of such age that it clearly had been welcoming worshipers over the ages, a temple only for men and the marble library which looks relatively new. On either end of the road are various offices. On one side of the road beyond the central area are the living quarters for monks, novices and male guests, and on the other is the living area for nuns and female guests. There is a beautiful canopy of trees and assorted bushes planted throughout compound. Tucked away by the nun’s quarters is a bodi tree, the type of tree that Buddha sat under to attain enlightenment some 2,500 years ago. The tree is in the middle of a cobblestone square, with a yellow cloth wrapped around it, and four different statues of Buddha, one facing each direction, depicting the various stages of his life.
As we came back to the library, we saw some foreigners, dressed all in white, sitting in meditation and walking very slowly and mindfully; one purposeful step at a time. They didn't look at us or acknowledge us in any way. They were clearly involved in their own meditative experience. We couldn't help but be curious who these devotees were. I felt envious, wishing that I could share this experience with them.
Returning to the van, we asked the driver where we were. He explained that this was Wat Ram Poeng (pronounced Lam Perng, with an inflection that I am still trying to get right) which is one of the oldest wats in Chaing Mai, having been founded in 1492, (the same year that my Jewish ancestors were exiled from Spain and Lucy's Aboriginal ancestors first came in contact with their future European colonizers in North America). This wat, he explained is famous for teaching Vipassana (insight) meditation, and was one of the few temples anywhere in Thailand that offered this experience in English to foreigners. He said if we were interested, we could speak to someone in the office.
We found a monk in the office who was quite fluent in English. He explained that the English name for this temple was the Northern Insight Meditation Center, and that foreigners like us were more than welcome to come for a 10 day or a 26 day meditation retreat. He gave us an English brochure that explained the program in detail. He explained that they now had email and a web site, and that we could contact them at any time.
We went on to see Wat Doi Suthep, which was as beautiful and wonderful as we had been told, but the truly amazing experience of that day had been our visit to Wat Ram Poeng. Over dinner that night, we discussed the possibility of participating in a retreat there. As we talked, we knew that this was something that we simply had to do sometime, although, for various reasons, we did not feel up to the challenge at that time.
One Saturday afternoon, about 1½ years later, on our next trip to Thailand, we drove out to Wat Ram Poeng. We had previously talked about how one doesn't usually have the same experience twice. Now that we had been in Thailand for so long, and had visited so many different temples, we reasoned, we probably wouldn't be as impressionable as the year before. No so! After parking our motorbike, we walked through the gate, and were instantly engulfed once again into the womb of serenity. We had a wonderful conversation with an English-speaking nun at the foreigners' office, who exuded a sense of spirituality. It’s interesting coming upon such a person; one doesn't have to listen so much to their words as simply feel their presence. She was simply there and welcomed us to join her. This time we accepted the invitation. A few weeks hence, for better or for worse, we too would be donning our white costumes and walking and sitting in silence.
I have been back to Wat Ram Poeng for 3 different retreats now, and know that I will be soon going back to spend more time there. For Lucy and I, it has now become our spiritual home. Although we are very familiar with the grounds now, every time we enter the gate, we have the same experience of entering a womb of mystical stillness. It is a busy living working monastery, with monks and nuns, various people coming and going all the time, with celebrations marking all the Buddhist occasions, visiting monks who study there, school children coming for educational purposes, rotating retreats for Thai people, monks and nuns chanting during certain times of the day, bells ring, announcements going over the loudspeaker, monks lining up to receive their morning alms, and even loud construction projects that never seem to end. More dogs have discovered this sanctuary, and some of them are not all so peaceful anymore. Somewhere outside the gates there is a discothèque that blares music on some weekend nights, and the sound of commercial jets taking off and landing at the nearby international airport can be heard throughout the day. Even helicopters and low-flying military jets seem to have discovered this wat as part of their flight plans.
Real life goes on in and around this wat. And yet, the sense of spiritual stillness, born from centuries of tradition and reverence pervades all, providing an absolutely awe-inspiring environment for meditation and the peaceful exploration of one’s own mind.
We were the only two tourists in the van that day. Our driver told us that as a Buddhist, he loved to show people some of the interesting wats (temple grounds) of Chaing Mai; would we be interested? Of course, we said without hesitation. About a kilometer away from the busy streets of Chaing Mai, just as we started to climb the forested mountain, we drove through the gate of another temple. He parked the van, and told us to feel free to walk around for as long as we wanted.
As soon as we stepped out of the van we were engulfed in a blanket of peacefulness that was beyond description. There was no mistaking a remarkable presence that touched us to the very core of our being. We were surrounded by an essence of quiet reverence. For several moments we stood there, unable to move, unable to make sense of what we were experiencing, but knowing without a doubt that this was what we had been searching for.
We were standing in front the library of the wat. All around was a canopy of ancient trees, flowering bushes, Buddha statues, and an ancient stupa (pagoda). We saw monks in their orange robes, and women that we later learned were nuns, in their white loose pants and blouses, slowing walking and attending to their business. Even the dogs, of which we saw quite a few, seemed to be in a mindful state of bliss.
When I first heard about temples in Thailand, I wrongly assumed that this would be a single building. In fact, almost every wat is a compound surrounded by a stone wall, which creates a womb-like atmosphere within. One always gets the feeling of stepping into a different realm when entering through the outside gate of a wat. Some of the compounds are larger than others, each one having its own personality. Slowly walking around this wat, whose name we didn’t even know yet, we realized that this was a relatively large compound, probably equivalent to the size of a large square city block. There are two main gates opposite to each other, with a road that connects these gates. In the centre of the whole area is a chedi, a circular pyramid shaped stupa or pagoda. This particular one is hundreds of years old made of old red brick. A wide yellow cloth is wrapped around one of the bottom levels. Surrounding the chedi, in a counter-clockwise direction, are various buildings and open spaces, which we later learned were the meditation hall, dining room, the hall where the nuns pray and chant, a cobblestone square with a beautiful golden Buddha statue, the bot (temple) of such age that it clearly had been welcoming worshipers over the ages, a temple only for men and the marble library which looks relatively new. On either end of the road are various offices. On one side of the road beyond the central area are the living quarters for monks, novices and male guests, and on the other is the living area for nuns and female guests. There is a beautiful canopy of trees and assorted bushes planted throughout compound. Tucked away by the nun’s quarters is a bodi tree, the type of tree that Buddha sat under to attain enlightenment some 2,500 years ago. The tree is in the middle of a cobblestone square, with a yellow cloth wrapped around it, and four different statues of Buddha, one facing each direction, depicting the various stages of his life.
As we came back to the library, we saw some foreigners, dressed all in white, sitting in meditation and walking very slowly and mindfully; one purposeful step at a time. They didn't look at us or acknowledge us in any way. They were clearly involved in their own meditative experience. We couldn't help but be curious who these devotees were. I felt envious, wishing that I could share this experience with them.
Returning to the van, we asked the driver where we were. He explained that this was Wat Ram Poeng (pronounced Lam Perng, with an inflection that I am still trying to get right) which is one of the oldest wats in Chaing Mai, having been founded in 1492, (the same year that my Jewish ancestors were exiled from Spain and Lucy's Aboriginal ancestors first came in contact with their future European colonizers in North America). This wat, he explained is famous for teaching Vipassana (insight) meditation, and was one of the few temples anywhere in Thailand that offered this experience in English to foreigners. He said if we were interested, we could speak to someone in the office.
We found a monk in the office who was quite fluent in English. He explained that the English name for this temple was the Northern Insight Meditation Center, and that foreigners like us were more than welcome to come for a 10 day or a 26 day meditation retreat. He gave us an English brochure that explained the program in detail. He explained that they now had email and a web site, and that we could contact them at any time.
We went on to see Wat Doi Suthep, which was as beautiful and wonderful as we had been told, but the truly amazing experience of that day had been our visit to Wat Ram Poeng. Over dinner that night, we discussed the possibility of participating in a retreat there. As we talked, we knew that this was something that we simply had to do sometime, although, for various reasons, we did not feel up to the challenge at that time.
One Saturday afternoon, about 1½ years later, on our next trip to Thailand, we drove out to Wat Ram Poeng. We had previously talked about how one doesn't usually have the same experience twice. Now that we had been in Thailand for so long, and had visited so many different temples, we reasoned, we probably wouldn't be as impressionable as the year before. No so! After parking our motorbike, we walked through the gate, and were instantly engulfed once again into the womb of serenity. We had a wonderful conversation with an English-speaking nun at the foreigners' office, who exuded a sense of spirituality. It’s interesting coming upon such a person; one doesn't have to listen so much to their words as simply feel their presence. She was simply there and welcomed us to join her. This time we accepted the invitation. A few weeks hence, for better or for worse, we too would be donning our white costumes and walking and sitting in silence.
I have been back to Wat Ram Poeng for 3 different retreats now, and know that I will be soon going back to spend more time there. For Lucy and I, it has now become our spiritual home. Although we are very familiar with the grounds now, every time we enter the gate, we have the same experience of entering a womb of mystical stillness. It is a busy living working monastery, with monks and nuns, various people coming and going all the time, with celebrations marking all the Buddhist occasions, visiting monks who study there, school children coming for educational purposes, rotating retreats for Thai people, monks and nuns chanting during certain times of the day, bells ring, announcements going over the loudspeaker, monks lining up to receive their morning alms, and even loud construction projects that never seem to end. More dogs have discovered this sanctuary, and some of them are not all so peaceful anymore. Somewhere outside the gates there is a discothèque that blares music on some weekend nights, and the sound of commercial jets taking off and landing at the nearby international airport can be heard throughout the day. Even helicopters and low-flying military jets seem to have discovered this wat as part of their flight plans.
Real life goes on in and around this wat. And yet, the sense of spiritual stillness, born from centuries of tradition and reverence pervades all, providing an absolutely awe-inspiring environment for meditation and the peaceful exploration of one’s own mind.
posted by Ralph at 12:28 PM
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