The 10-day meditation retreat at Wat Suan Mokkh in Chaiya, Southern Thailand, has been inviting English speakers to learn more about Dharma and meditation for several decades.
Thanks to generous donations of time and supplies, mostly by local Thais, the open-air meditation halls in the beautifully manicured forest of the monastery provide a perfect refuge for both newcomers and those who are deeply familiar with the practice of meditation. The retreat is designed for anyone who wishes to achieve peace, compassion, and an ability to approach destructive emotions in a new and healthy way.
One of the main teachings is to be present and mindful – to let go of the past and not angst over the future. Another teaching is to practice loving kindness towards all beings. Yet another is to recognize what causes pain, and how to approach it in a healthy way. Each of these teachings is meant to lead to inner peace and calm.
If you decide you’d like to give the meditation retreat a try, the best plan of action is to go in with no expectations. One of the main issues with meditation is the near impossibility of achieving it if one desires it. Have an open mind, and be a true student. Also, recognize that this is a Buddhist monastery and, as such, will naturally rely on Buddhist teachings to communicate the meditation methods. Of course, this does not mean you must convert to nor believe in Buddhism.
Be receptive and ready for change. How often do you get ten full days with no speaking and no distractions to truly listen to yourself and recognize what you spend most of your time thinking about, all while surrounded by the beauty of a forest? This, in itself, is a rare treat.
Things to Consider Before Participating:
- Your objectives: you will be interviewed prior to admission into the meditation center, and will be asked what you hope to achieve through the 10-day meditation. To know for yourself why you are participating is a good start.
- Your physical well-being: can you handle concrete beds, hours of sitting meditation (you may not lay down), six hours of sleep, and are you free from physical addictions?
- Can you be respectful of the rules: no smoking, speaking, no killing (this includes mosquitoes, centipedes, spiders, and scorpions, all of which you may encounter), no reading, no writing, no eating past afternoon, no laying down, no jogging or other exercise, no sexual acts, and no straying from the grounds of the meditation center.
- Can you speak English fluently? All instruction and Dhamma talks are given in English.
- The meditation is not rehab. It is not suitable for those suffering from addiction.
Getting There:
- Take the bus from Surat Thani bound for Chumpon for 50 Baht. Tell the bus attendant that you want to stop at Wat Suan Mokkh (What Soo-An Mock) in Chaiya. He/She should know exactly where you intend to go.
- There are two sides to Suan Mokkh: the International Dharma Heritage (IDH) is located on the opposite side of the road from the main monastery where most tourists visit. You can get a ride from the information booth at the main monastery (where you will most likely be dropped off) to the registration area at IDH.
- There are no reservations at Suan Mokkh – simply show up prior to 3pm on registration day, which is the 31st of every month. The earlier, the better.
Helpful Information:
- Sign up for your chore early on registration day in order to avoid getting stuck with a less-than-desirable chore, such as cleaning the toilets or foot baths (that’s twice a day for ten days cleaning out toilets – yuck).
- Bring loose-fitting pants and shirts to keep your person covered without getting too hot – Southern Thailand is nearly always quite warm and humid.
- Bring leggings, an extra sarong, or additional body covering to combat the mosquitoes, which are the worst at Suan Mokkh than I had encountered anywhere else in Southeast Asia.
- Clothing should not be tight, and should cover past the knees and shoulders. Clothing does not need to be white.
What is Provided:
- Mosquito net
- Individual dorm room
- Blanket
- Water bottles with filtered water
- Candle lantern
- Buckets, clothes pins and drying lines for clothing washing
- Daily vegetarian food (most of which would also be suitable for vegans)
- Mats, cushions, and wooden seats for meditation
- Meditation instruction
- Daily yoga instruction from a program participant
What to Bring:
- A towel
- headlamp or flashlight
- Toiletries
- Copious amounts of mosquito repellent
- Toilet paper
- Something to sleep on if you don’t fancy concrete and wooden pillows
- Loose, breathable clothing that covers the shoulders and knees
- A sarong to bathe in (no nudity, uncovered underwear, or bathing suits allowed)
- An umbrella
- Laundry detergent
- Yoga mat (useful but not necessary)
- You may even find a
mosquito tent helpful - 2000 Thai Baht (the equivalent of USD$60) to donate to the monastery – this is compulsory
mosquito tent helpfulWhat NOT to Bring:
- Any kind of drugs or alcohol
- Cigarettes
- Stimulants such as tea or coffee
- Food or candy
What you will have to submit for safe keeping during the retreat:
- Books
- Computers
- Cameras
- Cell phones
- Passport
- Excess money that you would like kept in a safe (they recommend you keep 500 baht on your person — about USD$15 – to buy provisions at the convenience store, which opens on certain days to sell repellent, toilet paper, candles, etc.)
Read more about the day-to-day schedule and overall experience.
Thanks for the detailed information. I’m in Thailand now looking for a similar experience but looks like I missed the registration day this time around and their website doesn’t work. Do you know of any other retreats like this in Thailand?
Lauren @ AllThingsGo.co.uk recently posted…Chengdu Pandas
Hey Lauren. No worries, there are plenty of others. I’m not sure about the quality, but this is the website I used to find Suan Mokkh: http://www.hdamm.de/buddha/mdtctr14.htm and Northern Thailand options are here: http://www.hdamm.de/buddha/mdtctr13.htm
Thanks for the peptalk, I am going to Wat Suan Mokkh.. alone, flying the day after tomorrow.
Enjoy it! You’ll do great
Thanks Kristen,
I just wanted to add that the retreat should be “SILENT” I have done a few retreats at Suan Mokkh and just got off another one which was spoilt by young women talking and gesturing. I don’t know what is so hard to understand by “Silent Retreat” other than that it is a wonderful place. If there are talkers on your retreat don’t let them spoil the experience tell the staff and if they keep it up will eventually be kicked out.
Wow, that’s no good! I didn’t see much of that during my retreat but I agree. Talking really ruins it for everyone.
Kristin,
Thanks for the review. I’m curious of the finer details a bit; what were the instructions like? What did the teachers talk about and what was the meditation like?
Thanks for posting this review, I didn’t know about your website until I searched for reviews on Wat Suan Mokkh.
I’ll be reading more often 🙂
Travis
It was pretty Buddhism-oriented. Mostly on how to achieve meditation and such. One of the monks is a British guy who was pretty funny and made it lighthearted, which I really loved. The meditation is conducted using the Anapanasati technique which is to focus on your breathing.
Hi Kristin,
Loved reading more about all the details from Suan Mokkh.
I’m planning a trip to Thailand the end of this month to go to a retreat, and I really like this one!
Do you have any idea of the age of the people that go there?
I’m for example almost eighteen. Do you think that that is to young?
Kind greetings,
Babette
It was all ages, really. I think the youngest when I went was 22. Will you be 18 by the time you go? I’m not sure it matters but it was definitely all adults, no children.
Hi
I’m really looking forward to my first retreat there this August, in a couple of weeks. I have a couple of days to myself afterwards. I don’t suppose you can recommend a way to get to a relatively calm, not too crowded beach in the area, or somewhere else to stay in the area?
You’ll be close to Surat Thani which is the jumping off point for places like Koh Tao and Koh Samui. This may come as a surprise but on Koh Phangan of full moon party fame, there’s a really small beach, only accessible by boat, called bottle beach. It’s super quiet and beautiful and might be just what you need: https://www.bemytravelmuse.com/bottle-beach-koh-phangan/
Hi Kristin, thank you for sharing your experience! I just want to ask, is it necessary to leave the passports with them? I’m planning to go there on September 1st.
I can’t recall if it was a requirement or not but they keep them locked in a safe so it’s a good idea to do so. If I recall correctly the dorm rooms did not lock.
i want to have an experience at the monastery.
I wish to be there on April 13.
please help
It only starts at the beginning of every month.
Hey Kristin,
I am considering doing this, incidentally, this coming New Year’s eve. I understand that its a silent retreat and sans all stimulants. But is it possible to keep a book or two? Or general reading is also mandatorily out of question?
reading is supposed to be out of the question as is writing, so if you really want to honor the practice then don’t bring books.
Hey Kristin, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your blog. You have helped me plan a trip to Chile in Dec. and now my trip to Thailand in Sept! So, thank you! I would love to do a retreat like this but for 3-5 days instead. Have you heard of any others in Thailand? I’ve been googling, and couldn’t get that website to work that you mentioned in your first comment on this page. Would love to hear if you’ve heard of any others or have ideas of how I can find one!
Hey Karley, so glad that you’ve found the advice on this site helpful!
You’re not easily finding 3-5 day options because Vipassana meditation retreats are 10 days as a standard. I’m glad you asked, though, because I’d never questioned why that is before, so I did some research. Apparently they used to be held for seven weeks (!) up until the dawn of the 20th century. After some experimentation from more modern teachers, they found that 10 days is the absolute minimum in order for the mind to settle down so that you can do the deep work.
Now that I know that it makes total sense. This is why ten days is so tough for most people with no experience (and those with experience as well, of course). It takes an amazing amount of resilience and concentration to quiet the mind, and I agree that after just three days it would be very hard to see some real, tangible results. Consider going for the full 10!
Hey Kristin, thanks again for all your advice in this blog – I find it super helpful! Can you tell me more about getting to Suan Mokkh? I’m thinking about coming in from Chiang Mai and have limited time there, so thinking about flying from there to Surat Thani on Aug. 30, the day before registration. Do you know when is too late to get to the monastery the day before? I’d like to stay the night in order to be there early for registration the next day. Did you get there the night before?
If I choose to come instead on Aug. 31, do you know if the buses from Surat Thani to Chompon run frequently, so I can make sure i’m there by 11 am or noon?
Secondly, I’d like to give my family a way to contact the monastery in order to reach me in case of a family emergency back home in the US. Do you know if this is possible? Is this something you thought about?
Thanks for everything! You are so inspiring and have encouraged me to finally travel on my own!
Karley
Hi Karley, I took the bus to the wat on the 31st from Surat Thani. There’s a bus depot with busses leaving every now and then. I would ask at your hotel in Surat Thani when the first one is. Tell the bus driver ‘Suan Mokkh’ so that he drops you off at the right spot. I don’t think they can accommodate people getting there earlier, like the day before, honestly.
The idea is that you’re off the grid. Same for the organizers. Are you concerned about an emergency while you’re there? I’d probably wait until things are all cool at home so that you can be fully present.