Source: Tan Cittaviro June 2006
Address: Wat Fakram
Muban Fakramnakorn
Tumbon Kukod,
Amper Lumlokka
Jungwat Patumtaree 12130
Thailand
Arrival: Arrival from Bangkok
At Don Muang Airport, it is best to take a taxi (metered), as the monastery is only 10 km from the airport, on the edge of a settlement (the houses are built right up to the monastery wall). The journey from the airport should probably not cost more than 150 Baht. It is best to arrive in the morning and not after 5:00 PM!
Registration: Registration is usually not customary in a Thai monastery. Letters are not answered. Just drop by without obligation – it will definitely be worth it.
Description: The monastery is located in the greater Bangkok area, near the flight path of Don Muang Airport. When the new international airport opens at the beginning of 2007, it will probably become very quiet there – as far as a Thai monastery, especially near the city, can be called quiet. Only 4 monks have been living in the monastery for a long time. Often there are additional monks who are passing through as guests. Luang Poh has many Thai lay followers who regularly come to the monastery for a few days for “Patipat” (retreat).
Tradition and Teacher: Luang Poh Piak is one of the main students of the well-known Luang Puh Chah (“Ajahn Chah”). He is considered one of the great meditation teachers of the Ajahn Chah tradition and also regularly teaches the monks of the International Forest Monastery Wat Pah Nanachat. What he teaches is based on his own realization. Living together with such a teacher can catapult one’s practice forward, as one invests much more energy into practice than usual.
Meditation Technique: As in all forest monasteries, there is no specific meditation technique taught there. If you have a technique that you find helpful, feel free to use it. However, the teacher may recommend a different technique. Often Luang Poh gives tips on which technique is currently most beneficial for developing inner stillness and concentration. The extent to which you want to follow his instructions is entirely up to you. He will only teach you if he sees that you are willing to receive something from him. In a forest monastery, a lot of contemplation of death and contemplation of the repulsive aspects of the body is traditionally practiced. Westerners often have difficulties with this due to culturally conditioned conditioning.
In the Wat Pah Pong monasteries, work is often used as a meditation technique. During work, one is encouraged to contemplate or practice Sati (mindfulness). The sometimes heavy physical work is used to develop a) the Paramita “energy exertion”, b) going “against the stream” of mental defilements (the desire to make oneself comfortable – even if one may rationalize it with the need for meditation), and c) non-self, letting go/giving up, not taking oneself seriously with one’s thoughts, wishes, and needs. A practice that beginners often do not yet understand. It is expected that everyone participates.
In Thailand, there are traditionally no interviews. However, it is always possible to ask the abbot for advice.
Rules: Good Sila (the eight lay precepts) is essential if you want to practice there. Anyone who still has difficulties with not smoking or eating only one meal a day is not in the right place.
Daily Schedule
The daily schedule can vary greatly. Normally, however:
3:00 – 5:00 AM Morning meeting (chanting in Pali-Thai and silent meditation)
6:00 – 7:00 AM While the monks go on alms round, it is expected that you make yourself useful (e.g., sweeping).
8:00 AM The only meal, after which there is time for personal practice (if no physical work is scheduled).
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM Work meditation
4:00 PM Nampanna (allowed medicine): drinks, sometimes sweets.
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Evening meeting, on Wan Pra (the Buddhist “Sunday”) it goes through the night until the morning meeting.
The abbot regularly holds intensive practice days, during which a lot of silent meditation is practiced.
Language(s): Luang Poh Piak studied in America and speaks sufficient English, although due to lack of language practice his English can be described as somewhat “rusty”. The monks speak little English, but it should be sufficient for short explanations. Knowledge of Thai is an advantage, but not absolutely necessary.
Accommodation: There are enough Kutis available. The huts are very good, i.e., with electricity – a rarity in forest monasteries. Sometimes – only if the Kuti has not been inhabited for a long time – one must first thoroughly grab a cleaning rag. The Kutis all have mosquito screens.
Food: Excellent food. A buffet that would make the most expensive four-star hotel turn green with envy (all alms food, Thais simply like to give). But only one meal a day (in the morning). In the afternoon at 4:00 PM there are drinks and sometimes allowed sweets. It is not desired to eat on the side.
Medical Care: The monastery is on the outskirts of Bangkok. The hospitals have Western standards. Treatment is cheap and you get all necessary medications right away. A doctor’s visit with medication costs about 10 Euros. Not considered a malaria area.
Costs: As in every good forest monastery, there are no costs, but guests have the opportunity to give a donation.
Climate: In Bangkok, the weather is good all year round. In the rainy season (July – September) it can be humid and muggy, in the cold season (November – February) temperatures in the city only drop to 25°C at night, and in the hot season (March – May) it is warm (35 – 40°C), but not as humid as in the countryside. The most pleasant is the transition period from wet to cold and the cold season: November to February. However, one can practice all year round.
What to Bring: Men wear white clothing. Women, on the other hand, wear a white blouse and a black skirt. This clothing can be bought cheaply at the market. It is also recommended to bring an air mattress or Iso mat, as there are no beds – as in all forest monasteries.
Note: Wat Fakram is a monastery for advanced practitioners; one should have already gained experience in a traditional Thai monastery and know how to behave there.