Meditation in Southeast Asia - Insight Meditation Center

Course duration and dates: A beginners’ course is approximately three weeks.
Since courses are individual no particular dates need to be observed. The retreat
begins with an initiation ceremony. Persons who have already taken a course at the
center can participate in 10-day courses.
Accommodation: Kutis (bungalows) with bath and toilet (plenty of water and laundry
facilities). Men and women live in separate quarters. Thin mattresses on concrete or
wood. If this is too hard for you, bring a sleep pad. Blankets can be borrowed. A
sleeping bag and fleece jacket are particularly useful during the cooler season.
Shopping: Daily necessities, meditation pillow and white clothes can be bought in
the small shops or the market outside the Wat. A digital alarm clock, flashlight, flipflops,
water bottle, insect repellant, toiletries and possibly tea and coffee should be
bought before the retreat. If there is no electric kettle in your bungalow, you can buy
one in Chomtong (approx. 180 Baht).
Food: Breakfast (6 a.m.) and lunch (11 a.m.) are varied and of good quality. There is
always a choice of two or three vegetarian dishes and sometimes fruit. After noon no
meals should be taken (drinks such as milk, tea, coffee, and yoghourt are permitted).
Drinking water is filtered and therefore potable. To be even more sure, bring
disinfectant or boil water.
Medical care: In Chomtong there are pharmacies and a serviceable hospital with
English-speaking doctors. This area is not considered contaminated with malaria, but
in other parts of Thailand malaria is common. The hygiene in the Wat is good.
Costs: Donation.
Rules: Participants vow to adhere to the eight moral precepts (moral practice rules).
Clothing should be white, comfortable, and decent (no shorts or tank tops). Wake-up
call at 4 a.m.
Climate and best time to go: November to March.
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