Meditation in Asia - Retreat Infos

after monsoon: October to February.
Note: Laypersons may stay up to 15 days. Repeated stays are possible. The
monastery is very traditional and faithful to the vinaya way. Here you can experience
authentic old Thai forest tradition. Mae Chees and monks rejoice over dark chocolate
and Nescafe. Women are expected to help in the kitchen.
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Wat Marp Jun ( also Wat Mab Chan or Wat Subhaddabanpot)
by Bhikkhu Gavesako 2005, updated Oct. 2007
Address: Wat Marp Jun (or: "Mab Chan"),
Tambon Klaeng, Ampher Meuang, Jangwat Rayong 21160
Tel/Fax: 038-617546, Fax: 038-996293
Internet: www.watmarpchan.org (no email)
The website is unfortunetely only in Thai, but contains nice photos. With this tool
www.thai2english.com you can translate the text into English by simple copy and
paste.
Location: The monastery is located by the village of Marp Jun, close to the fishing
town of Bahn Phe, not far from the provincial city of Rayong. The popular tourist
island Ko Samet is just off the coast, but there are not many Western tourists on the
beaches around Bahn Phe, this area is more used by Thai holiday-makers. The
monastery is situated in a lush rain-forest of over 500 acres on the slopes of Yaidah
Mountain, which rises from flat land a short distance from the coast and has TV
masts at the top. The warm, humid climate and rich soil of the area give the forest of
the monastery, and that of the surrounding Government Forest Reserve, its density
and lushness, and also mean that the lowlands can support hundreds of small fruit
orchards and rubber plantations. The story of the monastery began in late 1984 when
Venerable Ajahn Anan discovered the area during a tudong (walking tour) which had
taken him into the locality. The monastic community lived simply, practising
meditation in close communion with the natural environment. The forest still had a
wide variety of wildlife (such as bears, wild cats, deer and several different kinds of
snakes), but the main difficulty facing all those who came to practise Dhamma there
in the early years was malaria (it has since disappeared from the area). In 1985, a
group of lay supporters offered to build a larger and more permanent Sala (meeting
hall). To accommodate the expanding monastic community it was necessary to
construct a two-storey building, with the basement providing both kitchen space and
accommodation for lay-guests. As the number of monks, novices and nuns coming to
practise at Wat Marp Jun steadily increased, the Sangha felt it necessary to construct
a new meeting hall away from the kitchen and lay accommodation. Building of a two-
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