Wat Suan Mokkh is an enchanting temple nestled in Thailand, renowned for its serene atmosphere and lush surroundings. This spiritual haven attracts visitors seeking peace, meditation, and a deeper understanding of Buddhist practices. With its rich history, stunning architecture, and vibrant community, Wat Suan Mokkh provides an ideal retreat for both locals and tourists alike.
Wat Suan Mokkh, located in the heart of Thailand, is a captivating temple that offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Surrounded by nature’s beauty, it serves as a sanctuary for those in search of peace and spiritual growth. The temple is well-known for its dedication to promoting meditation and mindfulness practices, making it a popular destination for individuals seeking to connect with their inner selves.
The architecture of Wat Suan Mokkh is both stunning and reflective of traditional Thai design. Ornate decorations and intricate murals adorn the walls, depicting important moments in Buddhist history. This visual feast not only celebrates the culture but also enriches the visitor’s experience, inviting them to explore the deep-rooted traditions that permeate the temple grounds.
Visitors often find themselves drawn to the tranquil ambiance, perfect for meditation and contemplation. The temple hosts various programs emphasizing mindfulness, allowing participants to immerse themselves in the teachings of Buddhism. The supportive community at Wat Suan Mokkh embraces individuals from all walks of life, fostering an inclusive environment for learning and personal growth.
Nature plays a significant role in enhancing the spiritual experience at Wat Suan Mokkh. The lush gardens and peaceful surroundings create an ideal backdrop for reflection and relaxation. Those who visit are encouraged to take leisurely strolls through the grounds, taking in the sights and sounds of the vibrant ecosystem. The sheer beauty of the temple’s setting is a reminder of the interconnectedness of all living things, inviting visitors to appreciate the present moment.
In addition to its spiritual attractions, Wat Suan Mokkh hosts events throughout the year, showcasing traditional Thai culture through music, art, and communal gatherings. These events often attract both locals and international visitors, resulting in a vibrant atmosphere filled with shared experiences and learning.
Whether you are a seasoned practitioner or a curious traveler, Wat Suan Mokkh offers a unique glimpse into the spiritual heart of Thailand. With its serene environment, rich history, and commitment to teaching mindfulness, it stands as a testament to the enduring relevance of Buddhism in the modern world.
Discover the tranquility and beauty of Wat Suan Mokkh on your next visit to Thailand, and allow yourself the opportunity to reflect, meditate, and connect with the deeper aspects of life in this extraordinary spiritual sanctuary.
วัดสวนโมกข์ (ไชยา, ไทย) - รีวิว - ThailandAgoda.com
Wat Suan Mokkh is perched on a picturesque hilltop overlooking Thailand
It’s for newbies who know nothing about meditation and how a normal retreat looks like. For experienced meditators, Suan mokkh is not for you unless you have nowhere to go. The vibes of the environment, the hot spring, the food and the head monk are so good, Suan Mokkh just needs a few qualified teachers to do real teaching to make it great. I wish the head monk can see the problem there, the spirit is deteriorating now. The retreat is relied on volunteer to run and the volunteer do the teaching job. They can’t stop speaking / talking while we are meditating. That may in the form of guided meditation, Buddhism teaching and etc.. The only time I felt real peace of mind was when they stop speaking. Like some other retreats which are ran by volunteer, Suan Mokkh faces the same situation — it is destroyed by volunteer. You can easily feel the egos of the volunteer teachers, we become a group of idiots listening to the “teacher singing” which the content is so shallow that I start to admire my patience.
The actual Suan Mokh retreat is great for meditation and yoga. Specifically designed with appropriate venues for dining, dormitory and meditation.This course, however, was promoted as a “silent” meditation course which is was definitely not. Yoga was not conventional yoga but rather an American version of yoga aerobics; not appreciated at all!The teachers, especially the American David Clinton was overbearing and invasive in his teaching approach.Dormitories and ablution facilities are primitive and will be intolerable in cold weather.This is not suitable for more than just basic practitioners.
Very good place for meditation, 10 silence days, start 1st day of the month.Separate dorm for men and women.Very.good teachers
There is only one silent meditation per day, other meditations are listening to dharma talks. The anapanasati teaching is lacking proper articulation. Also meany dharma talks come from CD, and the speaker system is not that good in the main meditation hall. I struggled trying to make sense of the sound in the hall, and eventually ended up not listening and just meditated thru the noise. I also ended up skipping three talks per day, and sneaked away to meditate in peace in the hidden sala. Dhammavidu has left the building, he is nodways in koh samui? So a new lady is in charge, and seems like this is her learning stage atm. Flower still waiting to blossom.Anyway, the hole consept of the retreat has changed, and not in a good direction. The retreat reminded more of a christian religion than buddhism. The not-Self was presented in a nihilistic way, instead of deep intimacy towards yourself. Not me, not mine, ment that you must obey and behave, instead of something abstract.I have been there over 10 times, since 2002 (-2019). And my personal practice is on a firm ground, so i can live with bad dharma talks and teachers. But i did felt sorry for the first timers. They got a narrow image of the fuits od dharma.But the food and surroundings are great. Great place for detox. The price of the retreat is 2000B, (64e). So yes, still a good idea to go there 🙂 IF you can tolerate the new more narrow religious dharma they teach.
Awesome place of quiteness and beauty. I used it for my retreat and its a place you will not find a second one. The Wat is open for everybody who meditate and pray, starting 04:30 am with chanting open air. A very special moment.
I was there when Tan Dammavidu (the English monk) was giving teachings, and it was amassing and life changing.I came back and the place was not the same. I left after 2 days. Tai chi and guided meditations instead of deep philosophy. If you are into that thing, you will enjoy it, but I hated every moment. The level of teachings I got you can find in your neighborhood Yoga place – definitely not something to go to Thailand for :(I am happy that I was there in the times before they ‘renovated’ it’s program. Anicha 🙁
I had attended the retreat in June 2019, looking for a safe place to practice deep meditation, nothing else.Food, bed, hot springs and landscape are beautiful. I did not read the reviews before my stay as I did not want to have expectations, but maybe I should have.It is not silent, at all. As many other participants wrote, you hardly find a moment to meditate without some background noise. Felt more like a place of constrainment, more than meditation.
The wooded grounds are beautiful and the monks friendly and happy to talk in this quiet, peaceful monastery/meditation centre. We were dive bombed with branches thrown from a great height by a large monkey and admired a small friendly tortoise. There is a pond with magnificent Victoria water lilies and lots of carved stone panels showing the life of the Buddha.
On the positive side:The nature is beautiful, the hot springs really enjoyable, food is great and the 10-day set up really nice. Most people do make progress and will be happy to have endured it afterwards. Dormitories and so on are very simple but at least you have your own room/cell. This time there were around 40 participants so a fairly small group. The small shop for mosquito repellent etc is very helpful. Besides that:It is focused on beginner level and not for advanced meditators with a lot of walking meditation to make it easier for everyone. Still, don’t expect too much detailed insights on the specific steps but more generic guidance with a lot of buddhism-related introductionsIts quite noisy. Morning talk, dhamma talk, food reflection, chanting, yoga / relaxation instructions are a lot for a silent retreat and disturb the calming mind. Due to the constant change between sitting and walking meditation there is also a lot of movement. Bring earplugsInstead of yoga mats there are straw mats (more dangerous than helpful), instead of sleeping mats there are „wooden mats“ and „wooden pillows“ (strange thinking that softer mats for participants are luxurious while for coordinators/staff they are ok) and the meditation cushions have seen much better days. Bring your own stuffYoga instructions are focused on the course coordinator and his needs – you more or less follow that. Yoga was 105 minutes a day.Day 10 was really a lost day due to how the program was set up with day 9 as the „marathon“ meditation dayReally not working:The surprising „working meditation“ on day 10 is a terrible idea! We were expected to shovel sand for a new Wat Suan Mokh building that is even outside of the retreat areal. They probably just wanted to save some money and used us to do the work. This was announced on the afternoon itself and communicated as a meditation exercise and not as a humble request. So much for the noble spirit May Wat Suan Mokh learn from its mistakes
I hope everyone considering attending the 10-day silence Meditation Course at sun Mokh will find this review helpful of my recent experience. Positive Side: – Beautiful compound, very peaceful with lots of old wonderful trees, three ponds and nice walkways for walking meditation- They are really strict with the rules so you can focus on your silent during the whole time- Food is absolutely delicious, traditional Thai Food and even quite spicy (which I loved in my case), sometimes even desserts, fruits and first and last day some hot chocolate as well- Good itinerary for beginner with a mix between sitting and walking meditation and very long (super basic) Yoga in the morning which is really helpful to feel more comfortable in the sitting position- Hot springs were amazing. Although you were only able to use them after breakfast and evening teaDownside: – This beautiful centre would benefit so much from a passionate, kind-hearted person who runs this retreat who’s got a background knowing western mindsets and speaks excellent English. This was somehow lacking and this experience stands and falls also with the teachers in my opinion- Don’t come here if you want to go really deep into meditation (there’s chanting and some talking) or if you really want to learn about Buddhism (lack of good teachers that make the philosophy relatable)- Super basic accommodation. Be prepared to sleep on a concrete. bed and wooden pillow, lots of insects, small animals, scorpions, snakes around a.s.o. washing is in washing-The hour chanting Pali Texts with the monk wasn’t helpful at all as we constantly had to translate and therefore you can’t. really go deep into the chanting /meditation through chanting, so you don’t learn or gain anything in my opinion-Day 9 came only announced one day before – there’s only one meal a day and that’s at. 08.30 h in the morning. So, that day is super long. And after that it feels like you’re kind off ready to leave and there’s still another full day with the usual program, which doesn’t make lots of sense. -It would be great to offer a Q&A sometime in the middle or offer some sort of support, just in general the whole experienced lacked some of. the loving kindness / compassion I know. from Buddhist centers otherwise. What you should. bring: – Sleeping bag (silk. inlet), comfortable. pillow and soft mattress (unless you really want the concrete bed experience)- Mosquito spray and something for itches of the mosquito bites (the most horrible thing in the summer months, they drive you mad…), coconut oil for the small little flies- Towel and toilet paper, all kind off toiletries (soaps, shampoos), pharmacy articles – there’s only. tiny shops otherwise. you’re on your own. -For women: Bring a sarong to use the “shower” and the hot springs, you need to cover up all the time-Loose, light clothes that cover upper arms/shoulds and at least the knees, shawl, longer light jacket for the evening to cover from mosquitos-Torch for early mornings and late evenings-Yoga Mat (if you have your own) and clothes for Yoga-Water drinking bottle (there’s filtered water to fill up)-Maybe some nuts of something in case you get really hungry at the beginning and your body hasn’t adjusted to the light diet yet, no fresh food though, too many insects)- plastic bag to have a trash in your room-Washing detergent for your clothes (you do your own laundry)-If you have- meditation cushion that you likeYou can keep your diary and books, no one will control this and I found it very helpful to write down dreams and insights during the retreat, but. in general in Vipassana it’s not advised to write or read anything, so that depends on your. taste. All in all I’ve found it an incredible experience, I gained wonderful insights and I would consider doing it again, but not at the same place. It was super quiet in July with only around 24 participants, in the winter it will be more crowded during high season.I hope you find this helpful and wish you a wonderful experience if you go there. And yes, it’s a challenge, but also very rewarding…