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Visitor Guide

Thai Plum Village, Làng Mai Thái Lan, Meditation, Thich Nhat Hanh

Schedule

Tentative Daily Practice Schedule

4:00       Wake up
4:45       Sitting Meditation/ Chanting/ Discourse Reading
6.00       Walking Meditation
7:00       Silent Breakfast
8.30       Dharma Talk (DVD)/Extracurricular activities
11:30     Lunch (silent during the first 20’)
13:00     Rest
14:45     Working Meditation / Dharma Sharing

16:30     Exercises
17.30     Silent Dinner
18.30     Personal Time
19.30     Sitting meditation & Touching the Earth
21.00     Noble Silence (until after having washed your bowl after breakfast).

Language

Thai, Vietnamese, and English
Translation systems will be provided. 

What to Bring

  • Mosquito repellant

  • Flashlight, hat, water bottle, umbrella

  • Warm Clothes (coat/jacket)

  • Socks, woolly hat for the cool season (November to February)

  • Comfortable shoes/sandals to support walking meditation

  • Your own medicines or supplements as necessary

How to come here

Thai Plum Village International Practice Center is located in Pak Chong District in NakornRatchasima which is about 240 km. North-East of Bangkok. It approximately takes 3.5-4 hours from downtown Bangkok (Victory Monument).
If you travel by public van (From Bangkok), please kindly take the van by 12:00  (noon time) to reach the monastery around 15:00 – 16:00
You can come here by Public Van, Train, Carpooling, and your vehicle.
See more information click here.

Arrival and Departure

  • Please arrive at the specific time and date according to the information from the registration office.  Also, please understand that our community practices meditation and noble silence in the evening until the next morning so please do not arrive any other time after sunset. (after 18:00 until the next morning).

  • The monastery also recommends you buy travel insurance before going abroad (To ensure your benefit in case you need medical assistance abroad)

  • To support and protect Mother Earth, we would apply a weekly NO CAR DAY on Sunday, you are also invited to practice with us.

  • Please kindly bring your passport for registration upon arrival.

How to stay

Clothes

  • We request you wear non-revealing clothing at all times: long or short sleeve shirts covering the upper body and arms, and pants, shorts, or dresses, that are roughly knee-length. It's best to dress in lightweight and washable clothing. When entering the meditation hall, please dress modestly and politely. You can dress appropriately for Dharma talks, formal meals, tea meditation, and other special occasions. Meditation can be made more comfortable by wearing clothes that are unobtrusive but light and comfy.

  • A white costume is not required.

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Food

  • All food at the Monastery will be served vegetarian. It is unfeasible for the Monastery to provide a special diet and medications for an individual's needs. Therefore, please bring your medications or supplements if necessary (only vegetarian-based food and supplements are allowed).

 
Accommodation

  • All rooms at the Monastery are organized in a community style. You will practice living in the same room with other practitioners to support each other in practice easily.

  • Male and female practitioners will be arranged in separate areas. Male practitioners will stay at the laymen's guest house, next to the brother Hamlet. The female practitioners will stay at the lay women's guest house next to the sister hamlet. On the female lay friend's side, each room will have 4 bunk beds (for 8 people); on the male layfriend’s side, each room will have 8 bunk beds (for 16 people).

  • There are no dedicated family rooms. A mattress, pillow, mosquito net, and blanket will be provided to you on the day of arrival. You are also encouraged to bring a personal sleeping bag for comfortable night's stays and to allow the monastery to reduce electricity and water usage for laundry, thereby protecting our environment from harmful chemicals and carbon emissions.

  • Please be aware that there will be no air conditioning and hairdryer (for female lay friends) in guest houses. However, with an environment surrounded by mountains, hills, and green trees, you can enjoy open space and fresh air. Due to limited accommodation, tents are used as accommodation in the retreats, if needed. ​

Regulations during stay

  • Minors under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent(s) or an adult.

  • The monastery requests that you not leave your vehicles outside the monastery during the retreat days in order to collaborate in reducing emissions to conserve the Blue Planet and provide energy support for the practice sessions.

  • We don't provide an internet connection, so please kindly arrange everything before coming to practice at the monastery.

  • Please note: Thai Plum Village Practice Center is a non-profit organization without any support from commercial establishments. The funding is provided solely by donations from those with kind hearts. Therefore, should you develop any health problems or personal issues that require treatment during your practice and stay in Thailand, please be aware that you will be fully responsible for any expenses incurred.

  • You can consider purchasing travel insurance before traveling abroad (to protect your benefits in the event that you require medical assistance abroad, you can purchase travel insurance packages at a low cost - these packages cover general medical treatment while in Thailand).

  • If the retreat is unable to take place for whatever reason, the monastery will not refund your flight ticket. The monastery will notify you via email of the retreat's cancellation.

  • Pets are not welcome.

Donation (Dana)

  • The monastery is non-profit and therefore sustained by donations. As you feel comfortable, you may like to make a contribution for food and accommodations and to support the monastery.

  • Donations can be made in person at the registration office. 

  • Donation Click here.

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