Silence at the edge of Thailand

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Wat Thaton

• Silence at the edge of Thailand

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• The town of Thaton is 90 min. drive from Chiang
  Rai, less than 5 km from the Burmese border
  beside the Mae Kong River

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• Atop a high hill, Wat Thaton is home to a famous
  Abbot and 80 novice monks. Novices follow less
  rules than monks, adhere to strict discipline,
  and have to study Buddhist literature and Pali
  language.

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• Further up the hill are Kutis where monks, lay
  people, and meditators live.

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• My home for the next 10 days

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• Ajahn Suthep, our meditation teacher, Britta
  (German music teacher), Walter (Retired Swiss
  music conductor)

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• Panyavudho, the main translator and Foreign
  Correspondant

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• Every morning at 330 a.m., this monk rings a
  deafening bell as wake-up call

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• 4 a.m. Monks, laypeople, and meditators gather
  in the Chanting hall for 45-60 minutes of
  chanting, followed by 1 hour of walking/sitting
  meditation

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• 6 a.m. I usually go back to bed in my Kuti till
  730ish, while the monks go on alms round.

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• Breakfast and lunch is delivered at 830 a.m. and
  I have to ration. The food is good!

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• 930 a.m. 12 p.m. Meditation at the meditation
  hall.

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• One third of the meditation hall.

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• The Standing Buddha Another place to meditate

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Upstairs

• Downstairs, where I meditate if I come here

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• The Standing Buddha is 30 minutes walk from our
  Kuti with lots of up and down hills

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• View of Thaton from my meditation area downstairs

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• Britta doing some stretches upstairs

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• Great views of the Mae Kong river

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• A new Chedi under contruction can be seen on the
  way to the Standing Buddha. Chedis are to house
  Buddha relics.

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• Lunch / Rest time 1200 - 130. Meditators eat 2
  meals a day. The white lines are anti-ants chalk.

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• Outside the meditation hall.
  130 500 p.m. continue meditation.

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• 5 6 p.m. Shower with cold water. This is the
  hardest part of the day.

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• Sam (American writer). 6 8 p.m. Chanting and
  meditation.

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• 8 9 p.m. Every 2 days we discuss our
  meditation progress and other matters with Ajahn
  Suthep and Panyavudho

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• Putting my camera on a stand

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• 9 p.m. 330 a.m. Sleep.

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• A 30cm long Gecko guards my window against moths
  and other insects

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• Many spiders guard my kuti against mosquitoes,
  ants and other insects

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• A nice view in Chiang Rai

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• A fancy looking JVC mini-hifi for S400

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• The connecting tunnel between domestic and
  international flights at Bangkok airport

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• The End