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In 2007 I stayed for some three weeks -short before the end of Vassa at Wat Boonyawad.
It is a monk's monastery (around 30 Monks live here) with no Mae Chees. Women are allowed for only about two weeks, this regulation applies even for Mae Chees. After a week of absence women may return for two weeks again.
With a private driver the journey from Bangkok takes like 2-3 hours, for farang go and back is 5600 Baht, the price for Thai is around 4000 Baht.
Than Ajahn Dtun gives at Uposatha days teachings in Thai at
about 8 PM. Apart from this are no teachings or meditation intructions at all for women. But the women can ask Than Ajahn Dtun around 10-11 o'clock, when the
visits of the laypeople are finished. He also then comes frequently to the kitchen
and Khun Suwaree or someone else translates. This is a nice opportunity. As for men it is different, as they live in the man's place slightly apart from the monks.
Daily routine for Laypeople:
3:00 a tape recorded chanting wakes you up, but it is ok to wake up at 4:30
4:30 Wake up and meditation.
6:30 Work in the kitchen, helping preparing the food for the monks
at about 7 am Laypeople from Chonburi and the towns around arrive bringing food.
8:00 Short chanting before eating for the monks and the laypeople
from 9:00 after breakfast finishes the laypeople give Dana and pay respects to
Than Ajahn.
10:00 The work in the kitchen finishes
10-11 possibility for women to talk to Than Ajahn
around 10:30 back to kuti, washing clothes, meditation
16:00 Brooming around the kuti and the ways
17:30 - 18:30 Possibility of drinking tea or coffee at the kitchen
18:30 back to Kuti
This times and regulations are fixed and called Kor Wat. Any monastry has it's own Kor Wat.
Some more details:
At around 06:45 the Monks come back from Pindabat (Almsround) and take place in the wooden Sala. The Laypeople serve food to the Monks which is transported from the most senior monk to the lesser senior monks on a tray with little wheels. As Ajahn explained he learned from Ajahn Mun that according to the tradition the food was on plates and was passed from hand to hand from one monk to the other. In Ajahn Dtuns opinion it is like as handled today in many Monasteries like Buffet.
During the week come some 15 Laypeaople, at Sunday come around 50 to 70 or even more persons, also from Bangkok.
The Laypeole have not much contact to the monks. Here are living around 30 Monks, some are foreigners as from Germany (deutscher Mönch) , from Sri Lanka, from Australia and one Phra Khaow from New Zealand.
The novice monks don't wear white robes as in other Wats, they wear directly
the coloured robes.
The Monk's Kuti are made from wood, not like the Laywomen's Kutis. The laywomen's are really nice and clean. Around the kuti's pillars is a special contruction filled with oil, so the insects don't crwal inside.
No electricity and only running cold water from a tap. No Internet, no mobile-phones, no TV, no Walkman, MP3 etc are allowed either.
The robes are dyed by the monks themselves with chopped tree wood of the Jackfruit tree.
This work is done at the day (or the day after I am not sure) of the Patimokkha Chanting. So sometimes the Laypeople offered the robes in white so the dying can be done as traditionally. The robes have a really very nice and true colour.
At for example this shop in Bangkok can be ordered the white robes:
Poneboon
26 Thanee Road( sometimes spelt Tani), Pranakorn, Bangkok 10200
Opened everyday 7:30 am to 6:30 pm.
Phone: 02-282-8262 Mobile: 086-771-6821
This shop is very near to Khao San Road, Wat Bowoniwet, Soi Rambuttri.
The owner is a chinese woman who speaks very good English.
One german monk explained me why there is also no Morning- and Evening Chanting: In Ajahns opinion this is not that necessary, the meditation practice is the most important at Wat Boonyawat. There is a short chanting or blessing before meal.
...but once at night I heard a chanting coming from the monks, this was very beautiful...
I enyoyed my time at Wat Boonyawad very much and look forward going there again...
With best regards
ShinMeiDokuJoh
