Wat Tha Sung Meditation Centre Branch 9
Traveling around Thailand, I was looking for some sights and activities that would preoccupy me and stave off the boredom of not being in the big city which I am more accustomed. Nothing is wrong with visiting the countryside, and its certainly how I plan to live out my later years, but for the younger mind and body, I was restless to get out and explore the countryside for some Khmer ruins, temples, and anything else that would get me out away from the family. So I scoured Google Maps to build a list of sites I would like to see. That’s when I stumbled on an image of a large silver Buddha set in a grand hall. And it was only an hour or so away from Nakhon Ratchasima. So off we went to entertain the farang.
The drive was nothing spectacular, minus the butterfly massacre, which I hate to leave everyone hanging but it deserves its own post, so… hopefully soon? After winding through the mountains and settling on the plain below, we came upon many fields covered with beautiful yellow flowering plants, and many strawberry vendors along the road. This was quite a surprise, as I had never considered that strawberries could grow in this part of Thailand. This might be a future activity for my retirement, Linklandiya Strawberry Mango Farm, perhaps? Aside from my musings on the future, my mind was on the destination. Unfortunately, not much information could be obtained about Wat Tha Sung Meditation Centre Branch 9, in Wang Nam Khiao, other than it was established on Dec. 5th, 2001, which also happens to be the former King’s birthday.
As we turned off the main highway and off again to the access road, the road noticeably became rougher. This is, as I was to soon discover, was because the temple complex is still under construction. This didn’t damper our mood as we pressed forward though. As the massive tin roof of our destination came into view, the ruts in the road became more pronounced. Thankfully the rough road represented only a short portion of our journey for our vehicle to endure.
A view of the scenery as we approached Wat Tha Sung Meditation Centre.
There was ample parking space which was covered by a massive concrete and tin roofed covered garage connected to the main hall of the temple. This is quite a modern quirk, as I am used to visiting temples with an enclosure wall and the symbolism of passing through the various realms representing the path of enlightenment. This often did not have a ready made parking lot, so street parking or parking off site was the norm I had gotten accustomed to. The site did not yet take on an air of a construction site, as it looked more like touch up work and some Mickey Mousing was all that was left, but other parts of the Centre were obviously closed off and construction equipment was discretely tucked away from view. Aside from the reception lady, it didn’t feel like there were many visitors to the Centre that day, though a few couples would trickle in over the course of our visit. This was somewhat concerning initially, as there are usually more signs of life at temples in Thailand, as they are often the center of activity in many communities.
Driving past the north side of the Meditation Centre looking for a parking spot, which was found on the east side of the Centre.
A folding faux wooden-patterned table was set up at the entrance of the Centre and a smiling lady in a flower print dress politely greeted us, then ushered us all in, pointing to where we could leave our shoes. This is a practice common when visiting temples or any religious sites in Thailand. After removing our shoes, for a lack of appropriate terminology, it felt as if we were walking into a darkened gallery and narthex of the great hall of a cathedral. Ahead, sat a gleaming silver image of the Buddha set high up on a throne covered in reflective surfaces. The floor also resembled that of a cathedral, with a blue dominantly colored tile. Upon entering I did feel the lifting of the guilt of a thousand butterflies smote on the way through the gorge to reach here. I know I keep leaning on that, but it’s so I might be pressured by everyone to actually write about it. Every wall and pilar surface of the great hall appeared to be covered in a reflective silvery mirror, which really gave a calming aura and I felt immediately relaxed.
The entry to Soon Pathibudtham Wat Tha Sung Sakha 9, the “narthex” and gallery covered in predominately blue tiles, with silvery reflective mirrors placed all around. A red carpet was laid out for visitors prostrate themselves on so they can pay respects to the main image enshrined in the great hall.
My daughter and my niece rushed to make prostrations to pay their respects while I did a little taking in of the sights in front of me before I joined them. With no crowds it was relaxing an there was no sense of urgency to pay our respects and be rushed to the side for others to make their homages before the great image, so I settled into a light meditation and pushed out my intrusive thoughts for the moment. The Meditation Centre was certainly serving its purpose for us that day, though I was somewhat dismayed that I had not been finding more information about the place, perhaps I was looking in the wrong places.
My daughter, seated right, and niece giving a ‘wai’ to the great image enshrined within the great hall, the red carpet made us feel like special dignitaries.
The main image of veneration was perched on a high platform, with the sides of the great hall lined with smaller, yet still larger than myself, silver Buddha images, all sharing the same posture. Behind the images, the walls were covered with diamond-shaped silvery mirrors which were pierced throughout by diamond-shaped window openings every few meters, which allowed fresh air and ventilation as well as some natural light. The ceiling and pillars were also covered in shimmering silver diamond-shaped mirrors, that glistened in the light of the hall. Every step, every nod of my head seemed to set off a dazzle and the light danced across the small reflective surfaces, which was quite visually enthralling.
The atmosphere was truly serene and it was convenient that there were no crowds. It really made the place feel more peaceful and promoted a sense of harmony within the great hall. Even the sounds of a distant rooster crowing, the otherwise unwelcome sound piercing the air, sounded harmonious. I took it all in, and appreciated the scene before me, mostly alone in the great hall, my niece and daughter having retreated well before me, I was free to relax, unbothered, my mind left to wander. I became less concerned with the what and why of the place, and just let that thought leave. It wasn’t important anymore. Yes, this is not a historic temple, there is no relic to venerate, there isn’t a throng of people, it was just a place to find a moment to reflect, and I internally meditated on that.
A selection of images from the great hall, a donation platter and a perimeter walk of the great hall, a red carpet laid over a black tiled floor, and the many silver images of the Buddha to reflect on.
The time to rejoin my daughter and niece has come, so after my loop around the main hall, I snapped the last of the photos, gave a respectful wai and made my exit from the great hall. Thankfully the Centre isn’t yet a major tourist draw. It is currently more convenient for the local community to get to, as the Centre is not yet open for dharma and meditation lessons, so no domestic pilgrimages at this time. It will undoubtedly stay that way as it is some distance from the usual international tourist hubs. It isn’t an ancient site, and there aren’t any relics to pull in the devout. Yet it is still a relaxing and literally a reflective place. Though I mean more so in the sense of internally reflecting on ourselves. I am not sure when I will be passing this way again. It will inevitably be a long time and I imagine many things will change, as they often want to do.
Last few pictures from the Great Hall, the many glistening surfaces dancing from picture to picture, which sadly is not captured in still images.
There are a few other large halls with a few different golden Buddha images, but I skipped over those as I was being scolded by my daughter for holding up getting lunch, which I admit I neglect when I am on the road. It is very easy to become single minded and forget the needs of the body. I did peek inside a few, and as we drove past I did see the backs of a few large golden Buddha images like the ones in the great hall. The spiraling complex has several large meditation halls, which are currently still under construction. While it appears that the temple is still under construction and not yet open for meditation retreats, visitors are still encouraged to make trips and pay respects to the Buddha and offer alms and donation to the monks as with other temples & monasteries.
After the visit to Soon Pathibudtham Wat Tha Sung Sakha 9, I did learn a little more about the various meditation schools and centers set up across Thailand. Meditation is a widely viewed as a path toward enlightenment and spiritual development in nearly all Buddhist sects. In the forest tradition, which has a wide following in the north of Thailand, there are many retreats set up, including for tourist or visitors on shorter stays in the kingdom. Many of these meditation retreats and Centers have programs set up to help foster meditation for visitors on their short stays, not just monks and lay people in the community. I can guarantee that this will be another thing I look into much more as I settle in later in Thailand.
As I have observed from the trip, even though the temple is still undergoing construction it is still a place to find some tranquility, and make merit by donating to the monks. Eventually, meditation programs will be opened offering to teach the dharma and various meditation traditions. This will potentially increase the crowds, however I feel that as a meditation center, Wat Tha Sung will remain a tranquil retreat to calm our minds in our forever busy, noisy, world.
Addendum
There were other religious pilgrimage and devotional sites I had also included for this excursion, but I will include those with their own entries when I shake off the lethargy of writing these destination posts again. And finally, I hate to do this, but I need to pay for this site some how, so I figured that I might as well make print on demand postcards and stickers. I still refuse to do this for any dark tourism sites, but I need to start seeking out ways to cover the costs of maintaining the site, and I would prefer to not have to run ads here. Any little bit helps.
Lost in Linklandiya 
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