Ans lives now already for a couple of months in a room close to Wat Sanghatan (1, 2), a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand.
He rent this room from his friend Kun Puky. She is responsible for the‘Buddha Raksa rooms’. Ans recommends these rooms to anybody who is interested in learning about the temple life, without having to follow all the strict rules involved.
While joining the meditation practice in the temple, it is still possible to enjoy a meal after noon, to listen to music or watch a movie, to sleep in a comfortable bed and enjoy the company of your significant other.
The temple offers an inspiring environment and strong energy. Some great spiritual teachers like Long Po Sanong Katapunyo are readily available to answer questions when asked for. He is the abbot of the temple and when he is in the temple you can visit him while he is eating.
The ‘Buddha Raksa rooms’ are also convenient if you only want some quite time for yourself in a green area just outside downtown Bangkok. Banglampu, the place where many foreigners connect, is easily accessible through a 30 minutes taxi boatride.
Kun Puky offers three newly build, private rooms for rent. Every room has its own private bathroom, terrace and balcony. There is no kitchen, but delicious food is cheap and easily available in the local restaurant. ‘Buddha Raksa’ is Thai and means something like ‘under the proctection of the Buddha’. In these rooms the Buddha will take care for you. Everbody is welcome!
For information about the price, checking vacancy or booking a room please call Kun Puky at +66 (0) 890 5000 52 or +66 (0) 8400 660 80. You also can email her at vimokkha@hotmail.com
People who know this area and the ‘Buddha Raksa rooms’ are invited to share their own experiences with potential guests through the comment section of this blog.
In the next movie by Jorg Dittmar, Ajaan Tippakorn explains the purpose of meditation. An introduction on medition.
Based on my own experiences, I advice following websites to people who are looking for more information about meditation.
www.dhamma.orgis a website about Vipassana meditation as taught by Goenka. For me, this is the most pure teaching I found until now. Goenka sticks to the core principles of the Buddhist teaching. He established many meditation center’s all over the world. In these center’s you can follow 10 day courses. Free of charge, but a donation is welcome.
If you have some meditation-experience, the meditation center in Ban Sawangjai, Thailand is a perfect place to do a long term retreat. I stayed here for a couple of years. Ajaan Tippakorn is a good teacher. He traveled several times through Europe, so he understands the western mind and culture well. Although the Buddhist culture is very important in this place (like everywhere in Thailand), the monks and the teachers are not narrow minded. They demand respect for their customs but are open for other ways of living. It is not a problem if you don’t understand the Thai language. There is a nun, Brigitte, who takes care very well of the foreign meditators. She is already for more then 15 years in this country and speaks the language fluently. She can translate to German and English. So no worries. More info at www.vimokkha.com
Update 22/01/2007: Brigitte left Ban Sawangjai and stays now in a new place where she is offering meditationcourses as well. I ‘ve not been there yet so can not give you first hand information. More info at http://www.meditationthailand.com/ If you like to join a course in Ban Sawangjai, it is advised to contact Mae Chee Maria at cheemarie@yahoo.com. She is in Ban Sawangjai during the courses every first week of the month.
He rent this room from his friend Kun Puky. She is responsible for the ‘Buddha Raksa rooms’. Ans recommends these rooms to anybody who is interested in learning about the temple life, without having to follow all the strict rules involved. 
Posted by Ans 
