Wat Amphawan, Sing Buri

Wat Amphawan stands on the east bank of the Chao Phraya in Phrom Buri district, Sing Buri province, in central Thailand. The temple’s own history says it has been a wat since the Ayutthaya period and cites a government survey from 1632 as the earliest evidence. The present ordination hall was consecrated in 1970.

It is best known through Luang Por Jarun, who became acting abbot in 1957 and stayed until his death on 25 January 2016. Under him the temple became a well-known centre for lay retreats in the four foundations of mindfulness, taught with the rising-and-falling method in which the practitioner notes the movement of the abdomen. A stupa begun after his death holds his remains, according to Thai Wikipedia, and the temple’s site invites visitors to pay respects there.

The retreats are short and structured. According to the temple’s page on preparing to practise, people register in person on set days of the week, stay for a course of three or seven days, wear white, and keep the temple’s rules throughout. Accommodation, food and white clothing for loan are provided without charge. Pregnant women are asked not to attend.

That page also says the temple does not yet accept foreigners who do not understand Thai, and the teaching is entirely in Thai. For anyone without Thai, this is a place to know about rather than to arrange a stay at. The temple’s site is the only reliable guide to the current arrangements.