Wat Burapharam, Surin

Wat Burapharam stands in the middle of Surin town in north-east Thailand. It is where Luang Pu Dun Atulo spent the second half of his life.

Access to Insight, citing his published teachings, says Ajahn Dun wandered for 19 years through the forests and mountains of Thailand and Cambodia as one of Ajahn Mun’s first two disciples. His ecclesiastical superiors then asked him to head a combined study and practice monastery in Surin, and he became abbot of Wat Burapha in 1934. He stayed until his death in 1983. Thai Wikipedia adds that the temple became the first Thammayut temple in Surin under his care.

A small museum in the grounds holds his robes, alms bowl and other belongings, and a statue of him stands in the complex, according to the Thai Holiday Guide. For many visitors this is the reason to come.

This is a working town monastery, not a retreat centre. No programme for foreign meditators is published. Go in the early morning, when the monks chant, dress modestly and take off your shoes in every building.

Ajahn Dun’s short teachings are free in English as Gifts He Left Behind on dhammatalks.org, a good thing to read before a visit.