Wat Doi Dhammachedi

Wat Doi Dhammachedi is a forest monastery on a rocky, wooded hill in Khok Si Suphan district, about 30 km south of Sakon Nakhon city. A local visitor listing names Luang Pu Kongma Chirapunyo as the monk who settled here, in 1946 by its account, and built the temple, and Luang Por Ban Thanakro as a later abbot. Ajahn Maha Bua’s biography of Ajahn Mun names Ajahn Kongma of Sakon Nakhon among Ajahn Mun’s senior disciples.

The place appears in the story of two people in the Thai Forest Tradition. Bhikkhu Dick Sīlaratano’s biography of Mae Chee Kaew describes it as “Ajaan Kongma’s mountain retreat” in the Phu Phan range. She travelled there from the nunnery near her home village to ask for guidance after she became unsettled in her practice, and Ajahn Kongma had her begin by contemplating her own body rather than chasing the visions she was prone to. The same book says Ajahn Maha Bua came to this monastery after Ajahn Mun’s cremation, and worked there at his meditation with great determination.

It is a working monastery. Monks live among the rocks and on the hill, with a chedi, a reclining Buddha and other shrines, and wooded grounds. The sign at the entrance states that the temple is not a tourist attraction. Visitors are asked to be quiet, dress properly, avoid approaching the monks, and take photos discreetly. No source read describes a programme for visitors who want to learn meditation here. If that is what you want, a monastery that publishes its own guest guidance, such as Wat Pah Nanachat, is a better first step.