Wat Marp Jan

Wat Marp Jan is a forest monastery in Klaeng subdistrict, Mueang Rayong district, on Thailand’s south-east coast, near Yai Da mountain. Ajahn Anan Akiñcano, a student of Ajahn Chah, began it in the early 1980s with a few monks on land offered by a local couple. The monastery’s own history describes early years in umbrella tents and on bamboo platforms, with most monks catching malaria at least once. It is now the 73rd branch of Wat Nong Pah Pong and has ten branch monasteries in Thailand and Australia.

The resident community numbers over sixty monks, many of them Westerners, and Ajahn Anan teaches both monks and visiting lay people. Over the years the site has grown to include a large eating hall, a hillside Uposatha hall begun in 1996, and, since 2014, the construction of a large chedi that combines Theravada and Mahayana architectural styles.

For visitors, the monastery states that sincere practitioners are welcome. Day visits are possible. Overnight stays are for those who intend to keep the eight precepts. The first visit may last up to seven days, which is also the recommended length for first-timers. To arrange a stay, you fill in the personal details form on the Visiting page, send a recent photo, and wait for confirmation before booking travel. Guests wear white, avoid the internet and keep devices off, and eat one meal a day. Special diets cannot be arranged.

Language needs planning. The monastery says talks are often not translated into English, and questions for Ajahn Anan depend on both him and a translator being available. English teachings are on its website, and free Dhamma books can be requested. Foreigners may ordain here, but the monastery recommends first visiting an Ajahn Chah lineage monastery closer to home. Check the Visiting page for current requirements.