Wat Pa Baan Taad

Wat Pa Baan Taad is the forest monastery Ajahn Maha Bua founded in 1955, in the forest south of Baan Taad, the village outside Udon Thani where he was born. A donation of about 64 acres made it possible, and building began in November 1955, six years after Ajahn Mun’s death.

The monastery is a walled stretch of forest among rice fields. Monks live alone in huts (kuṭi) scattered through the trees and spend their days in sitting and walking meditation. The large hardwood hall is where the community eats and gathers. Pictures of Ajahn Sao, Ajahn Mun and other masters of the tradition hang behind the main Buddha image, and the hall keeps relics of Ajahn Sao and Ajahn Mun. Ajahn Maha Bua wanted it to remain a meditation monastery, with other work kept to a minimum.

The monastery’s own policy page, written in Thai during Ajahn Maha Bua’s lifetime, says that Thai and foreign lay men and women come to stay and practise, housed in separate areas, for short stays rather than permanently, and keeping the monastery’s rules of quiet and restraint. No more recent statement in English is available. The monastery works in Thai, so write ahead using the contact details on luangta.org before travelling.

His English books, subtitled talks and films, collected on luangta.eu, are a way to get to know the teaching before deciding to go.