Wat Pa Sutthawat

Wat Pa Sutthawat (Wat Suddhavasa) is a forest monastery on the edge of Sakon Nakhon city in north-east Thailand. Ajahn Maha Bua’s biography of Ajahn Mun says he first stayed here on arriving in Sakon Nakhon in late 1941, before moving to quieter forest monasteries nearby. In 1949, close to death, he was carried here from Ban Nong Pheu and placed in a hut, and he died that night.

A museum dedicated to Ajahn Mun stands in the grounds. It holds what are revered as his relics and his personal belongings, including his alms bowl and robes, and a seated image of him. The museum sits inside a working monastery, so behave as you would in any active temple.

Ajahn Maha Bua spent his years with Ajahn Mun in this province, and his biography of Ajahn Mun describes that time. Wat Pa Baan Taad, which Ajahn Maha Bua founded, keeps relics of Ajahn Mun in its hall, so the two monasteries are closely linked in the tradition.

For foreign visitors this is a place of pilgrimage rather than of retreat; no programme for foreign meditators is published. It is worth reading about Ajahn Mun before you go. His teachings in English are collected in A Heart Released, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu and free on dhammatalks.org.