Wat Prayong Gittivanaram

Wat Prayong Gittivanaram is a temple and international meditation centre in Nong Chok district, on the rice-field edge of Bangkok. It is about 1.5 hours by taxi from the city centre, according to the directions on its information page.

The teacher most visitors meet is Mae Chee Brigitte, an Austrian nun who teaches in English, German and Thai. Her own site says she started helping meditators here in 2009; a 2010 Buddhist Channel article says she has been at the temple since she was ordained in 1990. The sources disagree on the years, and neither is the temple’s own site, so treat dates with caution. The same article (2010) says her teaching is free, with donations welcome, and that she encourages students to carry mindfulness into daily life.

The information page describes the centre as open to practitioners from all religious backgrounds, with a Vipassana programme for people who stay. It names Phra Acharn Phet as the monk who began the temple, but gives no biography, and nothing about his teaching could be verified.

For a first visit, email ahead, as the 2010 Buddhist Channel article advised. The information page lists bus and taxi routes and a firm arrival deadline in the afternoon. It gives no details of the daily routine, precepts or length of stay, so ask the centre about these before you go.