Wat Rai Cherntawan

Wat Rai Cherntawan stands in Huai Sak subdistrict, just outside Chiang Rai city in northern Thailand. It began as the Rai Cherntawan International Vipassana Centre, founded on 29 January 2009 by Phra Methee Vajirodom, who writes under the name V. Vajirameethi. In 2025 it was recognised as a temple of the Maha Nikaya order, with Phra Methee Vajirodom as first abbot.

The grounds hold three parts: the temple itself, the international vipassana centre for Thai and foreign practitioners, and a Buddhist Economics University, an alternative education project. The site is bordered by the Huai Sak reservoir to the north, east and south and by Doi Pui National Park to the west.

The meditation follows the four foundations of mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna). The centre’s history page lists four kinds of course:

• a one-day, one-night course for executives
• a three-day weekend course for the general public
• a seven-day course for foreigners
• a ten-day course for people who already have some mindfulness practice

Foreign visitors should look first at the seven-day course. The official English site is the place to check current dates, what to wear and how to register. This page gives no dates or fees because they change.

No teacher in this database is linked to the centre. It is here because it teaches foreigners on a regular, published programme.