Wat Wangplado
Venerable Sopako Bodhi would like to invite you to visit Wat Wangplado, his temple in northeast Thailand. Everyone is welcome, not only Buddhists and serious meditators. Once here you can live for long periods at little expense. If you wish to practice vipassana long-term, or you are willing to work at the temple, you may, by arrangement with Ven. Sopako, stay free of charge.
When viewed against the background of a different culture, the mental traps that keep us mired in suffering can be seen more clearly and thereby eliminated. Here is a tremendous opportunity to understand your own mind and move toward awakening. Please be aware that the conditions at Wangplado are those of a rural farming village. If you are willing to adapt to the climate, food and lifestyle, your experience here could be one of the most rewarding of your life.
This opportunity to awaken the mind or simply experience a culture known for its hospitality and grace is not to be missed. Many meditation centers in the west charge hundreds or thousands of dollars per month.
The experience of living in such a positive, calm setting as you will find at Wangplado is in itself beneficial. Even if you don't choose to meditate intensively you will gain from listening to the chanting of Buddhist monks, absorbing the peaceful atmosphere and living among people dedicated to purity of mind and body.
Buddhists believe that staying at a temple, devoting oneself to meditation or helping monks and nuns, results in merit. Merit refers to the wholesome potential generated by performing good actions. It provides a foundation for further progress along the Buddhist path, making it easier to practice meditation.
The most important prerequisite for success in insight meditation is not a beautiful atmosphere or tasty food but a skilled, experienced teacher. For fifty years Ven. Sopako has been teaching full-strength, traditional insight meditation, not the diluted version often encountered in the West. He has guided thousands of meditators in Asia, the United States, Mexico, Canada and Europe, many of whom have remarked on his deep compassion. His work has been recognized by the Thai royal family. He is, truly, the genuine article.
If you visit Wangplado, Ven. Sopako will do his best to make you comfortable and guide you with his exceptional knowledge along the path to freedom from suffering.
Whether you merely want to experience life in a temple or do an intensive, year-long vipassana retreat, you will find in Wangplado a place that supports your success. We hope to see you soon.
You may contact us at vipassanadhura@yahoo.com for more information about visiting Wangplado. Be assured we will help to make your visit as convenient as possible.
Please click below to see photographs of Ven. Sopako Bodhi, the temple at Wangplado, Wangplado village and its residents. There are also photos from other parts of Thailand.