Silent Meditation Retreat in Thailand : my experience with Wat Maheyong, Ayutthaya

Meditating at the ancient ruins / Cr: Wat Maheyong

Attending a silent meditation retreat could be one of the most rewarding experiences in your life. I’d never thought I’d join a meditation retreat. I can’t imagine eating only two meals a day, sleeping in a temple, and not talking and being away from my phone for days! But it turned out to be the best days of my life!

I had always practiced yoga. They include some breathing work every once in a while. But my mind is far from silent. In fact, I loved hearing things when I “meditated” – taking it as God or the Universe whispering wisdom to me. At times, it’s really wisdom coming to me. At times, it’s wishful thinking. But learning to meditate is how I learn to be quiet. Rather, my mind learns to be quiet.
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My experience with the silent meditation retreat was with Wat Maheyong in Ayutthaya. It was amazing. The main work was purely on observing your breath. There were both sitting and walking meditation. I loved how everything was principle-based, and there were no strict forms of what you should do. As long as it quiets your mind, it doesn’t matter what mantras you use. And I will be returning when I need more silent meditation!

Cr: Wat Maheyong

Why join a silent meditation retreat in Thailand?
Silent meditation allows you to experience a quiet and peaceful escape. Thailand is a beautiful destination with a lot of monasteries, with monks devoted their lives to practicing meditation. Most silent retreats take place in monasteries and last for a week or ten days. Joining a silent meditation retreat in Thailand could be a life-changing experience for you whether you just want to try it as part of your travels or have been looking to deepen your spiritual practice.

What do you do in a silent meditation retreat?
At Wat Maheyong, our schedule at the silent meditation retreat looks like this:
4.30 am : the morning bell rings
5.00 am : meditation at the main hall
6.00 am : more meditation near the Pool
7.00 am : Breakfast
8.30 am : meditation in own room / on some days, meditation at the ancient ruins
11.00 am : Lunch
2.30 pm : listening to sermon
5.00 pm : more meditation
8.00 pm : listening to sermon
9.00 pm : Bedtime
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As you can see, it’s a full day of meditation and mindfulness practice. When I was alone in my own room, I was a bit scared of “ghosts.” Ayutthaya is an ancient city and it’s quite known for ghosts and spirits. I had not seen any of them during my stay. But I was quite restless. Nighttime was my least favorite part. I slept only a few hours each night and was grateful when the bell rung at 4.30 am. Strangely, though, I wasn’t tired at all despite only 4-5 hours of sleep. And the sleep analysis with my Mi-band watch (yes, it’s allowed), it turned out I had a good amount of deep sleep. 

Cr. Wat Maheyong

What was my experience with the silent meditation retreat?

Not having my phone is difficult, but turned out out to be rewarding
 It was quite nice to have my phone stored away. In the first day, I reached out for my phone literally 5 times, only to realize that I did not have it. I wanted to look up something in Google. I wanted to text my husband. I wanted to check my email for work. It was endless! The next few days, I no longer needed it. And I actually didn’t want to have my phone back.

Learning to just observe: vipassana meditation
I had meditated before. But I always had questions and was never really trained. Like what’s the best mantra to chant? What should I experience? I had seen lights during meditation, what’s next? Here at Maheyong, I learned that it doesn’t matter the mantra. You mind just needs an anchor. So you can do 1,2,3 or “bhuddho (pronouncing Put-tho)”, or whatever, doesn’t matter. I like to do “ham-sa” an Indian chanting that I picked up from my yoga practice.

Here, I was taught that after you chant, after a while, you will lose the “word”. And it will be just your breathing. And you only need to observe it. There’s no judgement. No forcing. Even if your mind is chatty, observe it. Whatever your mind is doing, don’t force to silence it. Just observe.

Observe it and let it go.

In the first day, the monk asked us if we had headaches. I sure did, and I thought I was just detoxing. But the monk told us we needed to let go, and that we were trying too hard to meditate that our brain hurt. He was so right. I wanted to stay focused so much that I was straining my eyes. From then on, it was a new approach for me to just breathe, observe, and let go.
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After that, I had this deep state of meditation. I was meditating near a pool. My breath becomes silent I didn’t even feel my own breathing. I saw this circle of blue light in my third eye area; and it started to expand into a bigger circle of white light. During which time, my heart was racing so fast. It was difficult to keep calm. I watched the light grow. I honestly didn’t know what to do. And precisely because I wanted it to be there, it was gone. 

What should you pack for a mediation retreat?
Beside the usual stuff like towels, shampoo and soap, here are some extra stuff that you should pack for your meditation retreat:

1. White meditation clothing
2. Mosquito repellant spray
3. Alarm clock
4. Pillow case
5. Blanket
6. Toilet rolls
7. Face mask and hand sanitizer​​

​Where is the best meditation retreat in Thailand?

Despite plenty of recommendations out there, I have to say it depends on what works best for you. Some places focus on chanting mantras. Some places are Vipassana meditation where you focus on your breathing. You should look up what the practices are for the silent meditation retreat you wish to join. 

If you understand Thai, Wat Maheyong is a great option. I don’t think they have it in English yet. The atmosphere is amazing. The facilities are clean. The staffs and supervisors are helpful in your spiritual jouney.

Here are some more meditation retreats in Thailand for you to consider:

SN Goenka Vipassana centres :
Dediated to the practice of Vipassana and there are many centers throughout Thailand. You may only apply to one course of at a time. Some courses are for Thai speakers only. These retreats run on donation basis. However, the courses are fully booked fast, so you need to book in advance – sometimes up to a year in advance.
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SN Goenka Vipassana centres in Thailand: 
Dhamma Dhani, Khlong Sam Wa, Bangkok: http://www.dhani.dhamma.org/
Dhamma Kamala, Muang Prachanburi: http://www.kamala.dhamma.org/
Dhamma Kancana, Sangkhlaburi, Kanchanaburi: http://www.kancana.dhamma.org/
Dhamma Canda Pabha, Pong Nam Ron, Chanthaburi: http://www.candapabha.dhamma.org/
Dhamma Puneti, Muang Udon Thani: http://www.puneti.dhamma.org/
Dhamma Suvana, Nong Ruea, Khon Kaen: http://www.suvanna.dhamma.org/
Dhamma Simanta, Pa Sang, Lamphun: http://www.simanta.dhamma.org/
Dhamma Abha, Wang Thong, Phitsanulok: http://www.abha.dhamma.org/
Dhamma Porano, Lan Saka, Nakhon Si Thammarat: http://www.porano.dhamma.org/

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