Wat Mahathat

Wat Mahathat, one of the few places in Thailand which keeps records of its students, says enrollments in its meditation courses rose from 540 in 1998 to 871 in 2002, falling back in 2003 to 596 due to global factors like the SARS crisis and the war in Iraq, which affected travel movements across the world. Women outnumbered men by a ratio of 52:48. Of the 659 students who signed up between March, 2003, and March, 2004, a total of 161 were from the United States, 87 from the UK, 78 from Germany and 45 from Canada. Altogether, there were students from 45 countries, including such distant places as Ecuador, South Africa and Scotland.

To capitalise on the trend and a growing number of inquiries, the Tourism Authority of Thailand recently produced a guidebook which lists places of Buddhist learning throughout Thailand. While many training centres are located in Bangkok, others are forest retreats. Courses range in length from just a weekend to 10 days and four weeks, depending on the level the individual wishes to attain. Students can also choose from a broad range of categories and techniques of learning meditation.

Certainly, the process is an intrinsic part of the search for enlightenment. According to Wat Mahathat’s Phra Suputh Kosalo, students seek to get away from the competitive stress of modern life. They dress in unadorned white attire, eat simple food, abstain from alcohol, avoid exposure to the mass media, maintain as much as possible an elegant silence, clean their own living areas -- all part of the process of expunging pride, arrogance and egotism while acquiring humility, modesty and simplicity.

While it was once difficult to find instructors in English, this is changing. Not only is the new generation of Thai monks more familiar with English, many former students have become skillful enough to instruct others in a variety of foreign languages. At the same time, many foreign students find it more challenging and enlightening if they learn Thai. There is no official ‘charge’ for the various courses; finances are usually handled via donations that are at the discretion of the student.

Dominique Whitehead, 34, a Briton, took a four-week meditation course at Wat Mahathat in April. He says the experience in Thailand was far superior to similar studies he had undertaken in France where he lived for 20 years before moving to Hong Kong. His regular visits to Thailand and the friendships he made got him more interested in Buddhism. Stressing that it is critical and essential to have a good teacher, Dominique says schools that offer ‘meditation classes’ in the West need to obtain some kind of certification about the levels of qualification their instructors have attained. Asked how the classes were helping him in his daily life, he responded, “They help me stay sane.”

As interest grows, Thailand is bringing its neighbours into the fold. Tourism authorities of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand recently launched the concept of ‘Four Countries - One Destination’ which includes joint marketing and promotion programmes based on the region’s shared culture, history and religious background. The officials agreed to identify and link various spots along a Buddhist Pilgrimage Trail, such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, That Luang in Vientiane, Mandalay in Myanmar and Ayutthaya in Thailand.

This linkage will soon be extended to India and Nepal, where Buddhism took root before being spread eastwards by the Buddha’s disciples in subsequent centuries. The Asian Development Bank is also funding a Buddhist pilgrimage circuit that will include India and Nepal, plus Bhutan and Bangladesh. The bank is seeking to fund transportation linkages and attract long overdue infrastructure investment in some of the world’s holiest spots. The two primary sites are Lumbini in Nepal, where the Buddha was born, and Bodhgaya in India, where he attained enlightenment. Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

By dint of its unique geographical position, Thailand will remain at the heart of these efforts. And its biggest asset will be word-of-mouth promotion. Mr Whitehead says he plans to bring at least 10 of his friends to introduce them to meditation classes in Thailand. As long as the world continues to slide into turmoil and conflict, there will be no shortage of takers for solutions that transcend the conventional.