Our daily timetable

We do work to keep Wat Pa Tam Wua as a welcoming, open, hospitable place for people taking their steps towards the spiritual growth.

That being said, it’s also worth keeping in mind that Tam Wua is a Monastery and Vipassana meditation retreat, not a relaxation centre or resort.
Please keep your behaviour monastery appropriate, and remember that you must attend every item on the timetable.
  • 05:00   Morning meditation in your kuti
  • 06:30   Rice offering to the monks
  • 07:00   Breakfast
  • 08:00   Morning Dharma talk, and meditation class
  • 10:30   Food offering to the monks
  • 11:00   Lunch
  • 12.50   Afternoon Dharma talk and meditation class
  • 16:00   Cleaning the area and helping in the monastery
  • 17:00   Free time
  • 18:00   Evening Chanting, meditation and Dharma talk
  • 20:00   Meditation on your own, or have tea, coffee, hot chocolate & relax
  • 22:00   Rest time
All the highlighted activities are mandatory and cannot be skipped without a serious reason. Please don’t come late, we recommend coming at least 5-10 minutes early.

About the activities

05:00 Waking up & early morning practice.
We recommend you waking up early and starting your day in the right way. Early morning is a great time to do meditations, chanting, yoga or any other spiritual practice.

06:30 Rice offering to the monks.
A rice offering is made to each monk. This small ceremonial offering is a beautiful insight into traditional Thai Buddhism, as well as generating good karma for everyone who participates.

07:00 Breakfast.
A classic Thai breakfast. Normally rice and vegetables, along with some fresh fruit. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate are available. The breakfast is vegetarian; no barbeque!
08:00 Morning Dharma lesson and meditation class.
Morning class follows a format of a talk on the Dharma, given in both Thai and English. After the talk, there is 40 minutes of walking meditation, 40 minutes of sitting meditation, and 15 minutes of lying down meditation. These are three of the four postures for meditation taught by the Buddha. (The other being standing meditation.)
10:30 Lunch offering to the monks, and Dharma talk.
A ceremonial food offering to the monks, and a short Dharma talk. A more formal food offering to the monks, displaying the ceremony and respect that Thai monks are shown. Making this offering gives good karma to the participants, as well as being a beautiful insight into Thai Buddhism and culture.
Ladies offer food by placing it in front of the abbot. He cannot take it directly from a lady. Gentlemen offer food directly to the monks. The item should be raised off the floor, and only lowered once the monk has touched it.
11:00 Lunch
A vegetarian lunch. Welcome!
Lunch would normally consist of several dishes and rice, as well as fresh fruit. It is varied, so may have soup, noodles, baked goods, desert, etc.
Lunch is the last meal of the day, although some fruit or biscuits are sometimes available in the afternoon.

13:00 Afternoon Dharma talk and meditation.
A similar format to the morning class. A talk given by a monk on the Dharma, in both Thai and English. Then walking meditation, sitting meditation and lying down meditation.
The monk will be available to answer any questions after the class. Please use this opportunity to ask all the questions you may have.

16:00 Cleaning and helping in the monastery.
The monastery always needs a little upkeep. Cleaning and helping may involve raking leaves, putting away plates, cutting up fruit, picking fruit, feeding the fish, cleaning around your dorm or kuti, setting up the Dharma hall, and so on. Everyone needs to help a little.
17:00 Free time
Your time to read, explore the monastery, have a quiet conversation, meditate or relax.

18:00 Evening chanting, meditation and Dharma talk.
Chanting books are available in English or Thai. Evening chanting lasts around 45 minutes, then there is a 40 minute meditation, and a short talk by the monk.

 

*** If you have specific diets such as nuts allergy or gluten or lactose free diets. Please make sure you prepare your self with food that safe for you for your duration of stays. The food that we serves at the monastery are vegetarian and most were donated to us from others. We cannot guarantee that the food will be safe for you all the time***