Note: This is an updated repost of another article that I published 2 years ago. This version incorporates feedback given by other students.
Wat Chom Tong and Wat Doi Suthep both teach the same Northern Thai Vipassana technique. The head teacher at Chom Tong is Ajonthong. He was designated the #1 Vipassana Teacher of Thailand. He or one of his students taught your teachers at both centers.
Wat Chom Tong Vipassana Meditation Center Review
To be clear, both Chom Tong and Doi Suthep are temples and meditation centers in which you practice Vipassana meditation as a novice monk. They also have resident monks. This makes them monasteries. I will use “meditation center,” “Vipassana center,” and “monastery” interchangeably but I mean the same thing
The Location of Wat Chom Tong Meditation Center: NEAR Chiang Mai, Thailand
The “kuties” (coo-teez) are modern and comfortable – relatively speaking. Some have shared bathrooms, some private. All bathrooms have hot water.
Chom Tong sits 2 hours outside of Chiang Mai in a large town/small city that is crowded and polluted city. Wat Chom Tong itself lies upon a large strip of land lacking much tree cover to shade either monsoon rain or boiling summer sun. This detail will affect your time at the Vipassana center for roughly 2/3 of the years. The rooms are quite new and provide enough space to sleep and meditate comfortably.
Some rooms are part of a connected complex while others are like stand-alone bungalow rooms with shared facilities. When writing this, they only had fans and most likely will not upgrade to ACs. That means that for several hours a day, your room may feel like an oven as mine did. Outdoor temperatures peaked around 95°F/36°C .
Fortunately, space permitting, you can spend this time meditating in the air conditioned meditation hall. When I was there, there was only one meditation hall. A comment from a more recent attendee notified me that a second meditation hall has been added. If there isn’t space in the meditation halls for some reason, consider a walk along the lake on the meditation center’s grounds, where there are some trees to shade the hot Thailand summer sun.
“I would definitely not choose to complete the Vipassana retreat at Chom Tong in March.”
March is Thailand crop-burning time. The local Thai people around the temple burn fields of organic waste left over after harvest over the course of about a month. The toxic smoke in the air may leave you coughing the whole day, as it did for me. The weather mixed with the smoke also dehumidifies the air to an uncomfortable and borderline hazardous level. This situation made it very difficult for me to stay at Chom Tong. However, I ultimately determined that the longer term benefit in spiritual health outweighed the temporary sacrifice to physical health. If I had more control over my travel plans or if Wat Doi Suthep had space, I would definitely not choose to complete the Vipassana retreat at Chom Tong in March.
As for noise, there are moderate car sounds and construction sounds. It’s possible the construction noise has decreased and they apparently have less dogs barking now than when I attended. It isn’t like being in the center of a city though. I really needed to work on my aversion to loud, mechanical noises. The noises around Chom Tong’s Vipassana center helped me work on this aversion. If I was at Wat Doi Suthep, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to practice coming to peace with urban noise.
Food at Chom Tong Meditation Center
Humble, homy, and sometimes incredibly hot
You’ll have the option to eat vegetarian food or meat. I found eating meat quite strange at a Buddhist temple/Vipassana center. Many Thai people do meditation here as well and as they tend to be the meat eaters. I am no expert on their relationships with meditation or meat. Whatever the case, balanced vegetarian meals are available every day at Chom Tong. You simply donate what you think is appropriate at the end of the course, keeping in mind that they were providing your food during the stay.
Much of the food is spicy, however there is always at least one or two non-spicy options. I didn’t feel like the meal felt complete just eating the non-spicy options. This wasn’t great as after lunch is the hottest time of day. Eating spicy food and then boiling in midday heat made meditating difficult. Again, the challenge was perhaps useful. Buddha specifically recommended against spicy food, especially as Nirvana translates as “cooling down.” The sentiment in traditional yoga texts and ayurveda is also to avoid spicy food. Chom Tong Vipassana center seem to overlook those recommendations.
There is a large market right outside the monastery where you can by fruit, snacks, and toiletries. There is no market by Wat Doi Suthep, but there is a shop in the center where you can by these types of products albeit the selection is smaller and doesn’t include fruit. Keep in mind that only food without solids (like chocolate, yoghurt, or juice) is permitted after noon.
Meditation Instruction at Wat Chom Tong
Dogs watching the sunset at the nearby lake
The instruction at Chom Tong is very thorough. When I was there, instruction was by one of two Westerners. They review your progress and offer the next step to the technique. I found this review session quite helpful. Both instructors had several assistants who could answer questions any time of day. It’s helpful to be able to quickly review your current step of the technique if you are confused about it rather than practice incorrectly for a full day.
Feedback from other attendees at Chom Tong meditation center agreed that the instruction is more thorough.
The instruction at Chom Tong monastery was much stronger than at Wat Doi Suthep. You really learn how to do meditation properly and how not to (which can be even more important). Having Western instructors was helpful because they could better understand the Western mind and its challenges.
You can complete the full foundation course (usually 3-weeks long) in 14 days. However, it is still recommended that you complete as much as you can up to 3 weeks. This option is not available at Wat Doi Suthep. Doi Suthep only teaches Vipassana on the 3-week schedule. If you can’t complete it, you just leave during the schedule, which is perfectly fine. With both centers, you are not required to complete the full course, but you are free to extend your practice past the initial planned stay if space is available.
Speaking of instruction, I’ll be posting an Online Kundalini Yoga Course soon. It can be hard to find a yoga teacher who understands the mind in the way and depth you see it through Vipassana. As a yoga teacher, I aim to bridge the depth of Vipassana with the movement of yoga asanas.
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What Programs Does Chom Tong Monastery Offer During a Vipassana Retreat
Aside from daily Vipassana instruction, Chom Tong meditation center only offers chanting on Buddha days (once per week). Wat Doi Suthep has fantastic daily dharma talks and daily chanting. I think Chom Tong meditation center would benefit from integrating both of these. Unfortunately, they show little interest in doing so. They believe that time is better spent meditating.
Knowing how the dharma talks and chanting helped me in my first Vipassana retreat, I missed them at Chom Tong monastery. Dharma talks provide very useful guidance that benefits the meditation and life after the meditation. Chanting allows a sort of energetic rebalancing after a potentially long day of intense mental fluctuations. The two work the left and the right brain, which in itself is a balancing act that could take a long time to master if only meditating.
One reader of YonaUnbound offered advice to supplement Chom Tong’s Vipassana program. “Read some books by Mahasi Sayadaw (the teacher of Ajaan Tong). Also watch some YouTube movies from Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu from the ‘ask a monk’ series.”
Culture at Chom Tong Northern Thai Vipassana Center
I found Chom Tong Vipassana center to be a bit laid back. While talking isn’t allowed, many people do talk and it is common to smile at one another. Another Vipassana retreat attendee who visited at a different time said the opposite. It may just depend on how is working when you visit. It is very nice that you can come to the assistants and even the teachers with any questions, concerns, or emotional breakdowns any time of day. Don’t worry – emotional breakdowns can be healthy, especially when there is a meditation guide on call. This isn’t the case at Doi Suthep monastery. You are more left to deal with yourself there, which maybe also has its benefits. You’re also able to go out to the market whenever you like, which also isn’t possible at Wat Doi Suthep.
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Review of Wat Doi Suthep Vipassana Monastery
Location of Wat Doi Suthep Monastery: IN Chiang Mai, Thailand
View from the monastery
Located about 30 minutes from the Old City in Chiang Mai, Thailand and actually part of Chiang Mai itself, Wat Doi Suthep is located on Doi Suthep mountain. Clean air, moderate temperature, and tranquil nature sounds abound. A lush Thai forest surrounds and shades you and giant butterflies (as well as peaceful spiders) are common sites. Like Chom Tong, there are many dogs, but they interact with humans less than at Chom Tong.
Wat Doi Suthep monastery feels like another world on a rich plane you’ve always been on but have never noticed. Even though I have spent a year in Thailand, when I think of Thailand, this is the purest example that comes to mind of what Thailand is. While it is the perfect environment to go inside, it is more difficult to readjust to city life afterwards than the slightly urban Wat Chom Tong meditation center.
Wat Doi Suthep is significantly smaller than Chom Tong. Western and Thai meditators are totally separated at this monastery unlike at Chom Tong. However, when I was there, everyone was very isolated (in a good, deep way) so the population of the people around mattered less.
Food at Wat Doi Suthep Vipassana Meditation Center
Food at Wat Doi Suthep monastery is all vegetarian. Chili powder is available but all of the food is made without spice. The diet is more sattvic/ascetic than at Chom Tong, lacking the powerful Thai flavors. However, this means that the food is less distracting. A few snacks as well as toiletries are available at a convenience store in the meditation center, but they are just cheap processed snacks. If you expect you will want snacks, as food is only served until 11 in both centers, bring them with you. However, keep in mind that you should only consume liquids after noon.
Wat Doi Suthep feels like another world. The jungle makes you feel you are in deep Thailand.
Meditation Instruction at Wat Doi Suthep
Like at Chom Tong meditation center, you have a daily check-in with a teacher. However, at Doi Suthep monastery, the teacher is not a Westerner who has been practicing for less than a decade, but rather an old monk from Thailand who has been practicing for a lifetime. While the monk in my opinion is wiser and more inspiring, he does perhaps miss some instruction points that would be caught at Chom Tong. For example, I was following subtle sensations that I learned in Chom Tong I should not have been following.
In Doi Suthep, it wasn’t stressed that I should not follow those sensations. Ultimately, after completing 12 days at Doi Suthep, I walked away thinking Vipassana was something quite different than what I later learned it actually is. However, if you know that the point is only to observe and NOT to follow sensations or conditions you might experience (such as lights, vibrations, sounds, etc) then you should be fine to practice at Wat Doi Suthep monastery
The full Vipassana course is 21 days, but you are not required to stay this long. I originally signed up for 5 days, then extended it to 8, then to 12. I wanted to extend longer, but space was full.
What Does Wat Doi Suthep Vipassana Meditation Center Offer?
Along with daily individual instruction given by the head monk, there are daily dharma talks and chanting. I personally find this enough of a reason to choose Doi Suthep monastery over Chom Tong mediation center. The dharma talks explain a lot of the science behind Buddhism and teach Buddhist concepts that help you in meditation and in life after the course. My life was totally transformed after meditating here.
Had it not been for the dharma talks, I doubt I would have experienced nearly as much growth as I did. My meditation practice would have at least taken much longer to progress. Chanting in the Pali language (an ancient language in Thailand) is special. Pali, like Sanskrit, takes advantage of sound vibrations to balance the mind and open the spirit. Many of my Ah-Ha moments came in these chantings.
I felt I was in a sacred place at Doi Suthep
Culture at Wat Doi Suthep Vipassana Meditation Center
Doi Suthep was quite strict when I was there. Someone commented on my other post that this wasn’t the case when they visited. People did not talk to each other when I was at Doi Suthep Vipassana center. They usually don’t even look at each other. The temptation to break rules or leave early is far less. Overall, the culture is more conducive to going deep within. The dharma talks and chanting make the experience much more wholesome. In my opinion, you end with a more complete foundation to stand upon after leaving the retreat.
Review/Recommendation of Where to Practice Vipassana in Northern Thailand
Listen to some dharma talks via podcast before you go. I’ll provide a list of my favorite podcasts below.
Then do your first Vipassana course at Chom Tong meditation center as it is important to master the technique and Chom Tong Vipassana instruction is far better for this. You can also contact Chom Tong with questions afterwards and they are answered better and faster than Doi Suthep.
For your second Vipassana course, go to Doi Suthep and enjoy the depth accessible with the dharma talks and chanting. Also the natural mountain environment is more conductive to deep meditation.
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How to Prepare for a Vipassana Meditation Course
Book your Vipassana meditation retreat in advance.
Especially for Doi Suthep. They seem to be fully booked year round and you likely need to reserve space months in advance. Chom Tong monastery can fill, but it is rare during the low season (Mar-Oct). It is simply much bigger and can therefore handle more people. Not to mention, it is less accessible than Wat Doi Suthep which discourages some visitors.
Vipassana retreats are silent.
Of course you can find ways to talk. But most people are too polite to tell you they don’t want to listen to you. Chatting with people on a Vipassana really is so rude. Even if someone is nodding their head to you talking at them, it doesn’t mean that they think what you are saying is more important than taking advantage of the rare opportunity to go so deep into their inner world.
It is rude and selfish to talk to people during the retreat, especially strangers, even if you talked to them the first day. Similarly, it is really better for you not to talk to people for your own sake on your meditation retreat. Many of us, myself definitely included, are quite attached to talking and that attachment can bring us a lot of suffering and restlessness. When you talk, you are bringing yourself back to square 1 so for your own inner tranquility, don’t talk (or text).
You might want to leave Vipassana after the first few days.
We habitually run away from our problems, usually subconsciously. But doing this is why we often feel like we aren’t in control of our lives or ourselves – because we let our ego rather than our higher mind run the show. Know that it is totally normal to want to leave after a few days, but don’t do it. The impulse to leave will disappear and you will be glad you gave yourself the time to stay.
A Vipassana retreat is totally worth it.
I have met so many people through the last few years who have completed Vipassana retreats. Everybody has been glad they did it. Every. Single. Person. Everyone who completed a course has only had positive things to say about practicing this ancient and powerful technique. It truly is transformational. I entered my first Vipassana retreat jaded, cynical, and tired after a lifetime of pursuing pointless endeavors and chasing illusions. I left light, alive, and inspired. The happiness and peace I have known since my first Vipassana is unmatched to anything I knew before. While it may be rough at times, know that the payoff is worth it and that you will get out of it exactly what you put into it.
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