-24- The International Suan Mokkh
~ By Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu ~
This new Suan Mokkh is two kilometers away on the other side of the Asian Highway. You can go there if you are interested. The idea behind its construction is that we see that the world lacks peace. This is because the religions do not join forces. Instead, they are jealous of one another. Some religions think of undermining other religions so as to gain more adherents. The situation is just like that. The religions have not cooperated, smiled at one another, or showed friendliness among themselves. Thus, we have thought of doing something that would cause friendship among all the religions, so that their adherents could smile at one another and help one another in eliminating selfishness in the world. That something was the construction of another Suan Mokkh, which we call ‘International Dharma Ashram,’ ‘International Dharma Hermitage,’ or simply ‘Suan Mokkh International.’ This is where people from different faiths can come together for a friendly talk.
We have done a lot of Dhamma dissemination, showing people what Dhamma is, so much so that we think we have reached the saturation point. Still, there is the world peace problem because the religions do not cooperate. We thought of making our last effort, by promoting understanding among the religions so that they would come together to help the world. Many friends of ours agreed with this idea and offered help in accord with their ability. The new Suan Mokkh has been built with an expense of about five or six million baht, far less than the ten or twenty million baht for a big, commonly built ordination hall. This place is managed for all the matters that deal with foreigners: Dhamma teaching and meditation training, which are held regularly. An inter-religion conference is organized once in a while. It cannot be held every day, of course, but the more frequent, the better. This is how the International Dharma Hermitage has been built. All of the money donated to Suan Mokkh is spent there. The construction is almost finished now, needing a few more weeks or perhaps a month or two. But the place still needs accessories, utility supplies, and the like. So, within the next five or six months, it can be opened for use. If you go there, you will see something special: a natural hot spring from underground. You can take a bath in it to get its physically therapeutic effect, just as you study Dhamma for a spiritual effect.
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“24 Benefits of Suan Mokkh,” is a series of weekly posts published to commemorate the 88th anniversary of the foundation of Suan Mokkh in May 1932 in Chaiya, southern Thailand.
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For other Dhamma teachings by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu (audios, free ebooks, interviews, poems), please visit Suan Mokkh – The Garden of Liberation.
Photograph from the Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives collection (Ref. R-638)