Welcome to our favourite annual event, the Buddhist Pilgrimage!

What is the Buddhist Pilgrimage?

  What is the Mindfulness Project?

The Mindfulness Project creates a working retreat which uses a revolutionary system to improve the possibilities of sustainable living. We are a German Non-profit organization with a spiritual foundation, dedicated to planting 100% of our donations straight into the ground.

We use a combination of modern scientific methods with ancient philosophies to promote personal development and healthy living. For example, we combine yoga, meditation, and spirituality, with nutritional guidance, psychology, and talking therapies.

We also use this combined approach in the fields of integrated agriculture, green building, alternative energy and recycling.

Our aim is to create an example of environmental and social utopia to show the world another way of living. While the Mindfulness Project is already planting seeds of change in the minds of volunteers and community members alike, we aim to grow this impact exponentially.

 Accommodation:

At the Project:

Here at the Mindfulness Project we have a beautiful, open, rustic style dormitory. We can provide you with all you need for a comfy night’s sleep including a floor mattress, mosquito net, Thai pillow, sheets and a blanket. If you have any special desires you are welcome to bring your own gear such as a tent, hammock or extra bedding.

During the walk:

We have to be very self-sufficient during the walk. We will be camping each night and carrying all of our own equipment each day, with the exception of the tent and a sleeping bag, which will be transported to our next stop for us. All your food, water, clothing, medical supplies, eating equipment, spare shoes, etc you will need to carry with you.

Food:

At the Project:

We serve large and tasty vegetarian meals. The Mindfulness Project is known for it’s extremely delicious and healthy food. This will boost your immune system, give you the energy you need for the upcoming walk!

During the walk:

All the food provided over the 8 days is donated by locals, and there will be a lot of it! There will be a variety of foods available and it is served buffet style. You serve yourself so you choose your diet. Intolerances and allergies cannot be catered for other than this, and we have no idea beforehand what will be there!

What people say about the Mindfulness Project:

“I had the time of my life here!” , “I am traveling for 8 months now and this was by far the best experience I had!”

   Cost:

135 Euro

No early bird price available

Please note, the Pilgrimage is created as a free event.

Free in Thailand usually means donations are expected. This concept is quite foreign to many westerners, so we are charging this amount to include the donations on your behalf.

The fee covers all the expenses listed below, and any money left over will be put into the donations, we are not making any profit from this event.

  What is included:

Your contribution will cover:

-4 days at the Mindfulness project:

• Food and accommodation costs at the project
• Yoga and meditation sessions at the project
• Talking circles and teachings at the project
• Transport to the start of the Buddhist Pilgrimage

-8 days of the Buddhist Pilgrimage:

• Donations to all temples and to the organisers of the event
• A tent (shared with two other people)
• Electrolytes and tiger balm
• Transport from the Project to the start of the Buddhist Pilgrimage and from the end back to the Project
• Lunch on the way to the start of the Buddhist Pilgrimage

– The night of the 8th at the Project following the walk (to recover)

  What is NOT included:

• Transport to the Project on the 28th November
• A sleeping mat
• A sleeping bag
• A pillow
• Transport from the Project to your next destination on the 9th December (only breakfast is provided on the 9th)

What you need to bring:

Eating: Food is provided for breakfast and lunch. However, you are expected to skip the evening meal alongside the monks we will be walking with. To be able to eat what is provided, please bring a food container, and a spoon and fork.

Drinking: You will need a decent sized water container or several water bottles to be able to carry enough water during the walk. These can be filled up at break times, lunch. and overnight when we camp. There will be plenty of water bottles being handed out but please try to use as little plastic as possible and bring your own refillable bottle! Its also a good idea to bring a mug for hot drinks if you have one.

Sleeping: Whatever you need to be comfortable! A sleeping bag and sleeping mat will be essential; it gets colder than you think at night! Please also bring a pillow if you need one.

Walking: This walk is intended to be done barefoot. A trick some of the monks use is to put a layer of duck tape on the bottom of their feet for some protection. So please bring this if you want to give it a try. If, like me, you have western feet that have never seen tarmac or stones, then please bring comfortable walking shoes! Trainers are perfect, and bring some flip flops as a back-up and to wear in the evenings. You will also need some sort of sun protection such as a long sleeved light shirt and head scarf/hat to cover your head and the back of your neck.

Showering: Walking 100kms over 7 days in the heat of Thailand will make you sweaty. You will want to shower. Showering at a monastery is its own experience. You cannot get naked, you can’t even wear as little as a bikini or your underwear. You are expected to remain covered up. The Thai people use sarongs that have an elasticated top. This means you don’t have to hold them up whilst protecting your decency! They also dry super quickly too. We suggest finding or making one of these.

Essentials: Please bring any medication you may need, a first aid kit for any cuts or blisters, suncream, a hat, some form of photo ID, a camera, a head-torch, a positive attitude and a smile 🙂

 Location and Contact Information:

We are located about 30 minutes North of Khon Kaen in the middle of rural farmland in a village called Ban Muang Wan. It is far off the beaten path and definitely not a ‘touristy’ place. We offer an authentic experience where you see the real Thailand, and we pride ourselves in our ability to offer radically simplistic living in deep connection with nature. Unique earthen buildings are in the making and gardens are developing in our 4 year old site.

**please note: we do not know the specific location or the route of the walk beforehand, it changes each year**

Please feel free to contact us at info@mindfulness-project.org if you would like any additional information about the event.

SO COME ON… experience the real Thailand. Come and take part in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and join this pilgrimage with us. The Buddhist Pilgrimage is not something many visitors to Thailand know about, so it really is a very special event and one that will change you forever.