龙嘉宾

馬背上和尚是泰北独一無二的特色景点

馬背上和尚的宣传海报

庙堂地址: Wat Tham Pa Are Cha Tong (north of Chiang Rai), 42 Amphur Mae Chan, Chiangrai 57110,Thailand.Tel : 08-7177 6765 / 08-700 0927 / 08-7186 1300 / 08-1111 7431

馬背上和尚庙堂创办人Archa Thong的宣传海报

Archa Thong的前身是一名軍人

庙堂入口处

庙堂的一座象征彫像

庙堂的一座象征彫像

庙堂的一座象征彫像

庙堂户外的一尊彫像

簡樸的环境

簡樸的环境

簡樸的环境

庙堂內的和尚接见访客

骑着馬儿出外化缘的和尚

骑着馬儿出外化缘的小和尚

骑着馬儿出外化缘的小和尚

這是泰国旅游局提供有关泰北這座馬背上和尚的起源~~~

We visited and witness Monks riding horse for its morning alms collections and offering merits.  Just to share with you some of the interesting story on this place~~~
Wat Tham Pa Are Cha Tong. A strong-minded abbot is waging a unique battle to save hill tribe children from the curse of drugs.

Not far from the Thai-Burmese border, monks travel in single file along a rough trail through rolling hills, their saffron robes in striking contrast to the lush green fields in the valleys below.
The early-morning alms round is a familiar sight throughout the Kingdom but what makes this caravan a particularly arresting spectacle is that all these monks are on horseback.

Every day at 6am, monks and novices ride out from Wat Tham Pa Archa Thong to receive offerings of food from villagers in Mae Chan district, and usually return to the monastery by 9am in time for morning prayers.
The hilly terrain and the isolated location of the monastery makes the horse the most practical form of transport in these parts.

Back in the early 1990s, Phra Khru Ba Neua Chai, the abbot who established this forest monastery, was a soldier and a Muay Thai boxer. He led an ordinary life, attended law school at Ramkhamhaeng University in Bangkok, got married and fathered two children.

At 30, however, he decided to be ordained at Laan Thong temple in Chiang Saen district, Chiang Rai. He slipped quietly away and headed into the jungle, where he found a cave in which to be alone and meditate. Although he had initially planned to stay in the monkhood for a mere seven days, the genuine peace and happiness he discovered after relinquishing earthly desires made him realise that he had a lifelong vocation to remain a monk.

As news about the excellence of his sermons spread, more and more people came to hear his interpretation of dharma, the teachings of the Buddha.
One local, who had benefited from his advice, presented him with a horse. Phra Khru Ba quickly realised that this steed could play a significant role in his work. For, increasingly, his responsibilities were no longer confined to meeting the spiritual needs of the community.

Illegal drugs have, for so long, been the norm in this northern border province, and surely, these hill tribe villages in Mae Chan are no exception.   The ruthless activities of various drug barons have damaged hill tribe families and lives through addiction, illness, crime and prostitution. As a result, Phra Khru Ba founded Wat Tham Pa Archa Thong, nestled in the mist-shrouded hills, and began to take a pro-active approach against the curse of drugs.

“It is hard to teach an old dog new tricks,”emphasised the revered abbot. His statement underscores why children are a prime target of his determined effort to break the vicious cycle of drugs and exploitation.

To the children whose villages have become infested with drug traffickers and undermined by poverty, the teaching of Dharma plays an important role in keeping new-generation hill tribes away from evil and brings new hope to the local communities.

Apart from learning to read and write, the novices study Buddhist scripture as well as practising horse-riding and kickboxing. Each is assigned his own horse to feed and groom.

This teaches the novices discipline and a sense of compassion for the animal, and the bond that develops between the boy and animal only enhances the atmosphere of love, care and mutual respect.

Seventeen years on, this charismatic individual has earned the trust and respect of the ethnic minorities.   Undeterred by the corruption, violence and poverty, and armed with nothing but his strong convictions and his deeply rooted faith, Phra Khru Ba Neua Chai continues to dedicate his life to helping the less fortunate of his flock.