A Modern Take on Buddhist Tradition: The White Temple

            One of the most extraordinary places we’ve visited here in Thailand, the Wat at Rong Khun, also known as the White Temple, is one artist’s modern take on a Buddhist temple.  This temple is located in Chiang Rai, which is about an hour and a half from Chiang Saen.  Peter took us here before we went to the Chiang Rai United football match, but the temple is also easily accessible through local transportation. 

The artist, Chalermchai Kositpipat, wanted to build the most beautiful temple in the world, while also featuring modern Thai Buddhist arts.  The most striking difference between this temple and the rest in Thailand is the use of the color white – most temples in Thailand are golden.  The use of white makes this temple truly distinct, and the whole temple is truly extravagant:  twisting white spires- some covered in glass, a field of outreached hands and skulls, and a bridge that you have to cross to reach the actual temple. 

Perhaps the most interesting part of the temple was on the inside, where pictures are not allowed. A beautiful mural covers the wall that shows the struggle between the Buddha and the Mara (demon). Intertwined with the demon are American cultural icons:  Spiderman, Angry Birds, Michael Jackson, Elvis, Chuck Taylor shoes, and so on.  Most notably, George Bush and Bin Laden are painted inside the eyes of the demon.  Chalermchai Kotsipipat did this to represent the evil he sees in the world, and the fact that there are no superheroes or material goods that can save the world from this evil, people must do it for themselves.  To make this experience even more memorable, a monk was meditating in the temple while we were visiting!

This temple is still a work in process, Kotsipipat plans on spending the rest of his life working on, and he is currently training people to complete the temple after his death.  Kotsipipat oversees every element of The White Temple and its grounds, and his devotion to his temple reminds us of the story of Gaudi and La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

On a lighter note, another highlight of visiting this temple was the golden bathroom, also known as “the most beautiful toilet.”  Unlike most public restrooms here in Thailand, this bathroom is free of charge – so everyone gets a chance to use and admire it.  

For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Rong_Khun