Description
Wat Pa Ban Lat Somboon Mai (วัดป่าบ้านลาดสมบูรณ์ใหม่) is an unofficial or "priest's camp" that is off the beaten track in a secluded area of the Phu Phan mountains in Sakon Nakhon. The "temple" only has on the forest grounds a small pavilion with large, gold Buddha statues where locals occasionally visit to hear a monk deliver a sermon.
Inside the pavilion, next to the Buddha, hangs a large picture of Ajahn Man, the co-founder of the Thai forest tradition of Buddhism, and on the wall hangs a a photo of Luang Pu Fan Ajaro, a disciple of Ajahn Man who became Sakon Nakhon's most revered monk, along with the following quote: "We are the creators of karma, evil, and danger. No one has caused it." (เราเป็นผู้ก่อกรรม ก่อเวร ก่อภัย ไม่มีใครก่อให้)
Wat Pa Ban Lat Somboon Mai is thus more on the order of a meditation retreat for forest monks, rather than a Thai temple where Buddhists go to make merit. The forest grounds are located only about 600 meters southeast of Wat Phu Phan Wihan Tham, which also is not an official temple but a "samnak song" with several unique sculptures. It takes only about a 20 minute drive from downtown Sakon Nakhon to reach this Buddhist site.
