The Monk's Cave

"I love that you have kept the monks' cave at the heart of Kamalaya. It was wonderful to sit there and feel the silence and presence of the place." -Retreat guest

At the heart of Kamalaya is a cave once inhabited and used by Buddhist monks as a place of meditation and spiritual retreat.

Monks that previously stayed in the cave as a place of sanctuary include:

Arjan Daeng (1889-1976), was a Buddhist sage renowned for his knowledge of healing plants and his ability to communicate with other life forms, including the cobras that shared his living space. An expert sailor, he built his own boat and made pilgrimages to outlying islands where he established other hermitages. He is remembered for his talks on universal compassion and his exemplary teachings of self-discipline, simplicity, patience, and his kindness to all beings.

Other Monks who inhabited the cave include:

Arjan Pet, "Diamond Teacher", a great reformer of Thai Buddhism.

Arjan Mahasumreong, the most recent monk to inhabit the cave at Kamalaya, made renovations and added the still-existing skylight. A great scholar, he translated many original Pali texts into the Thai language. Now 87 years old, he continues to teach at a monastery in the Thai province of Kanchanaburi.