Celebrating a century: Wat Tiyasathan
by Naw Liang
(from London, United Kingdom, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Belgrade, Serbia)
(with sincere thanks to Jotika Khur-yearn)

Mai soong kha everyone!
Well, it appears that spring has arrived in London, but not in Belgrade. Oh well, nemam pojma (Serbian: I don't know). But that is enough about the weather, the Balkans and Serbian for now. Time for some more Shan stuff.

I recently was privy to some e-correspondence through the SCA_UK, particularly some fascinating information about a famous and ageing Shan temple near Chiang Mai, Thailand. If anyone has further information (including a picture of the wat in question), I would be very grateful. Thank you in advance.

100 years young: Wat Tiyasathan
Located in the northern part of Chiang Mai province (Northern Thailand) is the small, sparsely populated amphoe (district) of Mae Taeng, an unassuming area wedged between Chiang Mai and the Mae Hong Son border. Quiet and laidback, Mae Taeng can be easily missed, especially for outsiders despite being 'renowned' for Wise Man of Mae Taeng. Experienced wisdom aside, there is little else of interest save one thing, one very special Shan thing. Mae Taeng, for all its mediocrity, is home to an important place in the hearts and spiritual strength of many local Shan: the Shan temple, Wat Tiyasathan. This beacon of serenity and scholarship is set to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of its founding on 1 April 2009. Despite its 'Thai' appearance and the mixed nature of its rituals - combining Shan, Northern Thai and central Thai - the feeling is strongly Shan: many of its resident monks are Shan as are more than half of its devotees; other worshippers including Khon Muang (Northern Thai) and Thai. Shan cultural and Buddhist traditions continue to be openly practised and passed on from laity to the devotees today, much has it has been for the past century. This is truly something to be celebrated.

Publish to preserve
An event of this magnitude, especially amongst the Shan community, requires a special effort. As a result, a select group of Shan academics, leaders, monks and devotees of Wat Tiyasathan (and beyond) plan to produce a commemorative text on the history of Wat Tiyasathan, the biography of the current abbot of the temple and on Buddhism in general. Such an endeavour will be doubly special as many of the pieces/articles will be written in Shan; two core chapters - the history of Wat Tiyasathan and the abbot's biography - will also be available in Thai. Furthermore and, if possible, an article on Shan manuscript collections, including information on the Shan manuscript collection at Wat Tiyasathan, will be written in English by SOAS librarian and budding scholar Jotika Khur-yearn to celebrate not only the temple's birthday, but also the treasures it has guarded for so long. (Jotika has written on the richness of Buddhist texts and collections of Buddhist manuscripts as well as many other Shan-specific topics).
We are all eager to get our hands on copies of this original text.

Showing our support
Celebrations of this kind do not come along everyday, and they are never without cost. Additionally, the commemorative book project, recognising Wat Tiyasathan and its laity's contribution to the wider Shan community's religious well-being, needs financial backing. The publication is now nearing its final stages and costs are set to rise. Furthermore, with copies limited - it is anticipated that only 1,000 copies will be produced - the temple needs as much help as it can get.

The current costs, estimated at 50,000 baht ($1,200), have received a generous boost from Jotika Khur-yearn, but additional support is necessary. For anyone interested in helping out (and receiving one of these rare collections of Shan Buddhist literature), please send any donations to the address below. And, as an added bonus, all those who donate will receive a copy of the book as well as the chance to have their comments and/or own projects published with the text.

For now, please send your donations to:

Wat Tiyasathan
T. San Maha Phon
Amphoe Mae Taeng
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Tel. +66 53 471235

For those based in the UK, donations can be made to Jotika Khur-yearn directly. Please contact him (jk53@soas.ac.uk) for details.

Lastly, additional copies of the text will be available for sale at the celebrations in Wat Tiyasathan, if anyone is lucky enough to attend, as well as distributed to local bookstores for sale. Any money received from book sales will be kindly donated to the monks and devotees at Wat Tiyasathan.

So, that is all for now. Make sure to get in touch with Jotika is you are interested in donating (and receiving your text in return) to Wat Tiyasathan's 100th anniversary. Better yet, spend a bit more and make a journey to the temple at the hot, dry start of April. The celebrations are sure to be wonderful and, if you can spare a few more days, the festivities of Songkran (13-15 April) are always a splash.

Gyan cha tha ba seh,

Naw Liang