Sawasdeeka^_^,

       Last article, we let anyone know about meditaion in Thailand(Part 1) from http://www.dhammathai.org/.  This article, we'll follow up meditation in Thailand (Part 2).

 LIVING AT A WAT OR MEDITATION CENTRE
Greeting People
  Thai wat etiquette, which stems largely from the monk's code of   discipline, forms the national ideal of polite behavior in many ways.
  By following Thai customs, foreigners can show appreciation to the   Thai people and ensure a welcome reception for future visitors. Gestures of respect also help to develop kindness and sensitivity to   others. The anjali (wai or pranom) of raising hands to the chest with   palms together is used for (1) Greeting other people; (2) When speaking with a monk; (3) After offering something to an ordained   person; and (4) Before receiving something from an ordained person.   (Laypeople return the anjali but ordained people are not supposed to return one from a layperson.) Thais address senior monks as Ajahn, other monks as Tahn, novices as Nayn. The title can be used   by itself or preceding the Pali name; it's impolite to use the Pali name   without a title. 

 Other Important Customs
  (1) Women need to understand the monks' discipline of not touching or being alone in a closed room with a woman. Women should try to   avoid entering a library or other room where this could happen.
  (2) Men and women sometimes sit in separate areas during group   meetings; you can observe and follow the Thais of the same gender.   
  (3) Thais use feet for walking and standing, then tuck them away at   other times; be especially careful never to point out or stretch out one's feet in the direction of a Buddha image or monk.
  (4) Shoes are   generally taken off before entering a room with a Buddha image or in   any residence.
  (5) Sleeping pillows should only be used to rest the   head -- considered sacred by the Thais and never for sitting on.
  (6) Food and drink are consumed in a seated or squatting position.
  (7) A bathing cloth must be worn when using outdoor bathing areas,   common in rural areas (Thais are extremely modest). 

  THAILAND PRACTICALITIES
  
  Food
  Thai food may take a bit of getting used to, as some dishes are  highly spiced. Generally you'll find the cuisine tasty and varied with   plenty of both spicy and nonspicy dishes to choose from. Meals have   white rice (sticky rice in the northeast) with meat, fish, vegetables, fruit,   and sweets. Food offered in remote forest monasteries tends to be   simpler and less varied, though is usually quite good. A few wats and   centres (mentioned in the individual descriptions) offer vegetarian food. Like the monks and nuns, lay visitors normally eat only between   sunrise and mid-day. This rule of the Buddha's makes the monastic   community easy to support and contributes to moderation in eating. (If needed for medical reasons, food can also be taken after mid-day   at most places.)

  Clothing
  Thais always wear modest clothing that's clean and neat to a wat or   meditation centre. They avoid tight-fitting or bright-colored clothing that might be distracting to others. Shirts and blouses have sleeves.   Men wear long pants; women use skirts that come below the knees.   Some wats and centres ask that men wear white clothing and that   women wear either all white or a white blouse and black skirt. Clothing   can occasionally be borrowed or you can outfit yourself in a local shop at low cost. Even when not required, the wearing of white serves   as a reminder that one is undertaking a spiritual life.

  Climate
  Thailand has 3 seasons, the cool from Nov. through Feb., hot from   March through June, and the rainy from July through October. (The  rainy season in the south lasts through January.) Pronounced   variations can occur from region to region and year to year. The   northeast has the most distinct seasons; lows can get down to 0-15 degrees C (32-59 degrees F) in the cool months; hot-season highs can exceed 40 degrees C (104 degrees F). The north has a similar   climate, but doesn't get as hot. Central Thailand stays warm to hot year-round. The south has a tropical climate; the region rarely sees   extremes of heat or cold. South and central Thailand have high   humidity, which decreases as one moves inland to the northern and   northeastern regions. Any season can be fine for a visit to Thailand --   just be prepared with warm clothes for the cool season in the north and northeast, umbrella or poncho for the rainy season, and light weight cotton clothing for the hot season. People from cool climates will have an easier time adjusting to the climate if they arrive in the  cool or rainy seasons.

  Health
  You're likely to stay healthy in Thailand, thanks to high standards of hygiene and medical care. Malaria does exist in some outlying   areas; current advice urges people to use netting and repellent from   dusk to dawn, when disease-carrying mosquitos bite, rather than rely   on preventative pills. The pills can have bad side effects; also, they   don't protect against all malaria strains. If you get an unexplained   fever, especially a recurrent one, obtain a blood test right away; a   doctor can then determine the most effective treatment.

  Getting There
  You can reach Thailand easily by air from most major cities in the world and by land from Malaysia and possibly from Laos. Sorting   through all the fares and restrictions of airlines can be difficult, so let a   good travel agent do the work for you. The best deals can often be   found in cities with large Asian populations; check ads in the Sunday   travel section of newspapers of these cities. Discounted fares from   agents specializing in Asia can be hundreds of dollars less than the   cheapest fare the airline will quote directly. Carefully check restrictions   -- cheap (and some not so cheap) tickets won't be refundable and   generally don't allow route changes. Some roundtrip tickets allow
  only short visits of 45 days to 6 months; shop around for a one-year fare or just buy a one-way ticket if you might want to stay longer.   Bangkok travel agencies have great deals on international flights,   though be sure to stick to well-established agencies.

  Getting Around
  Thailand has a well-developed public transport system of train, bus, and air routes. Getting around is easier, more efficient, and less expensive than in most western and Asian countries. Taxis offer   good value too, though one often has to bargain. A little Thai helps a   lot with local transport. The Lonely Planet book Thailand; a travel   survival kit by Joe Cummings has good information on getting to and   around the country, as well as details on the sights and culture.

   Visas
  Check visa requirements before you come. Most people obtain a   Tourist Visa (good for 2 months and extendable one month more).   Longer-term visitors can try for a Non-Immigrant visa (good for at least 3 months and possibly extendable); a stay of more than 3 months can get complicated with various sponsorship letters required; ask advice in Thailand. Often it's easiest to zip down to the Thai Consulate in Penang, Malaysia, for a new visa, then return for another 3 months; this consulate issues Non-Immigrant visas more   easily than most if you have a good reason (such as meditation   practice).

   Language
  Ability to speak Thai will allow you to communicate directly with all of the teachers in Thailand, most of whom speak little or no English.   You'll also benefit from the many Dhamma talks in Thai available on   cassette recordings. The language has very simple grammar, so most of the effort in speaking Thai goes into learning vocabulary and   the all important 5 tones. The written alphabet can be learned along   with the vocabulary or studied later. One or 2 months of intensive   language study will enable you to understand basic meditation   instructions and much of the material presented in Dhamma talks.   Bangkok has some good language schools.

  THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
  
  We can experience these truths, which lie at the heart of the Buddha's   teachings, through direct experience. They can be viewed as
  (1) Diagnosis of an illness;
  (2) Prognosis;
  (3) Recovery; and
  (4) Medicine to cure the disease.
The first 2 truths deal with the way   things are; the last 2 point the way to freedom from suffering.
  
 1. The Noble Truth of Suffering
  Besides "suffering," other translations of the Pali word dukkha include unsatisfactoriness, dis-ease, and instability. All these words   point to the fact that no conditioned phenomenon can provide true   (lasting) happiness in our lives. The first step in a spiritual life is to look very closely and honestly at our experience of life and see that   there is suffering. We tend to overlook or ignore or just blindly react to   the unpleasant, so it continually haunts us. Yet although physical   suffering is a natural aspect of our lives, we can learn to transcend mental suffering.

  2. The Noble Truth of the Cause of Suffering
  Through a lack of understanding of how things truely exist, we create and recreate an independent self entity called "me."
  The whole of our experience in life can be viewed through this sense   of self. In consequence, various cravings govern our actions. Cravings   arise for sense experiences, for "being" or "becoming" (e.g. rich,   famous, loved, respected, immortal), and to avoid the unpleasant.  These cravings are the root cause of suffering.

  3. The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering
  The mind can be purified of all the mental defilements that cause   suffering. Nibbana, the ultimate peace, has been compared to the   extinction of a three-fold fire of lust, ill-will, and delusion. One who has   realised cessation has great purity of heart, ocean-like compassion, and penetrating wisdom.

  4. The Noble Truth of the Way to the Cessation of Suffering
  The Way leading to cessation contains a thorough and profound    training of body, speech, and mind. Traditionally it's outlined as the    Noble Eightfold Path: (1) Right Understanding; (2) Right Intention; (3) Right Speech; (4) Right Action; (5) Right Livelihood; (6) Right Effort;  (7) Right Mindfulness; and (8) Right Concentration. On the level of  morality (sila), the Path entails restraint and care in speech, action,  and livelihood. The concentration (samadhi) level requires constant    effort to abandon the unwholesome and develop the wholesome, to increase mindfulness and clear comprehension of the mind-body    process, and to develop mental calm and stability. The wisdom    (panna) level entails the abandonment of thoughts of sensuality,  ill-will, and cruelty; ultimately it penetrates the true nature of    phenomena to see impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and    impersonality. When all 8 factors of the Path come together in  harmony to the point of maturity, suffering is transcended. In summary,   the Four Noble Truths can be thought of as that which is to be
  (1) comprehended, (2) abandoned, (3) realized, and (4) developed.

 TAKING THE PRECEPTS

  The Buddha's path to liberation begins from a foundation of moral   discipline (sila). Taking care of our actions through restraint allows the   mind to readily develop concentration and wisdom. A basic moral   discipline also brings happiness, self-confidence, and self- respect.

    Five precepts -- guidelines to good conduct -- can be undertaken by   everyone: (1) Refraining from taking life; (2) Refraining from taking   what is not given; (3) Refraining from sexual misconduct; (4) Refraining   from false or harmful speech; and (5) Refraining from intoxicants. As   with other teachings of the Buddha, the precepts invite reflection,   wisdom, and compassion in their application. The precepts provide a   standard of behavior that has great power. Standing by the precepts   prevents the harmful actions and speech that might otherwise occur   when strong feelings of hate, greed, or sexual desire beset the mind.

     Laypeople visiting a wat on wan phra (full-, new-, and half-moon   days) or anytime for meditation may choose to observe 8 precepts;   these include the 5 precepts (#3 changes to refraining from any sexual   activity) with (6) Refraining from eating solid food after mid-day;
  (7) Refraining from dancing, singing, music and shows, garlands,   perfumes, cosmetics, and adornments; and (8) Refraining from   luxurious and high seats and beds. The 8 precepts may at first appear   difficult, but in a monastic environment they help direct one's mind   toward spiritual development.