A Man in Saffron Robes: A Rainy Season As a Buddhist Monk at a Hilltop Temple in Northern Thailand

"A Man in Saffron Robes" offers a unique Thai perspective on the tradition of entering the monkhood for the rainy-season retreat called "phansa". It is also the story of one man's journey of exploration to the far north of Thailand and his reflections on the culture and people of the North as seen through the eyes of this southerner from Nakhon Si Thammarat then living near the bustling metropolis of Bangkok. In 1974 Maitree Limpichart, author, newspaper columnist and government official, temporarily left a wife and two children behind to put on the saffron robes of a Buddhist monk. He traveled from Bangkok to Thailand's northwestern-most province of Mae Hong Son, situated not far from the frontier with Burma (Myanmar). There, along with the other monks at the hilltop temple of Wat Phrathat Doi Kong Mu, he joined in the daily activities of the brotherhood of monks, the sangha. Maitree Limpichart's story, however, is not a scholarly explication of what it means to study the Dhamma, the Buddha's Teachings, in the contemplative environment of the temple. Rather it is the story of a lay individual's experiences with Buddhism and the sangha. Those who have visited or lived in upcountry Thailand will find sketches of life, characters and events that will no doubt trigger more than a recollection or two. Those who have no or only a passing acquaintance with Thailand or Buddhism will find stories here that are accessible, engaging, sometimes humorous, always curious and illuminating. Readers will take pleasure in this book for its humor, its poignancy, its exotic and wondrous setting, and for the likeable and interesting characters one meets along the way.

MAITREE LIMPICHART (Author) is a well-known and prolific author, a past president of the Thai Writers Association, a former Director of Public Relations for the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority and a one-time candidate for the Thai senate. Born in the southern province of Nakhon Sri Thamarat, Mr. Limpichart holds an undergraduate degree from Sukhothai Thammathirat University. Over a long and distinguished career as one of Thailand’s most popular authors, he has written numerous works of fiction and non-fiction, including 20 novels, some 17 collections of short stories, 3 memoirs (of which ＂A Man in Saffron Robes＂ is his most popular) as well as numerous picture books for children, travel books, essays and magazine articles. Today he writes popular columns for the influential Thai newspapers Siam Rath and the Daily News, and has begun to publish works that combine his talent for the written word with his artistry in painting and sketching, such as his acclaimed ＂Muek Dam Bon Kradat Khao＂ (＂Black Ink on White Paper＂). He has two daughters and a son and lives with his wife Pakpring in Samut Prakan province near Bangkok.

STEPHEN LANDAU (Translator) was born in New York City. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from The City College of New York and Hunter College of The City University of New York. He has done post-graduate studies at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, where he studied Thai under Manas Chitakasem and the late Peter Bee, and the Geography of Southeast Asia under the late Charles Fisher. He first went to Thailand in 1967 as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer teacher of English and taught there for almost two years at the Khukhan School in Si Sa Ket province. He later served as a staff member and program manager in Peace Corps training programs in Thailand and Hilo, Hawaii. He was formerly on the staff of The City University of New York and an IT executive with JPMorgan Chase. He lives in Greenburgh, New York with his wife Neide.