Temples provide an escape route from suffering and, in the case of Wat Amarin Thraram, it is a shelter for many patients of the busy Siriraj Hospital next door.
Phra Khru Samu Pakdi shows the inside of a refrigerator stocked with water and food supplements for lodgers at the Ruen Samoen Yat at Wat Amarin Thraram, which provides beds for patients at Siriraj Hospital and their families.
The Ruen Samoen Yat (Home of Relations) at the temple has harboured patients and their families under its roof. The patients find respite spiritually and financially as they secure solace in the words of dharma as well as free lodging for the duration of long-term treatment.
The home is a large living quarters partitioned into separate rooms. It is open to patients and their families who have trouble commuting long distances to receive treatment on a regular basis, and for those who cannot afford to rent an apartment close to the hospital.
Lodgers at Ruen Samoen Yat include poor upcountry folk seeking treatment at Siriraj Hospital who have no relatives in Bangkok to stay with. The home also welcomes sick monks.
A monk from Phetchaburi, who declined to be named, said he was diagnosed with throat cancer two years ago. Since then, during a period of three months, he undergoes chemotherapy and radiation almost every day. Staying close to the hospital would be ideal.
At first, he approached a temple in the hospital's vicinity and applied for a temporary stay. However, he was turned down because he did not know anyone at the temple.
Clockwise from top left: Songsri Muangthong, head social welfare specialist; Dr Apichart Assawamongkolkul, head of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine at the Siriraj Hospital; and a patient requiring long-term treatment, who is also a lodger at Ruen Samoen Yat, with a relative.
Back at the Siriraj Hospital, the monk told a nurse about his accommodation problem. She suggested he consult a social welfare specialist at the hospital. The specialist later issued a letter referring him to Ruen Samoen Yat.
"It felt like a mountain had been lifted off my chest," he said. "For us clergy, there's no place we fit in better than temples. Living here at the home gives me the inner strength to continue the treatment."
The monk added he has gone into remission from cancer although he needs to attend follow-up appointments from time to time with doctors at Siriraj. Every time he comes for check-ups, he spends a few days at the home.
Dr Apichart Assawamongkolkul, head of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, said the hospital cares for more than 10,000 patients a day because it is the country's main medical institution which accepts referrals from other hospitals nationwide.
Many patients are in need of complicated procedures and not everyone can afford the price of accommodation during the course of their extended treatments.
In 2015 during his tenure as deputy dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dr Apichart said he paid a visit to Wat Amarin Thraram and called on the abbot, Phra Pisal Pattanakij, to ask for his permission to start the Ruen Samoen Yat lodging project.
The home is equipped with washing machines and dryers bought using public donations. photos by Apichart Jinakul
In the early phase, the patients and their families spent the night in a large common area, which included space converted from the unused monk's living quarters.
Ruen Samoen Yat is supervised by Phra Khru Samu Pakdi, who is a senior monk at Wat Amarin Thraram.
Dr Apichart said the home was renovated in October with more rooms added, thanks to donations from alumni of the senior management programme at the Capital Market Academy.
Now the home has enough rooms to accommodate up to 30 patients and their families a day. The donations also paid for beds, air conditioners, fans, refrigerators, washing machines and dryers. The premises, equipped with leisure corners and meditation spots, are kept cool by the shade of surrounding trees.
Dr Apichart said Ruen Samoen Yat is a living example of the unbreakable bond between the temple, hospital and people whose donations and generosity have made patients' lives easier.
People have also donated directly to the hospital to help absorb Ruen Samoen Yat's electricity and water bills. A fund is being registered to settle expenses from maintenance work on the home.
Songsri Muangthong, head social welfare specialist at Siriraj Hospital, said welfare specialists will assess whether patients and family members should be sent to Ruen Samoen Yat. The criteria rest principally with determining whether they are in desperate need of help with accommodation.
There are other free-stay lodgings further away, including Baan Mit Maitree in the Din Daeng area operated by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.
Ms Songsri said welfare specialists can arrange for offers of reasonable rent at apartments near Siriraj Hospital.
Those checking in at Ruen Samoen Yat are immediately informed of the ground rules: smoking and alcohol consumption are strictly banned. They must refrain from making loud noises to disturb others and dress appropriately. They also must avoid creating an eyesore by hanging their laundry out to dry in the common area.
Meanwhile, Phra Khru Samu Pakdi said Phra Sunthara Kijja Piwat, assistant abbot of Wat Amarin Thraram, donated the first tranche of money toward the Ruen Samoen Yat sinking fund out of his firm belief that it is a service to religion.
"They suffer in sickness and the misery is made worse by not having a place to stay. Then they worry more, which only aggravates their sufferings," said Phra Khru Samu Pakdi.
"The temple doesn't want them to be bogged down by concerns about expenses."
The senior monk added separate quarters are set aside for sick monks. The patients and their families are also sometimes treated to free meals obtained from daily alms given to monks by people in local communities.
He said most people stay for one or two nights at Ruen Samoen Yat. Those staying longer, often for up to 60 days, are patients requiring lengthy cancer treatments.
Radiation procedures tend to leave patients heavily exhausted afterwards. Saving them the long trip home and back to the hospital the next day is helpful with the patients' recuperation.
People who have stayed at Ruen Samoen Yat and plan to return are advised to call the temple to book a room in advance.
Phra Khru Samu Pakdi said he has been invited by relatives to collect alms in a merit-making gesture for the patients.
The senior monk said family members and patients should remain mindful of the opportunities which exist in difficulties. He explained that sometimes sickness comes with a chance for people to look inward and reflect.
"Our physicality may not be up to it. But don't let the mind become sick," he said.
Cancer patient, Sayan, 72, from Chumphon, said he is scheduled to have 37 radiation treatments over the course of two months. He could live with his son in Nonthaburi but it is still too far from the hospital.
His son also works as a tour guide and is often away from home with his job. With no one to look after him, Mr Sayan said he was much better off securing a place at Ruen Samoen Yat.
Mr Sayan's daughter, Thassanee, said she was in awe of the profound sense of charity and giving which is evident at the Ruen Samoen Yat. "There are people out there who care," she said.
Premkamol, 62, is a lodger at Ruen Samoen Yat where she nurses her younger sister who has been diagnosed with cancer. The temple provides her free meals and even hands out toiletries.
"The temple makes us feel at home here. I'm glad someone extends a helping hand in our hour of need," she said.
