He’s got the best view in the house!
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In Kodaikanal ? I lived there for a few years and visited Bodhi Zendo once. 
I keep going back to this ancient monastery in the Himalayas. It’s very old and rundown, but it’s high up and is isolated. There’s one tree there which gives some shade and one can sit under it and brood…
View from the tree :
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Yes! How lovely that you lived in Kodai; it’s a beautiful part of the world.
Beautiful pictures, too - thank you for sharing.
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I have just returned from 3 wonderful weeks’ retreat at Sāsanārakkha Buddhist Sanctuary (SBS) in the forest hills of Taiping, Malaysia and wanted to share a couple of pictures of this beautiful monastery and retreat centre.
SBS was founded by the Ven. Aggacitta Bhikkhu in 2000. For the current vassa there are around a dozen monks in residence.
The place is well supported by the local (Chinese) community and the alms food they faithfully prepare each day is nutritious with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits.
It is a truly excellent environment in which to practice.
Pic. 1: One of several tranquil salas
Pic. 2: One of numerous kutis dotted about the property
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Beautiful Santi photos; they bring back memories!
Sure hope Spot doesn’t disturb or intimidate the ground-dwelling marvelous Lyre birds and shy wallabies. That area is called “Lyre Bird Dreaming” by the original people for a reason, being a stronghold of these phenomenal, magical birds.
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Spot is now living in Bulgaria! 
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Ayya Nirodha told me the story of Spot when I visited Santi a few months ago. 
A well-travelled canine.
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Wow! Where is this bell tower?
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Galle, Sri Lanka.
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Sri Subodharama Temple, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
I didn’t stay there only visited. Male monks live on this site and the female monks have a different location.
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Wow this is like a palace +
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These are all beautiful places, but it still breaks my heart to consider all the good that could have been done with the money, time and resources that have been poured into these sites, which are numerous. How many giant Buddha statues does there world need? How many Sistine Chapel-like gilded domes must be constructed while millions starve? I guess these images, which once inspired awe, now remind me only of how the majority of Buddhists the world over have grasped the snake by the tail. For me, the most glorious and inspiring temple is the foot of ANY tree, a truly grand construction that no human could equal.
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Where are the temples built in garbage heaps? Or in the middle of a charnel ground? Or in the poorest parts of any city? This shows me that people only want to be inspired by their “religion” rather than follow it. I guess gold, sculpture and intricate detailing are more inspiring than the actual words of the Buddha.
Sorry if it seems that I am dumping on this lovely thread, but I just feel that a reminder of the excess inherent in religious organizations runs counter to their own teachings. In my opinion, as good lay followers, we should chastise this wasteful spending. There is no compassion in a thirty foot high golden tower which casts its shadow over starving children.
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somehow reminds me of:
Sugam (@Sugamhomeskol) Tweeted:
Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew or The Million Bottle Temple is a Buddhist temple in Thailand. The concrete core around which the main temple is based used Heineken & Chang bottles in its construction materials. Also, the bottle caps were used to create mosaics. #IncredibleStructures https://twitter.com/Sugamhomeskol/status/963752285494038528/photo/1
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@Timothy FWIW, here’s a photo from this week at my old temp. samanera wat in Fang Thailand; that’s me with my old friend Phra Clyde Jarudhammo, who trained at Wat Chom Tong for a few years and now runs the meditation center at Wat Sribunruang.
This old wat does in fact have a new golden Buddha statue at the entrance. I, too, am not a fan of these displays of spending. As you can see from the photo, the temple itself is fairly basic, and it’s exactly as it was when I lived there 10 years ago. I read that that the Buddha was a merit making gift from a supporter from Bangkok, who demanded his photo to be installed at the entrance, and a room built for him to meditate in. Behind this massive golden statue is the unfinished simple brick structure that will take years to finish as the funding must come not from wealthy donors seeking merit and attention, but from the temple funds itself. The new, small simple building is a new ordination hall that is being built on the grounds of the ancient old one, that was crushed by a falling tree. The temple has so little funds it can’t finish the ordination building (maybe a 1500 square foot building), but beaming out to Highway 107 is the massive gold Buddha, a testament to a BKK donor’s wealth and merit making capacity.
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