Shivagakomarpaj Lineage Annual Ceremony of "Wai Khru"
(Honoring the Teachers)

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Date: June 21, 2012 (Thursday)

Washington, DC
Date: August 18, 2012 (Saturday)
Time: 6:30am - 11:00am

Wai khru (pronounced like the English words "why crew") is the most important spiritual practice of the Thai healer. Wai khru means "honoring the teacher," and this is the formal ceremony in which a practitioner of Thai massage or other healing arts honors his or her teachers and lineage.

It is interesting to note that not only traditional medicine practitioners, but shamans, fortune tellers, Thai kick-boxers (muay thai), and practitioners of many other arts each have their own wai khru ceremonies to pay homage to their own teachers and lineages. There is a common belief that these ancient practices will not be effective for a practitioner unless he or she participates in the wai khru ceremony on a regular basis.

The wai khru of the Thai healer involves a ceremony through which the practitioners show their gratitude to the lineage of teachers who handed ancient medical knowledge down to the present day, and receive the blessings of the masters. The ceremony is usually performed individually by practitioners in their homes or places of business every day. However, it is also important for practitioners to gather together once a year to honor the founders of their lineage as a whole.

The Shivagakomarpaj Lineage wai khru celebrates the Buddha's physician Jivaka (traditionally believed to have invented Thai massage around 2500 years ago) and Ajahn Sintorn (founder of the Old Medicine Hospital in Chiang Mai, Thailand) as the founders of the lineage. While many Western students and practitioners in this lineage have learned an abbreviated wai khru ceremony and practice it on a regular basis, they are most often not able to attend the major annual ceremony in Chiang Mai. As part of our role as a Shivagakomarpaj Lineage seat, the Thai Institute assumes the responsibility of an annual major ceremony of wai khru here in the U.S.

The vast majority of all Thai massage practitioners and teachers in the Western world have learned from teachings traced back to the Shivagakomarpaj Lineage and the founder Ajahn Sintorn Chaichakan. As a special honor this year Ajahn Wasan Chaichakan, the son of the founder Ajahn Sintorn Chaichakan, will preside over the lineages annual wai khru at the Thai Institute. His presence will make this event extra special and meaningful for those that are able to attend.

We invite all practitioners of Thai massage that are in any way connected with the Shivagakomarpaj Lineage to join us in this annual celebration. Whether you studied with any teacher from the Old Medicine Hospital, Thai Institute of Healing Arts, ITM, Sunshine Network, Lotus Palm, ITTA, TaoMountain, or any other teacher, you are invited to participate in the ceremony in order to honor our lineage, receive the blessings of our masters, and ensure the effectiveness of your therapies. If you are teaching a form of Thai massage that derives from the Old Medicine Hospital curriculum, it is particularly important that you attend this ceremony annually in order to be considered a legitimate instructor in the Shivagakomarpaj Lineage.

There is no charge for the wai khru ceremony, although registration is required.