Tours: An Enlightening Way to Travel in Cambodia

Yut started working with PEPY as a temple guide at the end of last year and was instantly a hit with tour participants. His calm manner and imaginative way of explaining things captured the attention of all those he led through the famous temples of Angkor, and his background in Buddhism gave a deeper understanding of Cambodia’s prevailing religion. From the age of 13 to 25, Yut lived as a Theravada Buddhist monk in both Cambodia and Thailand, where he studied at a Buddhist university in Chiang Mai. His experiences as a monk make for fascinating anecdotes and his analogies, ideas, and Buddhist teachings have played heavily into his trip leading with PEPY.
On a recent trip of high school students visiting from the United States, Yut explained the Noble Eightfold Path and taught the students one “way” per day. The students keyed into this idea and were keen to learn more about the “way of the day” and put them into practice. With this positive response, Yut’s creative teachings have become more and more a prevalent part of PEPY’s educational tours and have inspired a new type of tour altogether.
While we in the West are probably most familiar with Tibetan Buddhism, PEPY’s Buddhism tours offer participants the opportunity to discover and learn about one of the religion’s oldest schools, Theravada Buddhism, against the beautiful and diverse backdrop of contemporary Cambodia. Participants can learn about the Noble Eightfold Path (8 ways in 8 days), see how Buddhist and Cambodian traditions have intertwined to become today’s customs and culture, and experience Cambodia through its spectacular temples and its peaceful monks. While Buddhism is most widely considered an Asian religion, these tours will teach participants about how many basic Buddhist principles can be applied in daily life, in the Western world. The tours will include visits to the world famous Angkorian temples for a chance to learn about the conflicts in history between Hinduism and Buddhism, rural homestays in a community-based project near both ancient and practicing Buddhist temples, as well as opportunities to learn about NGO work in Cambodia, and think about how this plays into and is sometimes a part of the religious influences that are present in Cambodia. All the while, Yut will share his knowledge of Buddhism and lead participants in self reflection exercises and group discussions to really get a grasp of Buddhist teachings. The aim of these tours is for participants to walk away with a deeper understanding of one of the lesser known schools of Buddhist thought, a richer and more diverse experience of Cambodian culture and history, and a new outlook to take home.
Keep an eye on the PEPY Tours website over the coming weeks for more information on these tours!Yut started working with PEPY as a temple guide at the end of last year and was instantly a hit with tour participants. His calm manner and imaginative way of explaining things captured the attention of all those he led through the famous temples of Angkor, and his background in Buddhism gave a deeper understanding of Cambodia’s prevailing religion. From the age of 13 to 25, Yut lived as a Theravada Buddhist monk in both Cambodia and Thailand, where he studied at a Buddhist university in Chiang Mai. His experiences as a monk make for fascinating anecdotes and his analogies, ideas, and Buddhist teachings have played heavily into his trip leading with PEPY.
On a recent trip of high school students visiting from the United States, Yut explained the Noble Eightfold Path and taught the students one “way” per day. The students keyed into this idea and were keen to learn more about the “way of the day” and put them into practice. With this positive response, Yut’s creative teachings have become more and more a prevalent part of PEPY’s educational tours and have inspired a new type of tour altogether.
While we in the West are probably most familiar with Tibetan Buddhism, PEPY’s Buddhism tours offer participants the opportunity to discover and learn about one of the religion’s oldest schools, Theravada Buddhism, against the beautiful and diverse backdrop of contemporary Cambodia. Participants can learn about the Noble Eightfold Path (8 ways in 8 days), see how Buddhist and Cambodian traditions have intertwined to become today’s customs and culture, and experience Cambodia through its spectacular temples and its peaceful monks. While Buddhism is most widely considered an Asian religion, these tours will teach participants about how many basic Buddhist principles can be applied in daily life, in the Western world. The tours will include visits to the world famous Angkorian temples for a chance to learn about the conflicts in history between Hinduism and Buddhism, rural homestays in a community-based project near both ancient and practicing Buddhist temples, as well as opportunities to learn about NGO work in Cambodia, and think about how this plays into and is sometimes a part of the religious influences that are present in Cambodia. All the while, Yut will share his knowledge of Buddhism and lead participants in self reflection exercises and group discussions to really get a grasp of Buddhist teachings. The aim of these tours is for participants to walk away with a deeper understanding of one of the lesser known schools of Buddhist thought, a richer and more diverse experience of Cambodian culture and history, and a new outlook to take home.
Keep an eye on the PEPY Tours website over the coming weeks for more information on these tours!