Rising. 5 am. If I had not taken a vow of silence, there is little doubt that I would have complained to Sean about getting up so early. The things I do for the promise of enlightenment. This early, high in Northern Thailand mountains, the world is still covered in layers of dusk, more shadow then light, so I rise from bed and grope my way along walls out of my sparse room and to the bathroom. Feeling better after splashing water on my face, I return to my room to get dressed into meditation clothing. All white. Throwing the shirt over my head, I shiver. It is still cool and I am hungry. My last meal was at 11 am the day before. I check the clock, realizing that I need to hurry if I
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