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Published: November 1st 2007
Firstly I'll say...where's all me comments!!! I know I am getting lazy but ye guys are worse!!!!!
Silence. It can produce wonderful feelings of peace and serenity, or drive a rational person to insanity!!!! Insanity I tell you!! Not speaking for 10 days I believed would be the hardest part of the 10-day meditation retreat - I was soooo wrong.
Ajan Buddadassa Bhikku, the most famous and respected monk in Thailand was the one who founded this Monastery, and it was his interpretation of the Dhamma that we would learn, I was intrigued.
Suan Monk Monastery - http://www.suanmokkh.org
THE REASONING Why did I decide to attend a TEN day deep meditative silence retreat...... I DONT KNOW!!! lol!!!
Buddhism; you create your own destiny, at one with nature, doing no evil, peace and serenity, what a wonderful way of life. DAY 0 - THE RULES What did I get myself into?? As I, along with about 60 others were guided around the premises we were told.....
No talking, last meal is at noon, sleeping on concrete with only a
thin blanket, a wooden pillow……yes….
a wooden pillow!!!! (!), vegetarian meals, men and women separated at all times, wake up at 4:00 AM (!), lights out at 09:30 PM, 'showering' outside next to a well with a bucket while wearing a sarong, all very biblical I can tell you, I felt like Mary Magdalin….no reading, no writing,
17 hour days and almost
7 hours of meditation a day! The abbot, Ajahn Poh, led us through a short meditation and welcome, and then suddenly at 7:00 PM they announced, "And no more speaking until 7:30 AM on day 11." Day 11!???? What the....................
I thought this was for 10 days, and today's not even day 1 yet.
THE SCHEDULE, Day 1 - 8 04:00 Rise & Shine
04:30 Morning Reading
04:45 Sitting meditation
05:15 Yoga / Exercise
07:00 Sitting meditation
08:00 Breakfast & Chores
10:00 Dhamma Talk
11:00 Walking or Standing meditation
11:30 Sitting meditation
12:00 Walking or Standing meditation
12:30 Lunch & Chores
14:30 Meditation
Instruction & Sitting
15:30 Walking or Standing meditation
16:15 Sitting meditation
17:00 Chanting & Loving Kindness Meditation
18:00 Tea & Hot spring
19:30 Dhamma Talk
20:00 Walking or Standing or Sitting meditation
21:00 Bedtime
21:30 LIGHTS OUT
You are supposed to be mindfully aware at all times, and even when not in meditation, stay in a meditative state. What this means is keeping your mind free from thought...If only!
Buddhism is about living in the present - try it and good luck!!!!!!!!!!.
As soon as you start, you begin to think, I can do this, its not so hard. I remember the time when....there you go, living in the past.
Okay, start again, clear my mind. Breath in, breath out, not so bad. When I get out of this retreat I'm going to teach everyone how great it is to.....there you go again, living in the future.
Instead, enjoy the moment...the surroundings...the creatures in the bushes...snakes...geckos on the wall...the spiders running past you........the sound of the birds in the trees, focus on your breath, your step, your food, how great it would be if that was possible!
Day 1 to day 3 were great.
I achieved a nice level of relaxation during the meditation sessions, focused on my food, walking, brushing my teeth, I was a good little pupil.
But then half way through day 4 my mind just wouldn't stop. Chatter, chatter chatter all day. Even during the meditation sessions it talked away. ..I just couldn’t stop thinking about everything and anything…. I even thought about if The Simpson’s had brought out a movie on for St Patrick’s day in Ireland…. So I wrote the script in my head during sitting Meditation…..
THE BEST OF MONASTARY LIFE Day 4 I was hiiii hoooing it outta there…and no one was going to stop me…..So, what kept me from packing my bags and heading home like most of the other girls in my Dorm, I don’t know…I had SIX days of this left and I just couldnt concentrate nor would I take it as seriously as everyone else.....I think maybe this was too much for a beginner.... I eventually against my will decided I would stay.
The hot spring was like a little peace of heaven.
The chanting was great craic. The Chanting monk missed his
calling as a comic, and was always good for a smile; also, chanting was kinda fun! Relaxing, beautiful, inspiring, and fun....Ok I know Im going over board there....maybe not so inspiring..or fun..or relaxing.... He was also very cute...see what this 10 day meditation thing was dooing to me..I was starting to think the monk was a cutie.....
We chanted in Pali, the language Buddha wrote in and for the last 5 remaining days all I had in my head among millions and millions of other thoughts was Namooo Tassaaaaaaaa Baharavato…Arahatooo….…
Yoga at dawn, with the sun slowly rising as you complete your sun salutations is magical,
Meditation ...its a natural heightened sense of super relaxation...... Although I had never done it before, nor shown interest in it (what was I doing there again? To tell you the truth, I did have to remind myself why quite a few times)
Mainly though, I kept going on pure will power. Something Id have always said I never had…..wrong!I had signed up for this crazy retreat,. I can't fail. I would tell myself on day 6, tomorrow, you can tell your self that it's day 8 - this thought
pattern kept me going. I couldn't think, tomorrow is day 7, that would still be much to far away from day 10.
THE HARDEST PART Quieting the mind, and the body! Us untrained Westerners just simply can't sit still for hours at a time, on the hard floor with only a little cushion for comfort. My back ached, my legs screamed. I looked jealously at the people who could sit cross legged and look comfortable for more than 10 minutes as I faked comfort myself, and those people in the lotus position - they just SUCK!
Watching my dorm mates silently pack their bags and leave left me feeling doubtful. Maybe I should just pack up too. Get the hell outta here….
The heat! After 9:00 AM it was unbearable, constantly sweating, yes, even when I was just sitting there doing nothing……………I mean meditating.
I had thought not eating after lunch would be hard, such a long day with such little food. But this was never problem, who would have thought? You just weren’t hungry…guess it was because we weren’t using up any energy…
DAY 9 They didn't tell us until day 8 that day 9 would be different. On this day, no lessons, no teaching - all meditation all day, oh, and did we mention no eating after breakfast?
A forced 24 hour fast, and I can't even sit for 15 minutes anymore it hurts so much, forget about meditation all day!
I had been able to get quite relaxed during meditation from Day 1 - 3 but since day 4, nothing. I would sit and force myself not to move until the bell sounded…..which really never happened…
I found a nice hide away at the bell tower and me and Deisha (USA) would sneak up there and have a good bitch!! About how there was just toooo much meditating altogether….waaay too much! Up there in the bell tower we’d never be caught talking…no one would know…lol!
THE END So, I made it to the finale, and am so glad
I stayed right to the bitter end and believe me when I say it was torturous!
All in all, it was a wonderful experience (I can say that now) and I’m glad I did it. I learned a lot during my 11 days at Suan Mokkh. I learned about life in general, about myself, about Buddhism, spirituality, about Thais, Yoga, meditation, love and compassion and Dhamma - the law of nature.
If there is one lesson I will strive the hardest to remember, and wish to pass on to all of you is this: live in the present. The past is over and the future is yet to come.
After my 10 day meditation I had to do a visa run from Rangoon to Burma (Myanmar) as I was already one day over my visa....flashes of The Bangkok Hilton were vivid lol!!! had to get a bus to the border which was a few hours, then a ferry over to the little town, get my visa stamped and back over again, another 12 hour bus ride to Bangkok where I put my bag down for 2 days and hit Kosan Road...hense the pictures above... hope ye didn't think these pictures were of my 10 day Meditative silence.!!!! and then took a 15 hr sleeper train journey to
Chang Mai - Northern Thailand I'm surprised I haven't come down witht he flu with all the bus journeys.
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nelly
non-member comment
WTF??
OMG!!! hahahaha Damn girl??? Silence?? I would of been running around in circles the first day!!! Keep the updates coming, loving your progress!! haha miss ya N xx