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Thailand and Europe

February - May 2024
Life invited me to quit my job, so I decided to follow life's lead ... The girls who visited me last year in the Phillippines had flights booked for Thailand this month, so I took it as a cue to go exploring again. Read more
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  • TravelerThailand and Europe
    Day 7

    Wat Umong

    February 7 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    The temple where I chose to go meditate is a 14th century temple in the forest adjoining Chiang Mai which was built by the Lanna King for his favourite monk. This monk needed tunnels to hide in when he had fits of supposed mental "derrangement", which is why this temple is unique in comparison to all other temples in the country. H
    Tera Jan was apparently brilliantly intelligent and very liked by the monastic and lay communities.    Read more

  • TravelerThailand and Europe
    1
    Day 8

    Retreat lifestyle...

    February 8 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    There was nothing flash about this place. It was very run down, in a melancholy yet very original way. No one seems to care much about your presence, the monks seem lazy, even slothful, and tourists come and go visiting the temple. The monks live in houses around the lake and weren't often seen.

    The rules are simple: no killing of any beings (including mosquitoes), no stealing, minimal speaking, no intoxication, no sexual interaction, no use of devices, respect, etc.

    The timetable:
    - Meditation: 6-7am, 9-11am, 2-3pm
    - Pali Chanting 6-7pm
    - Meals (eaten in silent reflection; mindful eating): breakfast 7.30am, lunch 11am
    - Work/Sweeping/Cleaning (meditation in action): 7-7.30am, 4-5pm
    - The rest is free time, which I used for studying budhist texts.

    It is quite a relaxed monastery in that no one is looking over your shoulder telling you what to do. Meditation is not supervised. And speaking happens, although moderately.
    I was glad to land in a somewhat relaxed environment with mostly beginners.
    The food was delicious and healthy, just what the doctor ordered!    Read more

  • TravelerThailand and Europe
    Day 9

    Deep dive into self!

    February 9 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    It was quite the adventure being plunged into solitude and self-exploration. Also rather freeing in a way, to be rid of all external stimuli and influencing factors. Not knowing the people around me and so being free to ignore their existence and just concentrate on myself.

    I was confronted with solitude, pain (both physical and emotional), sticking to the meditation schedule despite aches in different body parts, while being led by the reading/study I was doing. Sleeping on a hard floor seemed like the mercy at the end of the day.

    While sitting I learnt to sit with the pain, develop discipline, renunciation and perseverance while at the same time being very kind, gentle and soft with myself. Remembering the basic fact that I had nothing to prove to anyone and that this is a purely individualistic experience. You are alone, and there is no one to prove yourself to and no one to save you either. As buddhism keeps reminding you, you are alone. You are born alone and die alone, and all in between are experiences of coming across what is not desirable and not being able to hold onto what is desirable.

    I explored the theory and practice of the four types of mindfulness, vipashyana awareness, glimpses of emptiness, sharpening of perception, dealing with renunciation, etc. All keeping in mind the basic facts of impermanence, egolessness and suffering.

    Particularly impactful was the in depth exploration of The Four Noble Truths, both in theory and in practice.
    1. The truth of suffering
    2. The origin of suffering
    3. Cessation of suffering
    4. The path

    I delved deep into my suffering while reading about all the types of suffering there is in life, according to buddhism. Karma was also quite the topic.

    All of this brough immense mental peace and quiet. I found myself doing everything at a very calm pace, while being very appreciative of my surroundings and the people around me. I was much less reactive and so much more permissive.

    All in all ... quite the experience...!    Read more

  • TravelerThailand and Europe
    1
    Day 10

    Retreat companions

    February 10 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    There were moments when it felt like being back in boarding school again. Dettached from society and my retreat companions as company. I didn't find the intermittent fasting difficult at all as it was a slightly longer version of what I usually do, and the routine, in the end of the day is just another routine once you adapt to it.
    As part of my duties I cleaned the dog posters, did sweeping of the grounds, cleaned the dorms, etc. It is meant as meditation in action, or post-meditative activity. The leaves were quite the experience of futility and impermanence as you would sweep and ten minutes later it would be full of leaves again.

    As to my companions, Sucheela, a 65 yo retired primary school teacher with a lazy eye, a limp and what seems like some sort of social inadequacy was my little source of happiness in the initial days of seriousness. Here tendency to photograph and video the most awkward of situations, and her apparent nonsensical of sweeping would bring a smile to my face, a living reminder of the touch of humour the buddha recommends to always keep in mind.
    Vanessa, a 28 yo german on tour. Yanira, who stepped out of finance in Spain to go learn english in Australia. Josh, an englishman turned american through the finance world who is now financially free at the young age of 38, based in Panama and exploring the world of wellness and alternative therapy in search of his Ikigai. Basil a refugee Palestinian camping out indefinitely on the temple grounds while doing digital nomad work and acting like he da boss of da place. Franco, an italian theater director in his 60s taking some time out in his beloved Thailand and temple hopping, which he has been doing since the 90s. Justin, a 31 yo buddhist in theory and practice, english teacher as profession, whom I thoroughly enjoyed debating and spending time with. Felipe, a 30 yo columbian flight attendant living in Spain. A chinese couple who seemed to be very adept at Qi Gong and very peaceful together. The thais and the chinese I unfortunately wasn't so able to interact with.    Read more

  • TravelerThailand and Europe
    Day 11

    The monastic community

    February 11 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    I was lucky to form a relationship with the nun (Meshi) who volunteers to do our Pali chanting in the evenings.

    She is a small person, half my size literally, very humble, shy and seems like she would rather disappear into space than call attention to herself. Her name is Meshi Vin.
    Being a nun in a very patriarchal society and monastic system, she isn't actually allowed to read too much about yhe dharman and her discussion of her little exploration is not allowed with the monks. So in me she saw an opportunity to both practice her english and talk about the dharma and interpretations of it.
    Interacting with her was a lesson in humility as she is probavly the most humble person I have come across in my life.

    She invited us to a monthly alms-giving ceremony held at the monastery where the locala bring their best prepared meals to share with the monks. After a ceremony and a very long sermon in thai everyone symbolically puts rice in the monks' and meshi's bowls and then everyone eats what the villagers brought. What a spread!    Read more

  • TravelerThailand and Europe
    Day 14

    Moving on up north

    February 14 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Having established I'm liking the retreat experience I was inspired by some of my companions to move on up north towards a Temple far up in the mountain forests of Mae Son Hong.

    After lots of sincere heartfelt farewells and exchange of contact details my inner peace and I went on our way.

    So I braved reconnecting with the outside world and, after a 4h bus ride up a very windy road, exposing myself to the little mountain town of Pai where there is a modern youthful hippy-style atmosphere.    Read more

  • TravelerThailand and Europe
    Day 14

    Pai randomness

    February 14 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I roamed around the night market of Pai. The town is characterised for its laid-back and drug-friendly atmosphere. Lots of marijuana vendors and shroom themed t-shirts. Also many 20 year olds looking for some fun.

    Early morning rise to catch the bus to the next temple. It's 14 degrees, we're at 700m altitude, and I have all my long-sleeved clothes on!
    At a breakfast stall I had a western stop for alms giving with the locals. Breakfast was rice porridge, minced pork, egg, coriander, lemongrass and chilly.
    A group of locala is out for earlt morning exercise, all dressed in purple.

    I'm off to some more deep diving into self in an Ajahn Chah style forest monastery in beautiful Mae Hong Son.
    See you in a few days ...    Read more

  • TravelerThailand and Europe
    1
    Day 15

    Windy way up...

    February 15 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    2.5h of local bus riding around many bends with boxes and food stuff between our legs. We had a mishap on the way and lost some boxes which we had to retrieve.
    We stopped at some markets to leave off some packages. And finally, we are here!Read more

  • TravelerThailand and Europe
    1
    Day 15

    Wat Pa Tam Wua

    February 15 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    First day, first impressions... Nestled between mountains in Mae Hong Son in a river valley, this temple seems more of a resort than a temple. Much bigger and busier than the previous temple. Around 100 retreat attendees.

    The routine caters for a more beginner type of meditator, with more emphasis on forest walking meditation than sitting meditation. The days are longer, with less free time for oneself.
    Sleeping on the floor is something it seems I must get used to these weeks. This time, no individual prison-style cell, but more of a community sleeping style arrangement. I counted... There were like 50 of us in a room!    Read more

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