Silence is Golden

A Full Moon in December and a fire show at the beach, all before a SILENT meditation to end 2014 which has been an amazing year beginning in Tibet and Nepal. I was fortunate to have also traveled to France to be in the presence of Vietnamese Zen master teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh before he was hospitalised. I completed 1st degree Reiki healing and several mindfulness retreats. I recovered easily from surgery to remove calcified pre-cancerous lumps in my breasts. I took multiple trips to Hong Kong to see my family and they really enjoyed their visits to Thailand... and I continue to love teaching!
Which brings me to the last day of school before our holiday break and my retreat into silence. I took a short flight from Utapao Airport, a local air strip that was formerly used by USA and is currently used by the Thai Royal Navy, based in Sattahip.  The airport is like a step back in time as it has one ticket counter and one conveyer belt for luggage with a small security walk through and a shuttle bus to the air-field as only two flights per day leave, one to Phuket and the one I took to Ko Samui. However as it recalled a time of fewer holiday travellers rushing to catch planes and much less crowed airport conditions, I loved it! Spending a night at the beach listening to the ocean waves and having a Thai massage seemed like a good idea before the seclusion and silence of the mountains.

Dipabhāvan is located on the hillside slope of the high mountain in the southeast of Koh Samui.  When you look around from there, you can see beautiful sea views, coconut trees and high mountains covered by green forest. All of those are the conditions supporting the meditator  to progress in meditation.

Upon checking in, after a long "tuk-tuk" ride in a converted pick-up truck up the narrow winding mountain road we were asked to turn in any cameras, cell phones, iPads, iPods, laptops or any other connections to the outside world that would distract us...no internet! In exchange we were given a thin blanket and mosquito net. We could keep our flashlights, thankfully as the meditation hall was located on top of the mountain over 200 steep steps up and in the dark as we started at 4:30 am and last of 6 meditations at 8:30 pm before lights out at 9:30.

 
The complete silence... no talking at all for 9 days was not the most difficult part for me... the actual physical-ness of it all was my challenge. We slept on flat wooden beds with a woven grass mat (plastic) and a wooden block for a pillow. It rained almost daily. The up hill climb and steps numbered over 1600 each day as we did multiple trips up and down which put stress on my titanium screwed broken hip and my arthritic knees. Then a full on "power yoga" class for almost 2 hours added to 5 more walking meditations per day, and I was happy to "sit" in meditation! I almost forgot to mention, two vegan meals were served per day, breakfast and lunch. Most of the practitioners were young, ranging from 15 to around 40ish... so it is an amazing feat in itself that I completed the retreat as some left early. It did however deepen my meditation practice and remind me to be ever grateful for my health and mobility. Interesting that when the bell rang again to end the silence, I had no voice, reminds one of the old adage, 'if you don't use it you loose it." Also upon arriving home I had no internet. Hummmmm makes one wonder. However I was greeted by beautiful blooming pink orchids and a radiant white peace lily. May your New Year bring much happiness and Peace of Mind.  Blessings from Thailand

Santa at School

Even as a primarily Buddhist country, Thailand manages to celebrate Christmas with outdoor lighting displays and decorations, including Christmas Trees, Santa Hats and a plethora of presents… I guess the western influence and commercialism of Christmas is global. 

So the ever popular last day of school Christmas party has lots and lots of food, fun and picture taking as the kids dress-up in red and white to greet and sing for Santa Clause as he makes his annual visit bringing candy for their class.

That night I had Christmas dinner with some Thai friends and we also enjoyed singing Christmas songs… before I headed off to a SILENT meditation retreat on the island of Ko Samui.

Thankful in Thailand

November is always a month that I will be forever grateful for. Growing up in Wisconsin we always had Thanksgiving dinner with more than 20 family members and several days of food preparation beforehand. I remember the leftovers best, as somehow everything tasted better later that night and the turkey stuffing sandwiches with mayo and cranberries were yummy the next day as well as moms famous vegetable and turkey noodle soup.

Even better was the gift of a new life, a daughter who was born on Thanksgiving Day. She will always remind me to be thankful. This year was the best ever as she and my grandsons Aidan and Taylor came to Ga-Ga’s house in Thailand to celebrate her Birthday and Thanksgiving!  We celebrated with some of my Thai friends and had Birthday cake and apple pie for dessert! Then we topped the eve off with a rousing sing-a-long, complete with wireless microphones… the Thais love their Karaoke and so appreciated Carries beautiful singing voice… even Taylor got into the action with the popular hit song ”It’s all about the Bass.”

The next day they ventured off to the new Cartoon Network waterpark and enjoyed it immensely, sadly I didn’t go as I was teaching… Thanksgiving is not a school holiday in Thailand. 

Then we embarked on an evening trip to Pattaya, moonlit rooftop dining and a specular fireworks display for the finale to an incredible weekend…
well almost we still had a day at the beach before they ventured back to Hong Kong...so thankful to have shared this special time with my family.

P.S.  I love the magazine cover photos that the boys shared, awesome!

Meditation Month - Part 2

Next meditation stop, Plum Village Lotus Pond Temple, Hong Kong in the tradition of Thích Nhất Hạnh.  I was fortunate enough to share this retreat with my lovely daughter Carrie. The retreat theme was the circle of life, from birth to death and rebirth, following one of Thays' teachings of no birth, no death and no fear.

The last time we had been to Ngong Ping Village together was in 2001 after 9/11, when we were stranded in Hong Kong, as no flights were able to fly to the USA. Then we ventured to Lantau Island by ferry boat to visit the “Big Buddha.”

The Hong Kong Big Buddha on Lantau Island is one of the largest seated Buddha statues in the world. It stands at 34 meters high (112 feet) and is one of Hong Kong's most popular sights. Tian Tan, as the Big Buddha is known, is made of bronze and sits up high on a hill. There are 260 steps to reach the top and several areas in between where you can stop for a rest, take pictures, and just enjoy the views. 

This time we took the cable car which didn’t exist 13 years ago! The little village has changed and become a tourist attraction with many new attractions in addition to the Buddha who still presides magnificently over the island. Off the tourist path, down a small road, the meditation retreat center was almost invisibly tucked away. After walking through a small gate the beautiful Lotus Pond Temple appeared.

“I have arrived, I am home” let the mindfulness meditation, chanting and joyful singing begin. Each day, wake up bell at 5:15, followed by 6am meditation, then mindful movements, and a walking meditation before a vegan breakfast  at 8:30. Dharma talks were held after working meditation (like pot washing, cleaning or cutting vegetables). Next, the after lunch meditation time was a favourite… guided deep relaxation and the cacophony of discordant snoring sounds became music!  An enjoyable afternoon of sharing was followed by stick exercises using long bamboo poles. Then dinner, (yea, three vegan meals instead of two) and finally evening teaching, singing and meditation completed the amazing four days.

 

The retreat ended just in time for a quick visit to Kowloon to see my grandsons before the flight back to Bangkok and teaching again.

"Happiness is here and now, I have dropped my worries, somewhere to go, 

something to do, but no longer in a hurry."

Mindfulness is "the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one's attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment", which can be trained by meditational practices.

May every moment be magically mindful. Blessings from Thailand. 

Meditation Month - Part 1

With the first school term ended, grades finished, and over 200 student reports written, I really welcomed a semester break! Some peace and quiet was calling me...

 

The first retreat was about 1 hour north of Bangkok at the POP House (Power of Peace) and the meditation taught was called the “middle way” meditation technique. Our schedule was meditation at 6am, breakfast, meditation at 10am, lunch, teaching and meditation at 2pm. Then late afternoon tea or juice as we would not eat again until breakfast the next day. Meditation again at 6pm and again before bed at 9pm (mandatory lights out at 10). Of course we had no internet or electronic devices to distract us from the task of quieting the chattering mind.

I got used to the silence and no dinner, but the sitting still seemed long sometimes. The POP House area was very beautiful and serene. It was connected to the famous Thai Temple, Wat Phra Dhammakaya which we visited twice.  I even met a young monk from America and we saw many young Thai novices practicing as school was out. The Wat designed with simplicity and elegance won the architecture of the Year award in 1998. Built entirely on international public contributions, it is also the embodiment of unity and love for mankind.

The dome-shaped Cetiya (stupa) is the hallmark of what has become the largest venue for mass meditation and prayers for Buddhists and peace-loving people of the world. The design has been likened to a sports stadium or even a UFO, rather than resembling a traditional Thai temple. I think it may be the worlds largest meditation area as it has capacity for 400,000 monks and 600,000 lay people all to meditate all at once. From one (me) to 1 million.

 

 May you enjoy a calm and peaceful heart and mind. 

Blessings from Thailand.