Day 2 Buddhist Meditation Workshop

Jack, a very small monk, woke us at 5 am by softly knocking at our door.  We were told not to rush so after getting ready I worked on my blog and relaxed but then the bell rang and by the time McKenzie and I slowly walked to our classroom, KK had already started.  

We spent the first 32 minutes counting our breaths.  Breathing in, breathing out - one.  We went up to ten, then back down to one.  Over and over and over.  I did ok sitting on the floor but started squirming in the last ten minutes.  I don’t know if he was addressing me but he said “ No pain, no gain”.  I don’t agree with that - I’ve always read one must be comfortable when meditating otherwise your thoughts are only about your discomfort.  Anyway…

Our second meditation was the same as yesterday - hands on the thighs, chanting “lifting, moving, turning, dropping”  and finally “touching”.  We only did this three times and then he brought in packages of 3 in 1 coffee and small packaged cakes.  I hoped that wasn’t breakfast! Jack had alms bowls and KK explained about the monks and the alms.  Between 6:30 and 7 a.m. monks gather around Chiang Mai Gate with their alms bowls, seeking donations.  They accept anything and part of the Buddhist practice is generosity.  We placed out offerings in his bowl-

 I’m going to try to get to Chiang Mai Gate tomorrow morning as I am up anyway so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Breakfast was some kind of nasty looking congee and scrambled eggs with vegetables.  There was also apple and a whitish fruit that sort of tasted like pear.  After breakfast we had free time to practice our meditation so I wandered back to the big Buddha and could see the days of the week statues better than last night. It’s not a mistake - Tuesday’s Buddha is reclining-

I was born on a Tuesday so reclining works for me.

The bell rang and we met in the classroom.  We practiced walking meditation again - stepping right, stepping left, etc.  and, that was it!  We had more free time so I took a chair to sit in the shade in front of Tuesday-

It was very peaceful and the 10 day group was chanting so I listened to them and tried a breathing meditation.  After about 30 minutes we were called back to the classroom for lying down meditation-

We did that for 35 minutes and I’m not sure if I fell asleep or not.

Lunch was purple rice, some kind of a white vegetable dish that tasted all right and very spicy other vegetables.  Dessert was banana chips and watermelon.  We then had about half an hour to vacate our rooms.

At 1 pm it was Q & A time with Pra KK so we sat outside-

This is what I learned-

Traditional buddhists are animists and give offerings to nature.  They do not have a God.  More modern Buddhists use Hindu gods - Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer.  In front of hotels and homes you will see a small temple with a Hindu god.  

Hinduism and Buddhism both use Sanskrit.  There are similar concepts- nirvana, karma, mantras, etc

Monks should not kill to eat meat and if someone kills for the monk intentionally, he can’t eat that meat either.  They can’t eat bear, lion, elephant, tiger, snake, dog, monkey, yak or horse but they can eat chicken, pork and beef.  

Women are not officially allowed to be monks in Thailand but there are a few not supported by the government.  Male monks receive free education, transportation and health care and the long term goal is to learn, teach and practice Buddhism although many quit once educated.

Monk means renunciation.  Someone has to ordain the monk in a ceremony and men and women, if there are any, must be separated.  Monks can’t touch women so they can’t ordain them.

Each day monks meditate twice, sweep their temples twice, stop eating after 12 noon and walk 1-1.5 hours for alms.  

The Buddhist message?  Don’t dwell on it, it will bring suffering.  Accept it, let it happen, nothing lasts forever.

Monks must follow 227 rules.  If they break a major rule they are disrobed.  These include having sex, drinking, stealing and killing.

94% of Thailand are Buddhists but they will also have a spirit house too- animism.  They keep all their options open.

Monks wear orange and bright coloured robes in the cities and dark colours in the forest .  There are six main colors and the leader monk in the wat picks.  All monks are equal and same-same.  

We talked about karma and not everything that happens in the world is related to personal karma.  Karma means your intention, your action.  It’s not “what goes around comes around”. There are three kinds of karma - mental, verbal and physical.  We struggle because we can’t keep a balance of the 3.

Monks can use cellphones for communicating, education and social media but not for bad intentions.  

There are several levels to reach nirvana.  One must be completely free from mental and physical suffering.  You are dead so there is no more greed, desire, anger, delusion or ego. Temporary nirvana is a great feeling; it’s momentary happiness but the feeling doesn’t last forever.  

About 2 pm we headed back to Chiang Mai.  I really enjoyed my retreat.  I learned a lot and wish the meditation class I took in India at my yoga workshop had been so explanatory.

Walking back to my hostel-

Wat Muentoom, such ornate decoration-

I had a beer and made reservations for the next week.  Because of my dental appointment on Monday, I’ve had to change my Mekong River cruise to February 7 so I have enough time to go motorcycling north of Chiang Rai.  

Tomorrow I get my real crowns at 9 a.m. then at 1 p.m. I get my tattoo touched up, then I am meeting Terry!  It’s going to be a good day!