Chaiya, near Surat Thani: February 2006

Our Wisdom and Well Being correspondent, Bud Wiser, reports on Ray and Nikki's experiences from the Buddhist monastery at Suan Mokkh, where they both recently completed a 10 day silent Vipassana retreat.

After three months of travelling around the islands in the Gulf of Thailand and getting used to the idea of the nomadic way of life, Ray and Nikki were very keen to make their way on to the Thai mainland, which they did on 28th January, having fully recovered from Lozza's Carnival party (see Carnival Atmosphere in Koh Samui).

Having spoken to both of them, I discovered that they had no complaints at all about beach life and the relatively easy and laid back existence that goes with it. However, I sensed that both definitely had developed a yearning for something more meaningful as an alternative from what they had done so far and Suan Mokkh seemed to provide the perfect opportunity.  "We had both read about these silent Buddhist retreats and really felt interested in experiencing it for ourselves.  Our interest grew more after we spoke to people on our travels who had done the retreat and had been changed by the experience" said Ray.

Crossing by ferry from Koh Samui to Surat Thani, they had a couple of days to get organised.  "Neither of us had ever been totally cut off from the world for 10 days in our lives - no Internet, phones, television, alcohol, sex or contact with other human beings of any kind - so I guess we felt we needed a day or two to get used to the idea and to buy provisions for inside the monastery" said Nikki.

Upon arrival in Surat Thani, some school children wanted to interview Ray about his impressions of Thailand for a research project

Surat Thani is a relatively large and busy town and is about one hour by bus from Chaiya where Suan Mokkh monastery is located.  Although the travel books say there is little of interest in Surat Thani, Ray and Nikki were pleasantly surprised to find a lively atmposhere with some great things to see and do. "We had enough time to see a little bit of the town before starting our final preparations and were very glad we explored the river and parks in particular as these are very pretty and provided the perfect space for us to start really thinking about 10 days of silent meditation and what it would feel like" said Ray.

"I'm not sure how I am going to get on with this meditation lark" says Nikki!

The sun sets over Surat Thani on the 30th January as Ray and Nikki start their final preparations at the night markets before making their way to the monastery the following day.

The night makets provide a great source of cheap food and other supplies and our pair of intrepid travellers took the opportunity to acquire the items they needed for the retreat. "One or two people had told us that we would be sleeping on concrete beds and that we should take some padding for extra comfort, so camping roll mats were high on our list of priorities" said Ray.

The night markets in Surat Thani provide a lively and exciting way to spend an evening

Nikki cannot resist the opportunity to buy a new hat - and haggle with a market trader!

The food on offer in the night markets is exceptional, and well within the budget for our travelling duo.  This lady is lovingly preparing a special meal for Ray.

Ray enjoys his special meal and wonders what the vegetarian food inside Suan Mokkh will be like while he contemplates the forthcoming 10 days of silence

Everything done!  Nikki is ready for the retreat and heads for the Bandon hotel for the last time

The final call; Nikki has one last conversation with her mum before the 10 day retreat starts!

Let me give you some background information about Suan Mokkh.  It is one of the best known Buddhist monasteries in Thailand and was established by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu after giving up on the monastic system in Bangkok. He found the Wats (temples) there dirty, crowded, and corrupt - nothing like the purer, more simple Buddhism of his birthplace. Thus, he returned to the South and moved into an abandoned temple near his hometown. At first living alone, then with others as news of his experiment spread, he took a radical look into the sources of Theravada Buddhism and dedicated his life to following the pristine Dhamma and correcting the numerous mistaken beliefs and practices that had crept in over the centuries.

A wax image of the Bhuddadasa, who died at the monastery in 1993. He has been described as one of the world's most important religious figures in the last century.

The monastery runs an International Dhamma Heritage, specifically so that people from all over the world, from all different sects and religions, can go there and take part in the retreats, and experience the Buddha's teachings.  Retreats take place monthly and start on the first day of each month (more information can be found at the Suan Mokkh website).  Insight and wisdom is gained primarily through the practise of meditation.

The 10 day retreat is descibed in Suan Mokkh literature as "a very special period of time in one’s life which one devotes just to oneself, a time to explore and learn the inner side of oneself, getting to know oneself thoroughly, in all aspects e.g., who one is, what one really needs or wants in life, what is the real goal in one’s life, how one can accomplish it, etc. The retreat might just be a start towards discovering such important things about oneself."

The grounds of the monastery are beautiful, and have several meditation halls like the one above

The retreat schedule looks like this:

So, how does it work? There are some basic rules to be observed during the retreat, which everyone understands are necessary for the right space to be created for people to learn.  These include:

• Remaining in the retreat and keeping complete silence throughout the 10 days
• Refraining from destroying all forms of life
• Not to take things without permission
• Refrain from any sexual activity, mentally, verbally or bodily
• Not to smoke or intoxicate oneself with any intoxicant
• Only to eat the breakfast and lunch meals provided
• No beautifying or entertaining oneself
• No sleeping on luxurios beds or seats
• Strictly observe the daily schedule (see above)

0

"I can see the need for some basic rules and was actually quite pleased about it - I can be quite lacking in personal discipline sometimes" said Ray. "There is no way to escape the process as there is no one to talk to, no radio or television to watch, no book to read, nothing to write. It forces you to face yourself, to look inside and to read your own mind. A chance like this is very rare in ordinary daily life and I found myself having insights after a few days that helped explain some of the major events that have happened recently in my life" said Ray.

"After an early start, we practised yoga for about one and a half hours to prepare our bodies physically for long periods of sitting in the meditation hall.  Nikki is more used to this than I am, but I found it very beneficial to do and found that I had much greater flexibility and physical comfort in my body at the end of the retreat than I started with" explained Ray. "The Dhamma talks explain a lot of the theory behind meditation, including what it is, why people do it and how to use the techniques that really help you gain a calm and peaceful state of mind.  The method we were being taught is called Anapanasati, which means mindfulness of breathing.  It might sound strange, but the route to bliss is to be found through becoming aware of the breath - this is easier said than done as I soon realised I could barely sit for more than few seconds before becoming distracted by my own thoughts, other than thoserelated toobservingmyownbreathing"said Ray. 

Becoming good at meditation takes years of dedicated practise for most people. "The 10 day retreat is only a taster, and is more like a course for beginners than an end in itself" said Nikki. "We have tried to maintain our meditation each day since the retreat and it is quite a challenge for us" she added.

The benefits one is supposed to gain from attending the full retreat and practising mediation are numerous. "We spent a lot of time becoming aware of experiencing life in the "here and now", with an undivided attentiveness and focus on what is being done in the present moment. For example, we practised mindful eating and walking each day, making sure our whole attention was on that activity as we were doing it.  It made me realise that I often try to do many things at the same time in my normal life, rather than give my full quality of attention to one thing at a time" said Nikki.

The theory of Buddhism is that by being totally aware of here and now, one lets go the worries of the past and the anxieties about the future. Thus, one frees oneself from stress and suffering (dukkha) and becomes more relaxed, calm, peaceful, and understanding.

"We explored the concept of Kharma and discussed at length the nature of selfishness, which is at the centre of a lot of the world's problems. In seeing and acknowledging the reality of my own selfishness, I found it enabled me to understand some of these problems with a new perspective" said Ray. 

The retreat concluded on February 11th and Ray and Nikki were able to talk to each other for the first time in over 10 days.  "Although I had been aware of Nikki everyday in the meditation hall and around the monastery grounds, it felt fantastic to be able to hold her and talk to her again!" said Ray. "We were not even allowed any eye contact, which felt a bit strange at first, but we had both agreed from the outset that we wanted to experience the retreat as if we were on our own, so happily complied.  We both had so much to catch up on afterwards and could not wait to share our experiences with each other" added Nikki.

Before: Ray and Nikki as they were when they entered the monastery on 31st January

After: Can you tell the difference?  Ray and Nikki after becoming enlightened!

The meditation group on day 10 - at least those people who chose to remain for the whole of the retreat, picturd here with Ajarn Poh (Ray and Nikki front right)

I spoke to Nikki after the retreat. "Despite the harsh routine, the stay was very rewarding. We were in the forest surrounded by lakes and trees, it was very quiet and peaceful, just listening to the songs of nature. We watched the sun rise every morning and set every evening. The meditation was difficult as it required sitting for very long periods in the cross legged position – often I got pins and needles in my legs and back. Despite the discomfort, the experience was definitely worthwhile and will help me to keep calm and focused here in Thailand. Now we have done the retreat we are going to stay in a national park for a few days before returning to the chaos of Bangkok."

Post A Comment