Fah Thai Magazine Jan-Feb 2017

SAMUI
OPEN TO A NEW EXPERIENCE
“Our mind is like a monkey, and not
a simple monkey but a drunken one!
Watch your mind and your thoughts
because it will become your action!
– Buddha teaching
On the last morning of the English
course at the Centre, people can finally
talk and share their experiences,
complete with big smiles on their
faces. After all, it is seven days of
being silent – no use of social media,
no mobile phone, no television, no
book to read and only two vegetarian
meals are taken in a day.
And I wondered what had
happened in the last six days to our
minds. I wanted to know whether
something really did happen and
where it took us. It’s an interesting
question that I asked participants.
Wadey, an Australian biologist
who lives in Malaysia felt much
more aware of things after six
days and says, “I decided to come
for meditation without knowing
anything about Buddhism or
meditation. I only know it is a good
opportunity. I loved the chance to
calm my mind.” Another enlightened
person who also spent a week at
the retreat tells me, “My mind feels
energetic and works very fast and
adds with conviction that meditation
is a good way to observe our minds.
Victoria Semenova, who lives
in Israel says, “I feel completely
happy. I don’t know why I can’t
stop smiling.” She heard about the
meditation retreat some four, five
years ago from friends and finally
did the course. “Definitely I will
come to Thailand again, just for
meditation,” she says.
ANOTHER STEP IN LIFE
‘Nothing lasts forever,’ even things
that you like or didn’t like. Treat them
with the same sense of lightness and
awareness of impermanence.
– Buddha teaching
Linus Khan says he came to
Dipabhavan to seek ‘spiritual
enlightenment, spiritual
inspiration’. “Basically this is a
learning trip for me,” says Khan,
a thirty year old participant from
Pakistan who chose the meditation
retreat in Thailand as a first step
of his spiritual journey in Asia. He
had planned the year ahead to work
on his mind, body and spirit and
as part of the process, and plans to
go to China to study kung fu and to
Peru for knowledge on shamanism.
All this follows after he finished the
meditation class at Dipabhavan.
“I would like to work on my mind,
because it will take care of your
whole life.”
“Meditation is never easy for newcomers — there are beautiful results yet with difficult
adjustments,” says one participant.
WHAT DO
WE LEARN?
Every teaching
and practice at the
centre is within
the framework of
Ajarn Buddhadasa’s
teachings. As one of
the most influential
Buddhist teachers,
he gets to the
heart of Buddha’s
teachings in a
simple, direct and
powerful metaphor.
Dhamma talk such
as ‘atta’ (self, soul
or ego), ‘dukkha’
(dissatisfaction,
distress, suffering)
and ‘upadana’
(clinging, attachment)
are explained by
Ajarn Buddhadasa
and all the dhamma
principles can be
summarised thus:
upadana is the
cause of dukkha,
dukkha is born out
of upadana. So it is
best if we profoundly
understand this
matter of upadana.
MEDITATION
The meditation
technique taught
here at Dipabhāvan
is ‘Mindfulness’
with Breathing’
(Anapanasati in the
Pali language).
Participants
will learn:
• how to practise
mindfulness
through breathing
• how to develop
concentration to
produce tranquility
of mind
• mind purification
to see the supreme
wisdom of
understanding
things as they are
• insight
development
to free our minds
from attachment
and suffering, i.e.
‘Insight orVipassana-
Meditation’
Apart from the
‘Mindfulness through
Breathing’ practice,
the daily programme
at the hermitage
will include yoga,
Buddhist chants and
the practice of ‘Loving
Kindness Meditation’.
Khan also wanted to handle
situations like anger, anxiety,
worry and the list goes on. He
actually wanted to reach his true
potential and meditation seems
to help him fine-tune emotions.
For him, only one hour of
meditation a day can empower
him to handle the rest of the day.
The youngest practitioner
was eighteen year old Ishaa
Adrian from Malaysia. He
chose meditation as a defining
moment and the next step in life
before attending university in
Australia. He booked the ticket to
specifically come for the retreat
and learn how to treat life’s
discomforts by replacing it with
feelings of gratitude, optimism
and overall lightness of being.
But meditation for
newcomers is never easy. There
will be beautiful results yet with
difficult adjustments. Ishaa
had every strong intention to
join the retreat, yet he found
moments when he really wanted
to quit. It was trying, despite
the knowledge that learning
the principles of patience and
kindness will bring him great joy
and big rewards.
66 Fah Thai