Meditation Hall, Wat Suan Mokkh, Thailand
In the 90's I lived, off and on, in Thailand, and I was initially drawn there to assist a friend who had opened up an eco-tourism resort in Krabi. I loved Thailand. I loved the people and the varying cultures, north to south. I loved the depth of her spirituality, whether it was Buddhism or animism. Or Buddhism as a veneer, with animism forming a strong central core.
On one of my visits I decided to enter into a 10 day silent retreat at Wat Suan Mokkh, a forest monastery. I was comfortable with silence and solitude and I needed to find a place to retreat into that silence as I was at a pivotal moment of change in my life.
Every month, for 10 days, this Buddhist retreat opened its doors to seekers from all over the world. Its living conditions did not coddle. And silence was an absolute pre-requisite. If one could not remain silent, then one was asked to leave.
Every morning, from our beds of concrete relieved only by a very thin tatami mat and covered by a mosquito net, we rose at 4:00 in response to the temple bell and proceeded to the Meditation Hall. White gauze curtains wafting in a slight morning breeze, and an imposing and beautiful statue of Lord Buddha. Incense.
Buddhism was where I turned when I needed to still my mind and find my own internal peace, my own unique soul song. When I was in crisis in an earlier time of my life I turned to Zen Buddhism and studied the Japanese Tea Ceremony with a Buddhist monk for two years. With every movement, perfectly calibrated to a rhythm that had been established 400 years earlier, in a tea house of pure simplicity and profound beauty, a single red flower in the tokonoma along with a scroll, the hiss of the kettle and the aroma of the matcha, I stilled my mind and found my answers.
After the morning meditation, the rest of the day was filled with service, either through sweeping or cleaning or looking after the meals. It was also filled with walking mediations and lectures in the evenings with the monks. We were in bed by 9:00. Concrete beds felt comfortable after a couple of days.
Many could not endure and one by one we would watch people leave, no judgment, their minds rebelling against the incessant silence and the strict discipline that was imposed upon all of us. No phones, no reading, just prayer. And silence.
At the end of the 10 days, my mind was as clear as a crystal bell. I reverberated with the silence of stillness and peace.
Now, I am grateful for this discipline. As Archangel Michael says through Ronna Vezane (starquestmastery.com), the only place we can be safe in these radical evolutionary times where Light continues to separate from darkness, is within the still point of the Now, within our Sacred Hearts and Minds.
Therein lies eternity and our God Power.
On one of my visits I decided to enter into a 10 day silent retreat at Wat Suan Mokkh, a forest monastery. I was comfortable with silence and solitude and I needed to find a place to retreat into that silence as I was at a pivotal moment of change in my life.
Every month, for 10 days, this Buddhist retreat opened its doors to seekers from all over the world. Its living conditions did not coddle. And silence was an absolute pre-requisite. If one could not remain silent, then one was asked to leave.
Every morning, from our beds of concrete relieved only by a very thin tatami mat and covered by a mosquito net, we rose at 4:00 in response to the temple bell and proceeded to the Meditation Hall. White gauze curtains wafting in a slight morning breeze, and an imposing and beautiful statue of Lord Buddha. Incense.
Buddhism was where I turned when I needed to still my mind and find my own internal peace, my own unique soul song. When I was in crisis in an earlier time of my life I turned to Zen Buddhism and studied the Japanese Tea Ceremony with a Buddhist monk for two years. With every movement, perfectly calibrated to a rhythm that had been established 400 years earlier, in a tea house of pure simplicity and profound beauty, a single red flower in the tokonoma along with a scroll, the hiss of the kettle and the aroma of the matcha, I stilled my mind and found my answers.
After the morning meditation, the rest of the day was filled with service, either through sweeping or cleaning or looking after the meals. It was also filled with walking mediations and lectures in the evenings with the monks. We were in bed by 9:00. Concrete beds felt comfortable after a couple of days.
Many could not endure and one by one we would watch people leave, no judgment, their minds rebelling against the incessant silence and the strict discipline that was imposed upon all of us. No phones, no reading, just prayer. And silence.
At the end of the 10 days, my mind was as clear as a crystal bell. I reverberated with the silence of stillness and peace.
Now, I am grateful for this discipline. As Archangel Michael says through Ronna Vezane (starquestmastery.com), the only place we can be safe in these radical evolutionary times where Light continues to separate from darkness, is within the still point of the Now, within our Sacred Hearts and Minds.
Therein lies eternity and our God Power.