After agreeing to attend a five day Buddhism retreat, I began to have second doubts. Mostly, due to the fact that I am not fluent in Thai and I everything I did would be under a microscope. That afternoon, I went with the assistant principal to the city to purchase my first set of white clothing, including a couple pairs of white underwear, in order to prepare for the long weekend. During the care ride, I attempted to ask as many questions as possible. Inevitably, I was going to be unprepared. At least I remembered toilet paper.
We arrived at ดงคสถานชุมพร [Tudongka Place], a temple located in Chumphon, early Wednesday morning. I immediately realized that this was not a small training for the teachers at my school as I was lead to believe. When we pulled down the dirt road, I saw dozens of cars. Five days with over one hundred Thai people confined to one area. Perfect example of the "fishbowl effect." Once I stepped out of the car, I glued a big smile to my face knowing anything other than that would provoke the question, "Are you bored?"
I greeted my co-workers and noticed my close friend was not among them. Needless to say, I became incredibly nervous for the days ahead. One of the supervisors spotted my white skin and began conversing with my school principal. "Are you Christian?" she asked me. I automatically responded in agreement considering I do not have the vocabulary to describe otherwise. However, the scold on her face forced me to begin to fumble through the Thai language. Eventually, I was able to describe "Tess' Religion." She was amused and, with that, I was accepted into the training.
Thus began the typical questions, "Where do you teach?" "Can you eat spicy food?" "Do you like Thai food?" "Why can you speak Thai only after 8 months?" "Do you have a boyfriend?" "Do you want another boyfriend?" And, I responded the rehearsed answers. The questions continued throughout the day as more and more Thai people gained enough courage to talk to the foreigner. After a long, typical lecture, we gathered for lunch, the last meal of the day, where I answered more questions about my food eating abilities by the kitchen staff. The afternoon continued as I had feared, lectures, surveys, tests, and more lectures. It pained me to think the next four days would be like this.
Nonetheless, in the evening, after drinking [yes drinking] some hot corn, I changed my tune. Literally. Every person received a booklet including the morning and evening chant. In Thai, of course. Luckily, the chants were filled with short consonant/vowel sounds. Practicing my reading abilities, I began to transliterate the Thai letters to English phonetics in order to participate in the beginning chant. Success. Soon after, I was chanting the principles of Buddhism in Pali, the language of early Buddhists scriptures. Honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. And continued to enjoy the chants throughout the four days [I was eventually given a booklet of the chants transliterated into English]. The Buddhist chants are quite different from the airy songs I have sang at St. Margaret's Church or the loud, emotional prayers in Kumasi, Ghana. I felt unified with the people around me, even though I stood out like an apple in a bunch of oranges. Shortly after, the room became quiet and the first meditation of the retreat began. "Samma arahang, samma arahang, samma arahng." Purify the mind. Not an easy task for a New Yorker. My "list" never ends, thus, my mind never stops. My mind thinks of the most outrageous things. I hoped I would improve over the next few days, considering we would be meditating four times a days for half hour increments. At 9PM, we all rushed to shower and, I thought, to sleep for a 4AM wake up call. Silly me. Thai women love talking, especially gossiping. They chit chatted until they were too tired to move their lips.
My first day of training was filled with a wide range of emotions from the time I arrived to the time I fell asleep. This was not different from most days in Thailand, however. I dealt with the frustrations of overbearing Thai women dictating when I should go to the bathroom, what I should eat, where I should sit and who I could speak with. Nonetheless, I appreciated the lifestyle change. We were living simply- two meals a day, bucket showers, squat toilets, mat for a bed, no electronics [although we all used our cell phones]. I appreciated being outdoors, enjoying the sound of rainfall right outside the screen at night.
My most influential and important day of the retreat was, by far, the second day. The day began with aerobics to the American song "Friday" by Rebecca Black- of course it was going to be a good day. After about an hour of lecture, I was asked if I would like to know more about Buddhism. I was ushered to a patio where a monk was sitting on his laptop. In Thailand, I have spoken very minimally to the monks because I have been very intimidated by them. I have exchanged the typical small talk but have never been confident enough in my Thai language abilities to hold a conversation. I was nervous I would do or say something inappropriate.
To my surprise, I spoke with the monk, Phra Thanachol, for three hours. He was a very welcoming, personable individual who enjoys educating people about Buddhism. I asked about his daily life at a nearby temple- schedule, feelings, visitors. We discussed topics ranging from the moral precepts to Steve Jobs value of intuition discovered during his seven month stint in India in 1974. I regretfully spoke about my difficulties during meditation and he supplied articles and videos in English to guide me. Meditation is more than sitting, relaxing and clearing your mind [which is difficult enough]. Once mastered, the meditator can focus on achieving ultimate refuge by taking refuge in the "Triple Gem" [Buddha, Dharma and Sangha], or, in other words, discovering oneself. The meditator will purify their mind, focus on their central abdomen, and picture an object of their choosing. Soon after, the meditator will become an observer of the experiences that occur in the mind. I doubt my restless mind will ever be able to calm itself for long enough to begin to focus on one object. Nonetheless, by practicing meditation for the past five days, I have felt the most relaxed I have felt since arriving in Thailand.
We continued to learn about Buddhism in everyday life. During the activity, "Rooms of Life,"we observed the "proper" way to fold clothes, throw away juice boxes, maintain a kitchen, clean a bathroom and create a comfortable classroom environment. We discussed the ten principles to follow in order to make merit for this life and the lives to follow, including humility, rejoicing in others successes, and giving. I read books on Buddhist morals regarding love, marriage and family as well as conflict. The monks described the importance of the four virtues of Buddhism- truthfulness, self control, endurance and generosity. Observing the monks day to day, they definitely express these virtues in every way imaginable.
These past five days have reenergized me, much like my trip home. Throughout the long days and late night talks, I created bonds with my co-workers. They finally understand my sarcasm and appreciate my effort of learning their culture. I believe I gained much respect from them during this experience. While making friends, I was able to relax as well, not focusing on my upcoming projects or teaching [most of the time, at least]. I improved my Thai language skills by gaining vocabulary relating to Buddhism and practicing my Thai reading abilities. Most importantly, however, I was immersed in the Buddhist religion, gaining a new perspective of Thailand and the people who live here. I enjoyed discovering common ground between Catholicism and Buddhism. Although I do not think I will begin my days with meditation and chanting, I admire the values and teachings of the Buddhist religion and will begin to integrate the morals into my daily life.
We arrived at ดงคสถานชุมพร [Tudongka Place], a temple located in Chumphon, early Wednesday morning. I immediately realized that this was not a small training for the teachers at my school as I was lead to believe. When we pulled down the dirt road, I saw dozens of cars. Five days with over one hundred Thai people confined to one area. Perfect example of the "fishbowl effect." Once I stepped out of the car, I glued a big smile to my face knowing anything other than that would provoke the question, "Are you bored?"
I greeted my co-workers and noticed my close friend was not among them. Needless to say, I became incredibly nervous for the days ahead. One of the supervisors spotted my white skin and began conversing with my school principal. "Are you Christian?" she asked me. I automatically responded in agreement considering I do not have the vocabulary to describe otherwise. However, the scold on her face forced me to begin to fumble through the Thai language. Eventually, I was able to describe "Tess' Religion." She was amused and, with that, I was accepted into the training.
Thus began the typical questions, "Where do you teach?" "Can you eat spicy food?" "Do you like Thai food?" "Why can you speak Thai only after 8 months?" "Do you have a boyfriend?" "Do you want another boyfriend?" And, I responded the rehearsed answers. The questions continued throughout the day as more and more Thai people gained enough courage to talk to the foreigner. After a long, typical lecture, we gathered for lunch, the last meal of the day, where I answered more questions about my food eating abilities by the kitchen staff. The afternoon continued as I had feared, lectures, surveys, tests, and more lectures. It pained me to think the next four days would be like this.
Nonetheless, in the evening, after drinking [yes drinking] some hot corn, I changed my tune. Literally. Every person received a booklet including the morning and evening chant. In Thai, of course. Luckily, the chants were filled with short consonant/vowel sounds. Practicing my reading abilities, I began to transliterate the Thai letters to English phonetics in order to participate in the beginning chant. Success. Soon after, I was chanting the principles of Buddhism in Pali, the language of early Buddhists scriptures. Honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. And continued to enjoy the chants throughout the four days [I was eventually given a booklet of the chants transliterated into English]. The Buddhist chants are quite different from the airy songs I have sang at St. Margaret's Church or the loud, emotional prayers in Kumasi, Ghana. I felt unified with the people around me, even though I stood out like an apple in a bunch of oranges. Shortly after, the room became quiet and the first meditation of the retreat began. "Samma arahang, samma arahang, samma arahng." Purify the mind. Not an easy task for a New Yorker. My "list" never ends, thus, my mind never stops. My mind thinks of the most outrageous things. I hoped I would improve over the next few days, considering we would be meditating four times a days for half hour increments. At 9PM, we all rushed to shower and, I thought, to sleep for a 4AM wake up call. Silly me. Thai women love talking, especially gossiping. They chit chatted until they were too tired to move their lips.
My first day of training was filled with a wide range of emotions from the time I arrived to the time I fell asleep. This was not different from most days in Thailand, however. I dealt with the frustrations of overbearing Thai women dictating when I should go to the bathroom, what I should eat, where I should sit and who I could speak with. Nonetheless, I appreciated the lifestyle change. We were living simply- two meals a day, bucket showers, squat toilets, mat for a bed, no electronics [although we all used our cell phones]. I appreciated being outdoors, enjoying the sound of rainfall right outside the screen at night.
My most influential and important day of the retreat was, by far, the second day. The day began with aerobics to the American song "Friday" by Rebecca Black- of course it was going to be a good day. After about an hour of lecture, I was asked if I would like to know more about Buddhism. I was ushered to a patio where a monk was sitting on his laptop. In Thailand, I have spoken very minimally to the monks because I have been very intimidated by them. I have exchanged the typical small talk but have never been confident enough in my Thai language abilities to hold a conversation. I was nervous I would do or say something inappropriate.
To my surprise, I spoke with the monk, Phra Thanachol, for three hours. He was a very welcoming, personable individual who enjoys educating people about Buddhism. I asked about his daily life at a nearby temple- schedule, feelings, visitors. We discussed topics ranging from the moral precepts to Steve Jobs value of intuition discovered during his seven month stint in India in 1974. I regretfully spoke about my difficulties during meditation and he supplied articles and videos in English to guide me. Meditation is more than sitting, relaxing and clearing your mind [which is difficult enough]. Once mastered, the meditator can focus on achieving ultimate refuge by taking refuge in the "Triple Gem" [Buddha, Dharma and Sangha], or, in other words, discovering oneself. The meditator will purify their mind, focus on their central abdomen, and picture an object of their choosing. Soon after, the meditator will become an observer of the experiences that occur in the mind. I doubt my restless mind will ever be able to calm itself for long enough to begin to focus on one object. Nonetheless, by practicing meditation for the past five days, I have felt the most relaxed I have felt since arriving in Thailand.
We continued to learn about Buddhism in everyday life. During the activity, "Rooms of Life,"we observed the "proper" way to fold clothes, throw away juice boxes, maintain a kitchen, clean a bathroom and create a comfortable classroom environment. We discussed the ten principles to follow in order to make merit for this life and the lives to follow, including humility, rejoicing in others successes, and giving. I read books on Buddhist morals regarding love, marriage and family as well as conflict. The monks described the importance of the four virtues of Buddhism- truthfulness, self control, endurance and generosity. Observing the monks day to day, they definitely express these virtues in every way imaginable.
These past five days have reenergized me, much like my trip home. Throughout the long days and late night talks, I created bonds with my co-workers. They finally understand my sarcasm and appreciate my effort of learning their culture. I believe I gained much respect from them during this experience. While making friends, I was able to relax as well, not focusing on my upcoming projects or teaching [most of the time, at least]. I improved my Thai language skills by gaining vocabulary relating to Buddhism and practicing my Thai reading abilities. Most importantly, however, I was immersed in the Buddhist religion, gaining a new perspective of Thailand and the people who live here. I enjoyed discovering common ground between Catholicism and Buddhism. Although I do not think I will begin my days with meditation and chanting, I admire the values and teachings of the Buddhist religion and will begin to integrate the morals into my daily life.
Awesome.
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