Finding my center at Suan Mokkh monastery in Thailand

Every newbie in Bangkok has to go through the path of least resistance, that is, if you have to shift your entire life and work there for a period of time you are bound to encounter Buddhism at one point - and end up studying or living it. What is it about Buddhism that seems to attract Westerners and even Christian Asians to predominantly Buddhist countries such as Thailand? Is it the promise of a life devoid of suffering? Is it the desire to break the endless cycle of karma and retribution, to be born again and again as a human, animal, or even insect? These were the questions that went through my mind when I started studying meditation and Buddhism almost 15 years ago. The clichéd images of immovable people sitting serenely under a bodhi tree (the tree where the Lord Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment) are still mesmerizing, but I have since realized that practicing meditation in the sometimes back-breaking lotus position is only a small part of Buddhism. Spiritual Sanctuary in the Forest To learn exactly what Buddhism has to offer, I decided to do the unthinkable -- take a 10-day meditation retreat at Suan Mokkh, a famous Buddhist monastery located in a forest in the province of Songkhla, southern Thailand. At the time, I had just left a very problematic job and was going to start a new one. I wanted a clean slate by going into a monastery and meditating on my life and my future.

Roughly translated as "The Garden of Liberation," Suan Mokkh is popular among both locals and foreigners alike for its meditation retreats during the first 10 days of every month. I first heard of Suan Mokkh from a colleague at a business newspaper where I once worked. This guy, a serene and soft-spoken English-language editor who was into meditation, recommended Suan Mokkh when he found out I wanted to learn more about Buddhist meditation. The forest monastery was established in 1932 by the Venerable Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, a Thai Buddhist monk who practiced and preached Vipassana Meditation as a way of finding inner peace through non-attachment to the "I" or in material things, as well as finding one's place in this chaotic world. It is founded on the principle of quieting the mind and focusing on one's center through quiet and natural breathing in and out one’s nose. In the process, one empties the mind of all thoughts and ends up being at one with the world. The long road to Suan Mokkh My journey to Suan Mokkh began at the train station at Hua Hin, a seaside town three hours south of Bangkok. It was one of those old wooden train stations with a single platform and a station manager who went missing when you needed him. The place was so remote and deserted that when the train chugged its way into the station, I was not aware that it was the one I was supposed to board, and so I missed my train. When the station manager told me the next one might take a while, I decided to take the bus. At that time the buses passing through Hua Hin going south of Thailand were those little rickety contraptions on wheels. My destination was a good 7 to 8 hours away, so I took one of the overnight buses that stopped twice for meal breaks, arriving in some forgotten town near Surat Thani at daybreak. The funny thing was, the passengers had to transfer to another bus, this one more disheveled and rickety than the first with mostly sleepy farmers and villagers in it, and a few chickens as well. When the bus dropped me in the middle of a long stretch of highway, with only coconut trees and a little hut or two nearby, I was - to put it mildly - rather lost. I was told that Suan Mokkh is located on the highway going to Surat Thani, about six kilometers from the nearest town of Chaiya. Standing on the roadside, I noticed an old building beside a wat (temple) at the end of a path on my right. Inside the building, I asked a monk sitting in one of the rooms for directions to the Buddhist center. No distractions allowed The monk accompanied me along a much less trodden path on the opposite side of the building. Amid the shrubbery, there were a few one-story buildings that housed the meditation students. As is the custom, men and women are placed in separate quarters to prevent any "distractions" during one’s stay. At the reception hall of Suan Mokkh, I was given the basic rules during the whole ten days of meditation, which I would be spending chanting and listening to the "dhamma" (Buddhist counterpart of Christian sermons) delivered by a Buddhist layman, who is also your adviser during the entire period. No talking is allowed for 10 days, even with your peers, except to ask questions directed to the meditation teacher. No mobile phones, no cameras (except on the last day), no books, no iPods, no radio or TV, no video games, no make-up -- in other words, no items that would remind you of the civilized world outside the monastery. The only things you can have are a flashlight to light your way to the shower rooms and toilet, as the lights are turned off at 9 pm every night, and a journal where you can jot down notes. However, the last item is not encouraged, as the main purpose of the meditation is precisely to empty one's thoughts and enable you to focus on your main concern. You also have to contend with sleeping in a small room with a concrete alcove, on a single woven straw mat with one pillow. These rooms line a compound with a grassy area and a well in the middle for bathing. A typical day 4 am: A bell starts ringing and individually, the girls in the compound walk silently to the shower areas to bathe in the dark. 4:30 am: Another bell rings and we troop to the meditation hall, a wooden pavilion that’s open on four sides and faces a pond. There are comfy mats and cushions on the floor to ease one's backside while we chant in Pali (the ancient Sanskrit language of India adopted by Thailand) from a small pamphlet, reading the text and following the intonation of our lay dhamma teacher. Afterwards, we listen to the dhamma given by the teacher. 5 am: As the light starts creeping in, a Caucasian girl leads us in a yoga class. This is the fun part, because at the end of yoga exercises, we would lie down very still on the mats and just relax and empty our minds. This is very refreshing after the yoga exercises, which I thought I would never survive. 6:30 am: Another bell sounds. We arrange our mats in one corner of the pavilion then troop to the mess hall for a vegetarian meal – usually bread, fruit, and yogurt. After breakfast, we wash our bowls and cutlery in silence, then return to the meditation hall. 7 am: We get more dhamma for the day from the resident monk or from our dhamma teacher. On the first day of the retreat, the participants are taught the basics of how to meditate the Vipassana way, and are able to ask questions about the day-to-day activities during the retreat. 7:30 am-11:30 am: There’s more Pali chanting, usually for about 30-45 minutes at a time. There is a break for walking meditation around the pavilion to ease the strain on our backs from too much sitting. Standing meditation is usually done by walking in a straight line, one foot always across the other, in focused silence. We can also meditate in the wooded area near the pavilion or beside the pond. 11:30 am: We stack our mats and cushions again on one side of the pavilion and troop to the mess hall for our simple repast of brown rice, yogurt, curried vegetables, and fruits. We take turns serving ourselves at the dining table and wash our dishes and cutlery after the meal. 12:30 pm - 2 pm: We are given time to take a nap in our sleeping quarters, or wander around the grounds for a nature walk. 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Sometimes, the students are given the opportunity to have one-on-one talks with the dhamma teacher. This is very helpful especially for those who have questions about Buddhism or what the practices mean, or for those who have really serious problems with their lives. 3:00 pm - 6 pm: There’s more chanting and meditation, and by this time my back starts to hurt from all that sitting - despite the fact that I couldn't do the full lotus position; I just have one leg bent and another stretched in front of me, taking care that my outstretched foot does not point in the direction of the teacher, which would be a sign of disrespect. 6:00 pm: We troop back to the mess hall to receive our final meal: ripe bananas and fruit juice. Actually, the monks and students are only allowed two meals per day, so the evening snacks are extra nourishment to keep us energetic during the night. 6:30 pm: We meditate some more until 7:30 or 8 pm. By then, my mind is half in the pavilion and half somewhere else. 8:00 pm: A bell sounds and we go back to our rooms to prepare for bed. 9:00 pm: Lights out. What I learned The first concern I had when I joined the meditation retreat was the strict code of two vegetarian meals per day. Boy, did I worry I would "starve" to death! But the surprising thing is, when you stop doing all your usual activities and just focus on meditating, you don't need a lot of food to sustain you throughout the day. Physically, your mind becomes very, very clear indeed. Your hearing becomes sensitive to the sounds of civilization -- the honking of a motorbike horn, the chirping of the birds, and the sound of silence. In fact, I got so used to the silence that when I returned to the city, the noise actually rattled me for a while. So did I get an answer to my question? Yes, I did. And if anyone will ask me if I'd like to go back to Suan Mokkh for another retreat, I will definitely say YES! Being at Suan Mokkh is like heaven to one’s senses and spiritual life. You become more focused, you learn to concentrate, and you find the path to your purpose in life. – YA/GMANews.TV To book your place at the monthly 10-day retreats, log on to http://www.suanmokkh-idh.org/ for more details and how to get there.