On my mindfulness journey – learning about myself was the next step. A silent retreat in Suan Mokkh was the turning point on my life and my final mindfulness story. In the next videos, I will continue to share my experiences about my life in Thailand.
I will tell you more about my experiences from the Suan Mokkh retreat center and how you need so little to be happy, how material conditions are not that important as we thought. How you can sleep on a concrete bed, and still be well-rested in the morning. You learn how you can eat just before noon, and still not be hungry. And more…
Suan Mokkh meditation retreat
As soon as I came to live here, I discover that one of the most famous Meditation Retreat centers in Thailand is only 200 kilometers from here. Of course, I have decided I have to try…
I choose to go there riding my scooter because the scenery and the road are extraordinary and beautiful.
Mindfulness Meditation Retreat is taking place at the Wat Suan Mokkh Meditation Center, near the Temple. The Center is designed for all religions and to encourage multi-religious tolerance. I could not find a single picture of Buddha there.
Accommodation
Accommodation in Meditation Retreat Center is in individual rooms, I would say to the cells… I never thought sleeping on a concrete bed with a wooden pillow could be comfortable, but it is. When you are mentally prepared to rest on such a foundation, everything changes, and you sleep quite comfortably. You get the thin straw mats (like for the beach) and the light blanket. The toilets are western style, shared, but there are more than enough. Still, showers are few, and the pool does personal hygiene and laundry with freshwater, Thai style…
Men and women stay in separate bedrooms, they do Yoga separately, but they eat and meditate together (on different sides of the hall, however).
Silence
And, I forgot to tell you, you keep silent the whole ten days. It can be hard for some, but I find it quite relaxing.
You eat twice a day, in the morning and at noon, vegetarian meals, but for Thai food lovers, the food is delicious.
We learned about the “Impermanence” (inconstancy, transience). The term explains the significance of the non-attachment and the whole attitude towards non-self.
On my mindfulness journey – learning about myself this was a true revelation.
Realization
Realization how little you need to be calm and happy was crucial for me and to my understanding of what is essential in life. I will not pretend that I am entirely distanced from material satisfactions, but I now realize what the real value of comfort is. I can not live without any luxury, but now I can understand the luxury itself will not bring you happiness. It is all in your head.
You can, mostly, decide for yourself how you will describe and experience certain situations and circumstances in your life. The moment I told my self that it is OK to sleep on a concrete bed, I was able to sleep well. When I decided to appreciate the food rather than complain about why there is no meat, I found out how delicious this food is. And so on. I really treasured the moments of silence, not because I don’t want to hear anybody, but because this enabled me to listen to my own thoughts, to reflect on the things in the past, and to let them go. It helped me to think about the future, but not to expect too much.
You can strengthen the belief that you must do as much as you can to live a better life but not to despair when things are not going your way because it helped no one. The place helped me realize that I have made the right decision, the best in my life so far, to set apart from the search for wealth and money, and try to find happiness in other gratifications.
What I have decided
Wat Suan Mokkh is the place I’m going to go back to. I can’t live all the time this way, but ten days of meditating certainly I can enjoy it. Although the Retreat activities are the same every time, from the same words, you can always draw new meaning, because you are changing, developing, and mature. An unforgettable experience that’s worth experiencing again and again.
On my mindfulness journey – learning about myself was crucial. I hope these tales will help some of you to embark on the mindfulness journey of your own.
If you want to know more
If you want to learn more about things I write about, check out my books. See also what the goal of this web site is. You can check out my other post about mindfulness, and share your thoughts and comments.
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