Being a Buddihist for a Week
Trip Start
Nov 05, 2001
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Trip End
Jul 08, 2002
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Bangkok,
Thailand
Friday, September 21, 2007
I had been traveling in Thailand for about six weeks. In that time, I had lived quite the hedonistic lifestyle. Relaxing on the beach, getting Thai massages, drinking Thai rum with cute boys and generally spending all my days wrapped in barely more than a sarong. In the course of my self-indulgent trip, I had met several foreigners who had spent time in monasteries for meditation. The idea of studying meditation under the guidance of monks was quite exciting to me. I've been practicing yoga for close to ten years and while I've flirted with meditation modestly, to be involved in monastic life promised to be a most intense experience. Besides it was time for me to purge, right? I discovered Wat Sangathan, a monastery located about one hour north of Bangkok.
A Quiet Lake in the Middle of the Monastery
I took the Chao Phra Ferry to get there. When I arrived at the dock, it was about a ten minute walk through a forested area. This monastery is actually a huge compound. When I arrived, I was put in the care of a very friendly woman who goes by the name of Pooky. I was asked to change into an all white outfit. I was to wear this everyday of my stay. I was shown to my room right after. I was quite surprised it was a very nice room and I had it all to myself. I even had my own bathroom. However, it wasn't exactly the kind of bathroom you'd find back home. There was no running water. There was an Asian style toilet that had to be flushed by hand. For you western toilet folks, that's where there is a trough of water with a pail that sits next to the toilet and you scoop water from the trough and dump into the toilet until all the waste is gone. (It's not as bad as it sounds.) The other amenity provided for me was a big trash can full of clean water and a small pail. This was for my daily showers. So you guessed it, no hot showers. That was okay by me as well. It was so hot, that throwing cold water on myself with reckless abandon was a ritual I looked forward to every evening. My private bathroom also came complete with the occasional bullfrog, resident spiders that were as big as my palm and of course what bathroom in Thailand would be complete without mosquitoes.Upon getting settled, I was required to take an oath promising to follow the rules. Most were obvious. For example, no drinking, no smoking. But there are the rules of no talking and taking only one meal a day. In all honesty, I was quite looking forward to the silence. I have always thought that there was far too much talking in the world than was necessary. As for the one meal a day, this was big. I wasn't sure if I could make it. But I figured you never know until you try and besides if I were to keel over from weakness, they wouldn't just let me lie there and starve to death. Would they? Once all the formalities were finished, it was time to get into the swing of the things.
It was a simple schedule. Most activities took place outside in the big square. At 4:30 am chanting began. This was followed by meditation. Mid- morning is for tidying up. 10:30 am is mealtime. (Buffet style) Then there's afternoon meditation followed by a long rest. At 7:00, it's time for more meditation. Finally it's bedtime. On paper it sounds easy enough, right?
Well, let's see. While I am a morning person, waking up at 4:00 in the morning was quite a challenge. But bear in mind that because of the intense heat, this was really the only time when I could meditate with some comfort. As for the meal time buffet, the food was delicious. This is assuming you like Thai food. The only problem I had with the mealtime segment was the over- emphasis of the ever- present hierarchy that exist in Thai monasteries. First, all of the monks go up to get their food. This is according to their rank of course. So, the elder monks go first and so on to the lowest ranking monks (who are sometimes children). Then the laymen go next. This meaning the men who like me, are just visiting for a while. Then, the nuns may go. From the eldest to the lowest ranked. Last, the laywomen go. That would be me. So I actually had no problem being in the last group to get food. There was plenty of food and after all I was just a visitor. However, being an exceptionally modern woman, I had quite an issue with laymen, who were just the same as me, having the privilege of going up before even the elder nuns. "Men always come before women". That was and is a hard pill for me to swallow. However I was, of course, able to keep my trap shut for the short duration of my stay. After receiving our food, we all sit outside crossed legged and eat our meal together. There is more meditation and some rest. Then, of course, there is more meditation. One of the best parts of this retreat was the daily meeting with a monk who was able to speak English. At this monastery, there were very few foreigners. Because of that fact, each day in the evening, we foreigners were to meet for an hour with the monk for meditation guidance. Just being in the monk's presence and being able to ask him any questions I wanted was a privilege I will always cherish. There was only one little glitch.
On about the fifth day, the other two foreigners I met with in the evenings left. Their week was up. That left me as the only foreigner. This wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that I am a woman. A monk cannot be touched by a woman or touch anything directly after a woman has touched it and most importantly, a monk cannot be alone with a woman. This is of course because we all have cooties. Therefore, the other foreigners leaving in effect cancelled my daily meetings with the monk. However, a solution was worked out and another layman was able to attend. Joy was returned to this character- building experience.
In spite of the small challenges I went through to stay comfortable, I felt very fortunate to be able to participate in such an intense environment. While at the monastery, I don't think I ever felt safer in my life. I don't necessarily mean safe from crime. But I felt an overall calmness that allowed me to float over the minutia that we human beings struggle with from day to day. The "safety" that I was experiencing had a lot to do with surrendering control. Ultimately, we don't have control of anyone or anything. The only control we do have is over our actions. In Buddhist teachings, we are reminded that we don't know what is in store for the future. It's out of our hands. The past is finished. All we have is now. We need to live in the "now", the moment. Since my retreat, I have been continuing my meditation. I have taken on some of the teachings. I can't say that I always live in the moment, that's a challenge for a lifetime. However, my life has taken some interesting turns. After leaving the monastery, I continued my travels in Thailand. I stopped thinking about my money running out. I enjoyed every single moment and stayed much longer than I had planned. While in this post-monastic euphoria I stumbled on to a job that, along with Thailand, suited me perfectly. I didn't know how long I would stay or how long it would last and in a way I guess it didn't even matter. What happened next was out of my control.
So, can just one week really change a life so significantly? There's only one way to find out. If you think a short-term monastic sojourn is for you, Thailand is covered with monasteries that will take foreigners as laypeople. If you're a woman be sure to check that there are accommodations for women. If you cannot avoid smoking, alcohol or three meals a day, this may not be the place for you.
