Ready for Doi Suthep

I slept in this morning....until 6:00 am, that is.  I had some great kao sawy at Daret's last night, walked around the Night Bazaar for a while, got an awesome 30-minute foot massage ($5 USD!), and plopped down in my bed around 11pm.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in the Distance

In about three hours, I'll be hopping on a red truck to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.  Doi Suthep is located in the mountains overlooking the city of Chiang Mai.  In fact, I have a great view of the wat from my balcony.  I took this picture this morning - if you look closely, it's in the upper right-hand part of the picture frame, just to the left of the radio towers.

I've spent a lot of time looking up at Doi Suthep these past few days.  It's definitely beckoning to me...welcoming my imminent arrival.  A number of you have asked me what I expect to get from this experience.  I guess I'm just looking for some new tools that will enable me to live my life more fully -- to begin to accept my whole self, practice how to receive and give love and compassion more completely, and be able to better integrate mindfulness and meditation into my daily life.  I suppose, in the end, I'm hoping to emerge a slightly better person than when I arrived.  Which is really what it's all about, right? :)

So I plan to arrive at Doi Suthep with an open heart and mind, ready to embrace whatever comes my way.  I'm grateful that I've had the past few months to focus on my meditation practice, and I'm not feeling any anxiety about the next month or any attachment to the result.  Thanks again to all of you for your unconditional support and kind words.  They've really meant a lot to me.

Since I don't think computer blogging is part of the vipassana program, this is likely the last you'll hear from me for a few weeks.  I may have the opportunity to duck back into the city around January 24th, since I'll have two days "off" between the 21-day advanced course and 10-day retreat, but I'm not completely sure.  In the meantime, keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I will you in mine.

Much love,