We returned to Chiang Mai after spending Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning at the International Meditation Center just outside of town. What an incredible experience! The retreat was led by several student monks who study at Chiang Mai University (CMU) together with a master of meditation monk, who seems to be ranking monk on all things Buddhist. In addition to meditation, the center has a good size dining hall (large enough for maybe 150 people), double occupancy, single sex dorm rooms complete with fan and private baths. The whole compound is a smooth operation and the grounds are immaculately maintained. The all-vegetarian meals are prepared by a small staff of former Burmese refugees who are staying at the center during the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
There were 36 beginners at the retreat and we were all required to wear white during our stay (a tradition passed down from the Buddha). We learned about several schools/techniques and were able to practice sitting, lying down and walking meditation. Each style seemed challenging at first, but we both started to catch the hang of them - with some practice and more training. Interestingly, several techniques are similar to yoga, what with the concentration on breathing, staying focussed and being relaxed, keeping your posture straight and visualizing on any pains that arise. Then, there were lots of things that were pretty unique, like the no talking bit. Yeah, we had total silence throughout the experience — unless you were one of the 6 chicks from the UK to whom the rules seemed to not apply. Regardless, I found it very interesting how little you really NEED to say to people in order for them to know what you’re thinking. Further, total silence can do wonders to shut out alot of the background thoughts and focus your mind on the task at hand — very cool to try sometime.
Here’s our class of rookies with the master (center), flanked by his students:
Mary is down in the bottom left and I’m two rows behind her on my tiptoes.
We got a beginners lecture on Buddhism, the teachings of the Buddha and some insight into the monks’ customs and traditions. Towards the end of the retreat, we broke into small group sessions and had the opportunity to ask whatever we wanted about meditation practice, the lives of the monks or even about haircuts and robe colors. It was a great experience and we’d highly recommend MonkChat, if you ever find yourself in Chiang Mai.
Up next, we’ll head into Laos tomorrow, making it only the second land-based border crossing of the trip (first being from Ecuador to Peru way back in October). All the other crossings have been at airports, but it feels like no big deal at all. We could see the lights on in Laos from our hotel in Chiang Khong. So tomorrow, we’ll load into the ferry, hit the customs and immigrations on both banks before jumping on the slow boat towards Luang Prubang. The slow boat is exactly what it sounds like — a lazy cruise down the Mae Kong river for 2 days. We should arrive in Luang Prubang at around 6PM on Sunday evening, where we plan to explore for a few days before bussing on towards Vang Vieng.
Thailand, what a place!
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