Spiritual Thailand (November 1999)

Big smiles, beautiful beaches, snorkeling and diving, full moon “raves,” hill tribe trekking… Thaliand is known for many travel delights. But what about a ten-day Buddhist retreat? A growing number of travelers are opting for spirtual Thailand.
“I want to give you the best of Thailand,” the abbot of Suan Mok told us several times, his kindness and goodwill obvious. For ten days the 130 or so interim monks–we even took vows–contemplated dharma talks, meditated while sitting or walking, ate and slept–all in silence–and did not much else.
The first challenge comes early, 4:30 am to be exact, when the bell ringer incessantly clangs the bell for wake up. He keeps at it for 15 minutes, building loudness, always with a touch of noisy creativity. I would stagger out of my “room”–more aptly called a cell for its barred-window, boarded-over concrete cot, and view of the courtyard–and in less mindful moments, made jingles to amuse myself:
“Woke up, got outta my cell Cursed the man who rang the bell Took a walk outside and had a sit The abbot spoke and I went into a trance… Ahhhhhahah…”
At that point my mind would, for some reason, “play” Genesis’ “Supper’s Ready” rather than a continuation of that Beatles classic.
The days passed from meditation session to meditation session. From a day one or day two perspective, ten days seemed a veritable mountain of time, a massive stretch of bleak, but potentially fascinating desert. Nothing but ten days of unstimulating sameness and the chatter of my own mind.
The abbot introduced “Anapanasati,” which can be translated, “to take one truth or reality of nature and then observe, investigate, and scrutinize it within the mind with every inhalation and exhalation.” The Anapanasati system is at once simple and profound. Certain concepts, like seeing the breath as a sort of body are difficult to grasp, but the main idea is for the practitioner to try. With ten days of unbroken silence the chance is there to find a space within that’s deeper and quieter than normal.
This ten-day retreat is a lighter version of Vipassana courses offered throughout the world, including one in Kyoto. Suan Mok has less required sitting, offers bananas at dinner time, and takes a more lenient view towards speaking. We certanily had time to rest evidence by the whopping 25 naps I snagged (yes, I counted). The naps were a natural consequence to mindfully laying down after meal times. Thus Suan Mok, while it provides a worthwhile challenge, is the best place for first time retreatants to start.
Suan Mok is not far from Koh Samui where many go to party. Like the mainland, these island paradises offer something for those inclined for spirituality or cleansing. Some travelers opt for sipping coconut juice on the beach while trying a one or two or even three week-long fast at the Healing Center. The Center is particulay popular with Kyoto’s foreigner community. Whether a traveler works these in between raves, or makes it his path, either way I’d say that spiritual Thailand is the very best of a great country.
Ten-day Anapanasati meditation retreats are offeed from the first of every month in the town of Chaiya.