When I arrived at Wat Khao Tham it was just after 10pm as my ferry ran 45 minutes late (or on Thai time), the tuk tuk dropped me off at a pitch black clearing in the jungle, with only what seemed to be a crazed dog barking at me to interrupt the harmony of the evening insects. There was a semi enclosed dining hall that looked sure to be swarming with scorpions and centipedes (which I hear have the more painful sting) and even though I desperately wanted to get the tuk tuk to take me back to town and a comfy bed, I knew my commitment was made and it I would need to tough it out for the night.
Just as I was pulling out my flimsy travel pillow while searching for the insect spray to bath in, I noticed a small light somewhere up on a hill nearby. Deciding to check it out was brilliant decision as it turned out to be a lady who lives at the wat and helps to look after Mae Chee. She kindly guided me through the dark to provide a small pillow and a thin (seriously like 1cm) mattress, then showed me to my room in the mens dormitory section. The rooms were basic with a wooden bunk bed, freshly painted white walls and glass louvre windows, luck had it that my room was located on the end of the dormitory and had two walls of windows to let a fresh breeze in and faced out over the jungle, with glimpses of the ocean between the trees. Laying down on the hard wooden bed I wasn't sure how comfortable my sleep would be, yet I had a satisfied feeling that this week was going to be something very special.
At 4am the bells rang and I pulled on my fisherman pants and lightweight white cotton shirt (purchased at the market the day before), wearily wandering outside with a small torch I followed some of the other participants up to the meditation hall. It was here that everybody selected a rectangle cushion on the floor to sit in their desired meditation position, some choosing to include an extra harder cushion for lower back support. Unsure what to do I assumed the position of the meditators around me and battled sleep deprivation for the next hour and a half, wondering if I would be able to manage to keep this up for at least 10 hours every day.
We then took part in a Thai Chi class for 45 minutes lead by one of the meditation participants, something I have wanted to try for some time now. The class was very basic and it looked like most of us were first timers as we took a bit of getting used to the life enhancing flow which followed a stretching session. The 7am bell chime signalled it was time for breakfast and we were presented a small buffet style selection of vegetarian curries and fresh fruit down at the dining hall I had been so close to sleeping the night before. It turns out the official starting day was to be delayed until tomorrow, so we were allowed to talk and enjoyed free time until the next meditation session was to follow a feed at dinner time. Throughout the entire retreat you are not permitted to talk to anybody (apart from a couple of meditation interviews to assist with any queries) and upon arrival, all of your possessions such as laptops, phones, books and anything that might be a distraction to the mind are forfeited.
The retreat was being lead by Tom Weiser who had come over from California and where he has been teaching Dhamma in America. He brought with him Rob, who shared the same initial Vipassana retreat over 10 years ago and is a Dhamma brother. Anthony who has had an extraordinary 15 years (which I will briefly cover later), was also on board to assist and will continue to lead the retreat on a monthly basis moving forward.
I will not try to explain in too much detail what the Vipassana meditation study is all about, but instead I strongly recommend you find some time in your life to visit a retreat, it is such a powerful way of training your mind that would be beneficial to everybody at any stage of their life. This is not some religious cult, in fact the religious side of it (as it is derived from Buddhism philosophy) is at a bare minimum and by no means forced upon you. No you will not walk away from the week as a devout monk, well not unless that's something you want to be. The meditation practise which is a mixture between sitting, walking and some standing (laying down is not permitted around the temple grounds) includes some direction from the teachers on various techniques, this seems daunting at first but soon the body and mind adjusts to the long hours of inner solitude. I took great interest in what each day presented and how the meditation sessions would vary at each practise. Thoughts would spontaneously arise and choosing not to attach any action to them was our main focus, however you would frequently find yourself drifting off for quite some time before realising and bringing your mind back to the awareness of your breath.
This practice is only provided for people who are serious about completing the length of the course, which in my case was for 10 days and included all of the teachings, lodging and food free of charge at a stunning location. It will provide you some invaluable insight in to how your mind works, with the opportunity to step back from the constant mental bombardment of every day life. It is a very powerful mental training that with ongoing practise can help to improve and control every part of your life, developing moment to moment awareness, strengthening emotions and investigating into the deeper truths and laws governing the body and the mind. Quite the contrast from the young party seeking crowd the island is famously known for.
I found that issues which I have been struggling with in recent times were put in to perspective and it gave me the opportunity to see life far more clearly. There was one point on about the fifth day where I had to break the rules and put pen to paper to write down ideas and goals for my 2 - 5 year plan after I return home from travels, it seemed like insight and emotions had been harnessed far better than any other time in my life.
Anthony originates from Australia and was ordained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand in 1994 aged 24. He then spent many years living and practicing in Myanmar, India, Srilanka, China and Tibet. 14 years later he returned to Australia where he worked, studied at university. He has now been invited to come back to Thailand and share his learning of the Dhamma and practise of meditation by the director of the Dipabahavan Meditation Centre. Mae Chee who is 90 years old and doing outstandingly well for her age, is the founding nun of the meditation school which has now been running for over 25 years. She gave an inspirational speech at both the commencement and end of the retreat, which made us all feel like family welcome back to our new home at any time. You would find it hard to come away from an experience like this not making some great friends and invaluable self development.
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