Today came from nowhere, like opening a window to discover it’s raining kangaroo’s. A surprising event was scheduled by our creative councilors at “the Cabin”. An outing inside the walls of the old city of Chaing Mai to the Wat Ram Poeng, a Buddhist temple and the Northern Insight Meditation Center of Thailand. We were about to become students in meditation 101, a class consisting of Leslie, Marlon, and myself studying under the personal guidance of Lim, a resident monk and teacher of foreign students. How often does one get the opportunity to learn from a one-on-one contact with an ordained Buddhist monk? The technique we were about to learn was called Vipassana Kammatthana, or walking meditation.
Walking meditation is Wat kindergarten, or an introduction of how to meditate in general. It is the systematic slow flowing movement of the hands and arms while sitting on a mat. The right hand always moves first as Lim would chant; open, open, open … lift, lift, lift, … touch, touch, touch. The left hand would then follow suite; open, open, open … lift, lift, lift, touch, touch touch. Both hands would end up in a praying position centered on the sternum, and with the same slow concentration you would begin the bow to the floor. This serious of actions would be repeated over and over again. The time one meditated between movements depended on the experience of the individual. It could be as little as a minute, in my case, or as long as an hour for an advanced student. The object is to have you deeply concentrate on the slow steady rhythm of your hands so you don’t get caught up in what’s in, or not in, your head. To see someone perform this with any level of experience is truly beautiful.
My Buddhist humor of having an empty head is totally unfounded. In reality your mind is simply suppose to be open. Meaning, let in whatever you think, or whatever you hear – whether it’s birds singing or garbage cans clinking, it matters not. Let everything in without any thought to what it is. Let your mind effortlessly drift like water lily's floating in a stream. The direction of the tide should always be inward. That’s the basic strategy. Lim watched my technique except me being hard of hearing created a humorous interaction. He would critique my movement or posture, then, in a more agitated voice than normal he would continually tell me to stop opening my eyes. Except, I tried to tell him I cannot understand or hear what he is saying unless I follow his lips --- to do that I must open my eyes. Finally, it was easier; more in flow with the universe, sort of speaking, to keep my eyes closed and ignore him.
He set me up with an old egg timer and suggested I start with a ten-minute meditation. Then he hesitated, and changed his mind – fifteen minutes was now suggested. I did my best. I truly concentrated, my movements were slow and accurate – it was my body that had issues. I let in the sounds that surrounded me, the resident students talking in Thai outside of the room. I heard a truck with garden equipment being unloaded, traffic, and the sound of falling water somewhere in the distance. Then I became anxious. My heart rate increased and my breathing became tight and irregular. I thought I was close to the original ten- minute target anyway, so I stopped. The lime green plastic timer displayed a rip-roaring two minutes had passed. This may not be my forte’ I thought to myself, but it very well may be Leslie’s. She was a natural. Not one movement out of place, her concentration steady, complete in every manner. This may be exactly what she needs, I thought to myself, positive self-awareness without therapy or having to discuss drugs, shame, or guilt included in the dialog. These types of Wat’s are all over Thailand and this one in particular offers meditation instruction in a ten or a twenty-six day course. The courses include residency and are free of charge. Physical labor is required in return for instruction and lodging and monetary donations are greatly appreciated if the student has the financial where-with-all to do so. Finals for the resident students in the twenty-six day basic course are to go three days without sleep and only meditation.
Lim noticed my sciatic nerve issues and suggested three times, it appears everything is done in threes, that I avoid bananas and black mushrooms for the rest of my life. I should also begin acupuncture immediately. Why not? I’ve tried everything else. I’ll contact Dr. Succipan in the morning and see if he has any suggestions as to where and how many treatments I could schedule during the next couple weeks. He also said I shouldn’t blame myself that I wasn’t able to maintain the meditation position for any length of time. I told him I didn’t blame myself -- I blamed him. He gave off an easy laugh and said humor is acceptable in the classroom for we are all students together here.
I asked Ty and Luim if we could stop for an ice cream on the way back, I’ll buy, and was rewarded with a stop to a small family owned coffee-ice cream shop with an outdoor seating area in a orchid garden.
Though the elephant’s leg is tied to chain and the chain bolted to an iron pole embedded deep in the ground his mind is free, therefore if he wishes, then he to could be free. I’m the elephant guys – come on, get with today’s spiritual program – maybe it’s not so bad here and these big wooden gates that are keeping me in prison simply exist to keep everyone else out.
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