August 15, 2010
11:20 am
Sheesh, where to start? I haven't updated in a while, it feels like. Left the temple on Friday morning after going for a walk again with Sam--this time with my camera. I'm staying at Diva Guesthouse in Chiang Mai, just across from Julie's and it's even the same owner. I went to Julie's and made some friends. Some people from England: Alice, Ed, Henry, and Mike, and some girls (and one guy) from the Netherlands: Sanne, Judith, and Judith's brother, Sjoerd.
We hung out at Julie's and had a few beers before heading over to the reggae club. Lots of fun! Three beers and two margaritas later, I found myself on stage at the club, saxophone in hand. I didn't really know what I was doing, I was just told the key we were in and tried to follow the other sax player. I didn't even know the songs. Too bad but it was fun, regardless! I was told Alice has a picture, I definitely need to see that! Went to bed at 2:30 and after the room stopped spinning a bit I slept until 6:30.
Woke up, ate, and went on a trek all by my lonesome. I was lucky to meet three more English folk, two girls: Fi and Charlie, and one guy, Ian. Ian goes to Oxford and potentially has heard of one of my friends. Weird! It was practically identical to the trek that I did in January but it was still lots of fun. I was lucky that there were people around my age that I enjoyed spending time with. We went to a butterfly garden for like 20 minutes (eh), then the same hike to the same waterfall as January…but it was different in the rainy season and I still love hiking. There were lots of dogs and kitties! It seemed like every group had their own little animal following them. Adorable. After that we went white water rafting! Super fun during the rainy season :D Next was one of the hilltribes, the same place where I saw the tiny puppy get crushed in January :[ After that we went on an elephant ride. It was a little boring…I suppose I've been on quite a few elephants. It was literally just a big circle and not really too exciting but whatever. After that we stopped at the Long Neck Karen hilltribe…I didn't feel like shelling out an extra 300 baht just to see them so I waited for some of the others who decided to go have a look.
Got back from the trek, showered, grabbed something to eat (a cheeseburger mmm…so sick of Thai food since being at the temple!) and headed over to Julie's. I met two MORE people from London, Matt and Sam. I hung out with them for a bit, played some pool, talked, whatever. Then the people I met from the trek showed up and joined us. The three from the trek ended up going out, I was too tired so I stayed at Julie's. The two guys left, too. From then on I hung out with the Dutch girls and two other Dutch guys. Since the fridge with beer was locked, our intention was to quickly grab one last beer somewhere else and then go to bed…but of course we ended up going to a bar and didn't get back until past 3 am. I had a lot of fun, though! We all ended up getting silly temporary tattoos that this one random guy in an internet cafe had. I have a tiger on the inside of my left arm and tiger eyes on the back of my neck. I ended up "marrying" one of the Dutch guys because I said our matching tattoos constituted as an engagement. We made each other rings out of leaves and it was just very silly (we were waiting for the other two to finish up their very lengthy goodbye so it was a great time killer.) I didn't have my camera with me (for any of this, really, except for the trekking) so I'm hoping to snag some pictures off of the others.
Today I don't have any plans…waiting to see if I get an email or something from either Matt or Sam, they're off today (they're training for some sort of Thai boxing/martial arts/whatever thing here in Chiang Mai) I'm pretty tired so I'm okay just hanging around for now. Probably around 5 or so I'll hang out at Julie's and see who I know/meet.
August 16, 2010
9:10 pm
Has it really only been one day since I wrote that? Crazy. I'm waiting at the airport, about to fly back to Bangkok. These last two days were really low-key but still a ton of fun. I made two new friends: Adrian and Darren, both from Australia. Darren and I had some really interesting talks for a few hours and that was great to kind of have those talks filled with content that is constantly swirling around in my brain. Adrian and I spent a bit of time together, too. Especially after Darren suddenly broke out with a fever and went to the hospital. That really sucks, I feel so bad! Adrian and I went to visit him this afternoon, though. It was nice. I said goodbye to Judith but then realized that I'll probably see her tomorrow in Bangkok! That'd be nice. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get to go to Tiger Kingdom…never got a response back on Facebook from the English folks from the trek. Oh well, guess that's an excuse to come back to Chiang Mai yet again.. Before [read: At the temple] I was so ready to go home, but now I've been meeting a ton of people and having a blast. I wish I could stay in Chiang Mai longer! Sucks. It would've been fun for Sam to come along but to be honest I really loved being alone. Actually, I don't think we would've been "clingy", for a lack of a better word, and I'm sure would've done our own thangs when desired/necessary/whatever. Oh well! Too bad. He and Darren could've bonded over the whole "I'm from the Gold Coast" thing. I'm stupid and left my headphones in my backpack…which is checked. Luckily this flight is only about 45 minutes. I also very much plan to sleep. Super, super tired. I haven't gotten much sleep lately!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
August 11, 2010
5:11 pm
I'm sick of writing pages and page so hopefully this will be short and sweet. Yesterday was pretty boring. I'm seriously considering leaving either tomorrow or Friday and spending some extra time in Chiang Mai. All I'm doing at this point is sitting around, going online, and talking to Sam. Yesterday wasn't really memorable or noteworthy except for the night time. Oh, since all of the schools are closed this week I can't teach English while I'm here. Bummer. So yeah, last night I got all emotional and whatnot when Sam and I were talked. We were up until about midnight with a kind of heart-to-heart.
So today Mike got ordained. We went out for lunch which I cam SO sick of, I can't wait to go home. I don't usually get homesick but I think the combination of being bored, hungry, and unsatisfied with the food is really doing it. I took like a 3.5 hour nap today. Not much else to do. Chevaun arrived here yesterday afternoon from Singapore. I'd say she's in her early to mid-thirties. She's here until Friday, I like her! Right, that's really it. WAIT!! My camera is giving me Error 99 again...what the hell I just spent a ton of money getting it fixed like aw eek before my trip. NOT. COOL. Very upset.
I'm sick of writing pages and page so hopefully this will be short and sweet. Yesterday was pretty boring. I'm seriously considering leaving either tomorrow or Friday and spending some extra time in Chiang Mai. All I'm doing at this point is sitting around, going online, and talking to Sam. Yesterday wasn't really memorable or noteworthy except for the night time. Oh, since all of the schools are closed this week I can't teach English while I'm here. Bummer. So yeah, last night I got all emotional and whatnot when Sam and I were talked. We were up until about midnight with a kind of heart-to-heart.
So today Mike got ordained. We went out for lunch which I cam SO sick of, I can't wait to go home. I don't usually get homesick but I think the combination of being bored, hungry, and unsatisfied with the food is really doing it. I took like a 3.5 hour nap today. Not much else to do. Chevaun arrived here yesterday afternoon from Singapore. I'd say she's in her early to mid-thirties. She's here until Friday, I like her! Right, that's really it. WAIT!! My camera is giving me Error 99 again...what the hell I just spent a ton of money getting it fixed like aw eek before my trip. NOT. COOL. Very upset.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
August 9, 2010
From my handwritten journal
~10:25 pm
Today was pretty great. Mike, Sam, and I went to up to the Daylight School with Fred. We brought them some little cakey things and bagged snacks. The school is for children of Shan migrant workers. Refugees from Burma. These people have no papers so according to Thailand they don't even really exist. Shan people have their own language so learning Thai is extremely beneficial towards their success here in Thailand. It's so amazing that they have this opportunity thanks to The Blood Foundation. The children learn four subjects: Shan language and culture, Thai, English, and mathematics. We got there just as both the older and younger kids were eating their lunches. Perfect timing! We got to hang around and play soccer with the kids. I took some adorable photos of the kids brushing their teeth and just being super cute in general. Fred was telling us that before they eat they say a kind of grace that says something like "we're so lucky to have this food and I feel badly for those who have nothing to eat." These kids are practically in the bread line themselves yet they still think that way. If only Westerners could be so grateful.
Man, I really loved being there. I really want to get involved in something like that. Even when I'm in school back in Princeton I can totally go through with volunteering at the Cherry Tree Club--a preschool for local homeless children--which is a mere five minutes from my house. I've volunteered there before and it's wonderful. I had planned on volunteering once a week during the school year but now it feels as if I have to do it. Ideally, I'd love to set something up like that myself. There are so many things I can do right in my own area. Of course I'd love to come back to Thailand and other regions of the world, but for now, Cherry Tree is perfect.
We came back to the temple and met the newest addition, Eliano. He's originally from Italy but he's been living in Tokyo for the last 36 years. [Man the dogs are going nuts right now...I wonder why..I hope everything is okay!] Anyway, we hung around and talked, went to evening chanting, then had a chat outside (with Ben, too!) Funny story, Ben and I were born in the same hospital! Also, his birthday is the day before mine. A few years, too, but that's besides the point! So later on it was just me, SAm and Ben. [Oh my goshhh there's a huge commotion and squealing/barking. I wish I could do something!!! I feel horrible. I hope every doggy is okay, especially the new puppies and CK :[ :[ :[ They're so tiny. Okay upon looking out of my window all I can see are the dogs barking at two women in the Sala...but that doesn't explain the squealing and sad noises..still alarming. Okay it's dying down. Sucks for the people trying to sleep.]
OKAY ANYWAY. The talk with Ben was really good. We kind of expressed our opinions about Fred's one-sided teaching and he actually had very similar views. He was saying that the important part of religion is what it does to improve the world. We also talked about the program and our expectations and what we think we'll ultimately get out of it. Both he and Sam recommended a book for me so I'm going to probably start it now. It's A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and apparently it's Oprah approved. Wonderful. It's not Buddhist but that's all I really know about it. We'll see! Hopefully it gives me some insight. I'm hungry so hopefully sleeping will fix that. I'll wake up and be able to eat! (After waking up the initial four times, that is.)
~10:25 pm
Today was pretty great. Mike, Sam, and I went to up to the Daylight School with Fred. We brought them some little cakey things and bagged snacks. The school is for children of Shan migrant workers. Refugees from Burma. These people have no papers so according to Thailand they don't even really exist. Shan people have their own language so learning Thai is extremely beneficial towards their success here in Thailand. It's so amazing that they have this opportunity thanks to The Blood Foundation. The children learn four subjects: Shan language and culture, Thai, English, and mathematics. We got there just as both the older and younger kids were eating their lunches. Perfect timing! We got to hang around and play soccer with the kids. I took some adorable photos of the kids brushing their teeth and just being super cute in general. Fred was telling us that before they eat they say a kind of grace that says something like "we're so lucky to have this food and I feel badly for those who have nothing to eat." These kids are practically in the bread line themselves yet they still think that way. If only Westerners could be so grateful.
Man, I really loved being there. I really want to get involved in something like that. Even when I'm in school back in Princeton I can totally go through with volunteering at the Cherry Tree Club--a preschool for local homeless children--which is a mere five minutes from my house. I've volunteered there before and it's wonderful. I had planned on volunteering once a week during the school year but now it feels as if I have to do it. Ideally, I'd love to set something up like that myself. There are so many things I can do right in my own area. Of course I'd love to come back to Thailand and other regions of the world, but for now, Cherry Tree is perfect.
We came back to the temple and met the newest addition, Eliano. He's originally from Italy but he's been living in Tokyo for the last 36 years. [Man the dogs are going nuts right now...I wonder why..I hope everything is okay!] Anyway, we hung around and talked, went to evening chanting, then had a chat outside (with Ben, too!) Funny story, Ben and I were born in the same hospital! Also, his birthday is the day before mine. A few years, too, but that's besides the point! So later on it was just me, SAm and Ben. [Oh my goshhh there's a huge commotion and squealing/barking. I wish I could do something!!! I feel horrible. I hope every doggy is okay, especially the new puppies and CK :[ :[ :[ They're so tiny. Okay upon looking out of my window all I can see are the dogs barking at two women in the Sala...but that doesn't explain the squealing and sad noises..still alarming. Okay it's dying down. Sucks for the people trying to sleep.]
OKAY ANYWAY. The talk with Ben was really good. We kind of expressed our opinions about Fred's one-sided teaching and he actually had very similar views. He was saying that the important part of religion is what it does to improve the world. We also talked about the program and our expectations and what we think we'll ultimately get out of it. Both he and Sam recommended a book for me so I'm going to probably start it now. It's A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and apparently it's Oprah approved. Wonderful. It's not Buddhist but that's all I really know about it. We'll see! Hopefully it gives me some insight. I'm hungry so hopefully sleeping will fix that. I'll wake up and be able to eat! (After waking up the initial four times, that is.)
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Sunday August 8, 2010
From my handwritten journal
Did NOT sleep well last night. I was up a lot. Woke up around 3 am with bites on the bottom of my left thigh. Bedbugs for sure ewww!!! So naturally that really freaked me out and it took a while to get back to sleep (of course only to wake up from the ringing of the bell. Oh man I can't wait to be back in my own bed. Six more nights here, one in Chiang Mai, and two in Bangkok...then one on the plane (yuck.)
So when I woke up I actually wasn't starving or anything. I had two bowls of Frosted Flakes. We sat around and talked this morning. Max and Becky left around 10. There are a TON of lay people here today. The second Sunday of every month is a Dhamma lesson and meditation and all sorts of things for them for the day. It's strangely mostly all women. Perhaps the men are working. We had lunch with them but (surprise surprise) I didn't eat very much. Sam and I went to go to some walking meditation but the space was occupied by lay people. Oh well! Time to read, I suppose.
8:10 pm
Same ol'. Talked lots, didn't eat past noon, went to evening chanting. I hung my bedding out in the sun so hopefully that took care of the bedbug problem...ugh ew I'm seriously so grossed out by that. We all talked about how being here isn't quite what we'd thought it'd be. Mike ended up meditating throughout the entire chanting and had a really big breakthrough with that, so that's definitely inspiring! I'm going to try to go to bed by 10...let's see how that goes.
Did NOT sleep well last night. I was up a lot. Woke up around 3 am with bites on the bottom of my left thigh. Bedbugs for sure ewww!!! So naturally that really freaked me out and it took a while to get back to sleep (of course only to wake up from the ringing of the bell. Oh man I can't wait to be back in my own bed. Six more nights here, one in Chiang Mai, and two in Bangkok...then one on the plane (yuck.)
So when I woke up I actually wasn't starving or anything. I had two bowls of Frosted Flakes. We sat around and talked this morning. Max and Becky left around 10. There are a TON of lay people here today. The second Sunday of every month is a Dhamma lesson and meditation and all sorts of things for them for the day. It's strangely mostly all women. Perhaps the men are working. We had lunch with them but (surprise surprise) I didn't eat very much. Sam and I went to go to some walking meditation but the space was occupied by lay people. Oh well! Time to read, I suppose.
8:10 pm
Same ol'. Talked lots, didn't eat past noon, went to evening chanting. I hung my bedding out in the sun so hopefully that took care of the bedbug problem...ugh ew I'm seriously so grossed out by that. We all talked about how being here isn't quite what we'd thought it'd be. Mike ended up meditating throughout the entire chanting and had a really big breakthrough with that, so that's definitely inspiring! I'm going to try to go to bed by 10...let's see how that goes.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Saturday August 7, 2010
From my handwritten journal
~1:45 pm
I took the 8 Precepts! Horrible day to do so, though. Right before lunch I started feeling really nauseous and as a result hardly touched my food. Man I'm going ot be hungryyy :/ We made a Tesco's run (the supermarket) and I got some Ovaltine, soy milk, bug spray, hand sanitizer, Nutella, cereal, throat drops, and a lighter (so I can actually light the mosquito coils!) The first evening chanting that we went to proved Ovaltine + soy milk (warm) is ridiculously delicious. Mmm. Can't wait. I'm glad we can still consume liquids past noon. Okay everyone kept telling me how comfortable fisherman's pants are..but I have to disagree. Sucks that I'll be living in them for the next week. I guess I can pack up my normal clothes now. Oh! So we finally had a practical meditation class this morning, both walking and sitting. Easy enough, be mindful of each little movement while walking, and count your breaths while sitting. I've already practiced some sitting meditation before coming here (and before OSHO.) Right now there's some sort of performance going on in the Sala. I'm pretty sure that Fred's 12 year old daughter is there. I hear lots of Kim (hammered dulcimer) being played. I'd love to go watch and take photos but I'm just not feeling up to it. Luckily I can hear it really well from my room. I'm about to nap, that sounds really great. I've got nothing until evening chanting so I'll probably finish up Introducing Buddha and maybe sew or something. Meditation would be good, of course. It's going to be a challenge to keep myself busy without specifically entertaining myself! Ugh..now I got hungry. I might cheat and have something very little to eat. I confirmed with Graham that those who are ill can exempt themselves from things like that. Health comes first! I'll put it off and then later have something to drink then take it from there. I'm already kiiind of cheating a precept now…my tunnels and nose ring are currently in. But again, no one is seeing it so it's not really "decoration." I think the other precepts are more important to follow (self discipline) anyway. Alright, nap time.
9:50 pm
Well, that was a great nap. I woke up a bunch of times but I was in bed for three hours. I started reading a new book, The User Guide to Life...The Moral Diet. I'm hoping this will be what I've been wanting to learn about. The little tag line is "A book of practical advice for understanding and following the Buddhist path to true happiness." Sounds good to me! So yeah, I've done great in terms of no food, especially for what little I ate for lunch. Since about noon all I've had is two cups of Ovaltine. I went to evening chanting tonight and then Fred came around for a chat. We all know what I think of those by now...so I've just showered and cleaned my room. So refreshing! It's Max's last night..boo! I'm going to miss him. I guess I'll just have to go to Brazil :)
Today I finally took photos of the temple grounds. It was around 5 pm so it had fantastic lighting. Okay, time to read for a bit and then go to sleep. The sooner I wake up, the sooner I get to eat! Also...I can't believe tomorrow is Sunday!!
~1:45 pm
I took the 8 Precepts! Horrible day to do so, though. Right before lunch I started feeling really nauseous and as a result hardly touched my food. Man I'm going ot be hungryyy :/ We made a Tesco's run (the supermarket) and I got some Ovaltine, soy milk, bug spray, hand sanitizer, Nutella, cereal, throat drops, and a lighter (so I can actually light the mosquito coils!) The first evening chanting that we went to proved Ovaltine + soy milk (warm) is ridiculously delicious. Mmm. Can't wait. I'm glad we can still consume liquids past noon. Okay everyone kept telling me how comfortable fisherman's pants are..but I have to disagree. Sucks that I'll be living in them for the next week. I guess I can pack up my normal clothes now. Oh! So we finally had a practical meditation class this morning, both walking and sitting. Easy enough, be mindful of each little movement while walking, and count your breaths while sitting. I've already practiced some sitting meditation before coming here (and before OSHO.) Right now there's some sort of performance going on in the Sala. I'm pretty sure that Fred's 12 year old daughter is there. I hear lots of Kim (hammered dulcimer) being played. I'd love to go watch and take photos but I'm just not feeling up to it. Luckily I can hear it really well from my room. I'm about to nap, that sounds really great. I've got nothing until evening chanting so I'll probably finish up Introducing Buddha and maybe sew or something. Meditation would be good, of course. It's going to be a challenge to keep myself busy without specifically entertaining myself! Ugh..now I got hungry. I might cheat and have something very little to eat. I confirmed with Graham that those who are ill can exempt themselves from things like that. Health comes first! I'll put it off and then later have something to drink then take it from there. I'm already kiiind of cheating a precept now…my tunnels and nose ring are currently in. But again, no one is seeing it so it's not really "decoration." I think the other precepts are more important to follow (self discipline) anyway. Alright, nap time.
9:50 pm
Well, that was a great nap. I woke up a bunch of times but I was in bed for three hours. I started reading a new book, The User Guide to Life...The Moral Diet. I'm hoping this will be what I've been wanting to learn about. The little tag line is "A book of practical advice for understanding and following the Buddhist path to true happiness." Sounds good to me! So yeah, I've done great in terms of no food, especially for what little I ate for lunch. Since about noon all I've had is two cups of Ovaltine. I went to evening chanting tonight and then Fred came around for a chat. We all know what I think of those by now...so I've just showered and cleaned my room. So refreshing! It's Max's last night..boo! I'm going to miss him. I guess I'll just have to go to Brazil :)
Today I finally took photos of the temple grounds. It was around 5 pm so it had fantastic lighting. Okay, time to read for a bit and then go to sleep. The sooner I wake up, the sooner I get to eat! Also...I can't believe tomorrow is Sunday!!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Friday August 6, 2010
From my handwritten journal
12:39 pm
I keep forgetting what day it is. I know that it's Friday (already?!) but the day of the month is always a mystery. Today is going to be low-key. I actually slept pretty okay last night--wayyy better than two nights ago. Man, I kept waking up and was super uncomfortable (of course) and woke up still feeling sick. It was actually surprisingly cool last night in the new room. I even used the comforter in addition to the thin sheet.
Okay so today -- woke up super tired, showered (with a real shower head!!) then had some oatmeal (couldn't do the hearty rice, chicken, and whatever meal that's always at the canteen)--eww just found a tick crawling on my pants :[ :[ thank goodness it didn't bite me, gross--Right, anyway, we had our Dhamma lesson with Fred then went to lunch. Pretty normal. I now have all of my up-to-date photos from here on Facebook. Tomorrow I take the 8 Precepts as we all know, so my computer will be strictly email and photos! I'm sure I've written that a million times already but doing so is reinforcing that restriction. Right now I jut want to nap. We're not going to the Daylight school today, too rainy and we'd have to sit in the back of the truck. I'm glad we're going another time, I really need to get some sleep (I still have a cold.) I think we're going to have one practical meditation session with Fred later on today. That should be good! Man, this whole journal is just repeating the same things over and over, eh? well, I guess it just goes to show what keeps going around in my head.
10:48 pm
Here we go…tomorrow is the big day. I'm going to be strict with myself and hope that Sam and Mike give me a good example (I'm sure they will.) Too bad for Max, on his last day we aren't going to be quite as much fun. I think this will be really good for me. We didn't end up having that practical meditation class with Fred (big surprise) but we do have that special lesson from a guy from the outside tomorrow. I'm hoping to spend a lot of my time in this next week reading about Buddhism and practicing meditation. Tonight I missed evening chanting but I could heard it loud and clear from my room. I won't miss it again but I just wasn't feeling up to it. Becky came by just before that with a teeny tiny white puppy that she named Bobby. She bought him for a local Thai man who's wanted a dog. How sweet :) What an adorable little ball of fluff.
12:39 pm
I keep forgetting what day it is. I know that it's Friday (already?!) but the day of the month is always a mystery. Today is going to be low-key. I actually slept pretty okay last night--wayyy better than two nights ago. Man, I kept waking up and was super uncomfortable (of course) and woke up still feeling sick. It was actually surprisingly cool last night in the new room. I even used the comforter in addition to the thin sheet.
Okay so today -- woke up super tired, showered (with a real shower head!!) then had some oatmeal (couldn't do the hearty rice, chicken, and whatever meal that's always at the canteen)--eww just found a tick crawling on my pants :[ :[ thank goodness it didn't bite me, gross--Right, anyway, we had our Dhamma lesson with Fred then went to lunch. Pretty normal. I now have all of my up-to-date photos from here on Facebook. Tomorrow I take the 8 Precepts as we all know, so my computer will be strictly email and photos! I'm sure I've written that a million times already but doing so is reinforcing that restriction. Right now I jut want to nap. We're not going to the Daylight school today, too rainy and we'd have to sit in the back of the truck. I'm glad we're going another time, I really need to get some sleep (I still have a cold.) I think we're going to have one practical meditation session with Fred later on today. That should be good! Man, this whole journal is just repeating the same things over and over, eh? well, I guess it just goes to show what keeps going around in my head.
10:48 pm
Here we go…tomorrow is the big day. I'm going to be strict with myself and hope that Sam and Mike give me a good example (I'm sure they will.) Too bad for Max, on his last day we aren't going to be quite as much fun. I think this will be really good for me. We didn't end up having that practical meditation class with Fred (big surprise) but we do have that special lesson from a guy from the outside tomorrow. I'm hoping to spend a lot of my time in this next week reading about Buddhism and practicing meditation. Tonight I missed evening chanting but I could heard it loud and clear from my room. I won't miss it again but I just wasn't feeling up to it. Becky came by just before that with a teeny tiny white puppy that she named Bobby. She bought him for a local Thai man who's wanted a dog. How sweet :) What an adorable little ball of fluff.
Thursday August 5, 2010
From my handwritten journal
Today was pretty standard. Breakfast around 8:30 with Max, fed my banana to the monkeys, then had a Dhamma lesson followed by lunch. I read more of Introducing Buddha and took a little nap. Sam and I hung out and played some cards (whoops!) We had two mini chats with Fred this evening. I went to evening chanting once again. It's getting easier to follow along but there are still parts that are either impossible/confusing transitions or just not in the packet at all. Oh well. I'm all set for my 8 Precepts ceremony on Saturday at 8:30 am. I'm excited! It will be extremely difficult to keep from singing, dancing, listening to music, and generally entertaining myself. Byebye Facebook and Google Reader. I'll probably continue to share pictures via Facebook but that's it. I'm going to try to be really strict with myself with the precepts. After all, that's why I'm here. I hope I can look back on these days and say "remember how hard it was? Yes, but I was self-disciplined and pushed through it" (which is very much how I look back on my DCI experience.) Plus, in the grand scheme of my life, eight days is a speck of sand. I can do this. I'm really not concerned with not eating after noon...I hardly eat anything here anyway. Plus I can have liquids (including ice pops!) as long as it isn't chewed. Cow's milk is considered food so that'll be left out of tea, however, soy milk is fair game.
Okay so...the more Fred talks about the 31 Planes of Existence and rebirth and karma and other Buddhist beliefs..the more discouraged I get. As I said, I'm here to gain knowledge about Buddhism, which I'm certainly doing. I also don't doubt that meditation, mindfulness, and the five precepts are great things that I can apply to my life back home (although I already try hard to keep the five.) I don't doubt that crazy things are possible once you get so lost (in tune with?) in your mind through meditation..I'm just skeptical that these things aren't completely personal and internal, rather than perceivable to the general population..and I guess therefore "true." I'm talking about those who reach certain "statuses" and gain special powers. I'm definitely incredibly impressed and respectful of people who know their minds so well...but if I don't see it or experience it for myself, I'm not a believer. I really have no reason to think that these things are true. Think of all the religions and culture that are so certain of their beliefs..it would be impossible for all of them to be true, most of them completely contradict each other. Either way, I'm really glad that I'm getting the opportunity to learn and see what the world has to offer.
In other news, I switched rooms with Sam, so now he and Mike are in the red kuti and I'm in a dorm-style room next to Max. there are two shared bathrooms, each with a (still cold) shower head and sink! Hooray! There are also screened windows so I can keep them open. I have a really great view of the Sala, which is really close by. I'm also excited to be a mere 10 steps or so from the common area where we all hang out/eat/have our lessons. Much more convenient! The kuti isn't far but it's still more annoying than just walking here. On Monday there are two more Monk for a Month people coming to the temple: a guy from Italy and a girl from Singapore. I might need to share a room with the girl. Of course it'd be better if I didn't, since my sleeping is really screwed up..plus I'm afraid she'll be loud in the mornings or something. There's nothing I hate more than people who don't try to be quiet and respectful to those sleeping. Seriously. But if that is the case, I can always do my nightly reading/writing in the common area. I hope my frequent blowing of the nose isn't too disturbing.. Graham didn't tell us the ages of the new people but hopefully we'll be able to relate! Regardless, I usually don't have a problem. I mean, Mike is 48 and we enjoy having him around :)
Today was pretty standard. Breakfast around 8:30 with Max, fed my banana to the monkeys, then had a Dhamma lesson followed by lunch. I read more of Introducing Buddha and took a little nap. Sam and I hung out and played some cards (whoops!) We had two mini chats with Fred this evening. I went to evening chanting once again. It's getting easier to follow along but there are still parts that are either impossible/confusing transitions or just not in the packet at all. Oh well. I'm all set for my 8 Precepts ceremony on Saturday at 8:30 am. I'm excited! It will be extremely difficult to keep from singing, dancing, listening to music, and generally entertaining myself. Byebye Facebook and Google Reader. I'll probably continue to share pictures via Facebook but that's it. I'm going to try to be really strict with myself with the precepts. After all, that's why I'm here. I hope I can look back on these days and say "remember how hard it was? Yes, but I was self-disciplined and pushed through it" (which is very much how I look back on my DCI experience.) Plus, in the grand scheme of my life, eight days is a speck of sand. I can do this. I'm really not concerned with not eating after noon...I hardly eat anything here anyway. Plus I can have liquids (including ice pops!) as long as it isn't chewed. Cow's milk is considered food so that'll be left out of tea, however, soy milk is fair game.
Okay so...the more Fred talks about the 31 Planes of Existence and rebirth and karma and other Buddhist beliefs..the more discouraged I get. As I said, I'm here to gain knowledge about Buddhism, which I'm certainly doing. I also don't doubt that meditation, mindfulness, and the five precepts are great things that I can apply to my life back home (although I already try hard to keep the five.) I don't doubt that crazy things are possible once you get so lost (in tune with?) in your mind through meditation..I'm just skeptical that these things aren't completely personal and internal, rather than perceivable to the general population..and I guess therefore "true." I'm talking about those who reach certain "statuses" and gain special powers. I'm definitely incredibly impressed and respectful of people who know their minds so well...but if I don't see it or experience it for myself, I'm not a believer. I really have no reason to think that these things are true. Think of all the religions and culture that are so certain of their beliefs..it would be impossible for all of them to be true, most of them completely contradict each other. Either way, I'm really glad that I'm getting the opportunity to learn and see what the world has to offer.
In other news, I switched rooms with Sam, so now he and Mike are in the red kuti and I'm in a dorm-style room next to Max. there are two shared bathrooms, each with a (still cold) shower head and sink! Hooray! There are also screened windows so I can keep them open. I have a really great view of the Sala, which is really close by. I'm also excited to be a mere 10 steps or so from the common area where we all hang out/eat/have our lessons. Much more convenient! The kuti isn't far but it's still more annoying than just walking here. On Monday there are two more Monk for a Month people coming to the temple: a guy from Italy and a girl from Singapore. I might need to share a room with the girl. Of course it'd be better if I didn't, since my sleeping is really screwed up..plus I'm afraid she'll be loud in the mornings or something. There's nothing I hate more than people who don't try to be quiet and respectful to those sleeping. Seriously. But if that is the case, I can always do my nightly reading/writing in the common area. I hope my frequent blowing of the nose isn't too disturbing.. Graham didn't tell us the ages of the new people but hopefully we'll be able to relate! Regardless, I usually don't have a problem. I mean, Mike is 48 and we enjoy having him around :)
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