Meditation, Monks, and Monkey-Minds

The meditation hall we spent most of our time in.
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If you are a backpacker traveling through Southern Thailand in early December, there are 2 places you might be:

1) Koh Phangan, for the wild full moon party that takes over an entire island and lasts through the day and night, or

2) Suan Mokkh Monastery for a 10-day silent meditation retreat.

Guess which one we did.

Ben's dorm-mate gecko (approx. 12 inches)
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Yes, for 10+ days we participated in meditation instruction, lectures on the Dhamma, and pre-sunrise yoga classes, all in complete and total silence.  We woke up at 4:00 am, long before sun-up.  We ate two meals a day.  We sat on the floor (with a small cushion) for many, many hours.  We slept on concrete beds.  We bathed in well water in communal areas, while wearing sarongs.  We had electric lights for a few short hours a day.  We lived in fear of mosquitoes, scorpions, snakes, and centipedes, because we knew it would be bad karma to kill them (although they probably wouldn't think twice about nibbling on us).

Our beds. Concrete mattress and wooden pillow. Plus one mosquito net.
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Now don't get all worried about us- we did alright.  Many people panicked and left before the 10 days were up (about 40 people, 1/3rd of the starting group), but we knew better.  In fact, we'd never had it so good.  Turns out we both liked waking up before sunrise, and really enjoyed yoga classes.  There is something majestic about doing the sun salute as the sun is actually rising.  It is also nice to take pleasure in the simple things, like sitting, touching your toes, letting your mind wander, planning your daily tasks like laundry and bathing and mending pants.

Our shower/sink/laundry/etc.
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Oh, and then there was the food.  I kid you not, we have never eaten so well.  Giant pots of brown rice, vegetarian curries, stews, soups, pastas, mind-blowing desserts, all full of the freshest exotic vegetables, fruits, and soy products.  To be honest I can't say that either of us became enlightened, in fact I may be less interested in Buddhism than I was at the start, and I think we both failed miserably at meditation, but we both would do it all over again just for those two meals a day.  In fact, I think the only thing that could have made that better would have been to share the experience of eating it with someone else.

The group that survived the 10 days- approx. 2/3rds of the starting group.
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Which brings us to the question- if this was such an intense, personal, and potentially spiritual experience, why is this blog entry so superficial?  Didn't we find it interesting?  Didn't we learn a lot about ourselves, and the nature of people, as well as some basics of Buddhism?  Well, I'll tell you: most of that stuff is personal.  So go read a cheap novel or turn on the latest reality TV show to fulfill your voyeuristic desires, 'cause you ain't gonna find it here.