February
2018
Greetings from Wat Poo Jom Gom, NE Thailand.
As
usual at this time of year; I have been spending much time in retreat
mode in the quiet branch monastery of Wat Poo Jom Gom, close to the
Mekong River. Most of the time I stay in a small cave near the top of
the 'mountain', about 1 ½ hours walking distance from the main
monastery complex. The principal benefits of residing here are the
experiences of solitude and silence, and the possibility of spending
much time in nature, either walking through the expansive national
park or sitting quietly in a shady remote place. The simple, natural
lifestyle makes for a very physical experience, helping to settle the
mind into the present moment.
The
cave is a specially protected environment, warm in the cold and cool
in the heat, sheltered from the strong sunlight, rain and wind.
However, I spend most of my time outside, enjoying the fresh air and
some degree of sunshine. The 'winter' in Thailand is known as the
cold season and is also the dry season, usually with little or no
rain from November until April. 'Cold' is, of course, relative here.
When the temperature drops below 20C it is 'cold', mainly because the
houses and clothing are designed for the normally hot weather during
most of the year. The north-east of Thailand also experiences a cool
northerly wind, giving a significant wind-chill factor (especially in
thin and sparse clothing).
Fire
Fighting
The
dry season is also the burning or 'fire season', when farmers burn
off the remnants from various crops, rice stubble or the unused parts
of the tapioca plants. Some of them, however, are maliciously lit in
the National Park, either to clear off grassy meadows for cattle
grazing, burn the leaf litter for mushroom gathering or force the
bamboo to send out new edible shoots.
This
year the fire season began unusually early. Already in December fires
were ignited in the meadows near to the monk's huts. In early January
several fires were lit to the east of my cave. Fortunately, since I
was nearby and saw them early, I was able to extinguish them before
much damage was done, although one of them got into the grassy meadow
and scorched a large area. Both times I had just finished making my
evening hot drinks and showering before retiring to the meditation
platform on the top of the outcrop. This provides a 360-degree
panoramic view down the Mekong River and across to the mountains of
Laos. Unfortunately, it also gives a bird's eye view of any fires
burning for many miles around, and in the dry season there are
usually many, so the view is often obscured by the low-lying smoke.
Most
of the fires burn slowly through the leaf litter, but once the fire
gets into the tinder-dry grass of the meadows, there is little one
can do, especially when it is fanned by gusting winds. For the fire
in the meadow, the most I could do was scout downwind ahead of it
(with smoke choking my lungs and stinging my eyes), and try to
prevent it passing beyond the patches of rock which act as natural
fire-breaks. Only where the flames were creeping against the wind or
much reduced by sparse vegetation could I actively try to extinguish
it. I soon discovered an effective method by patiently waiting for
the wind to briefly die down or blow against the fire, then sweeping
the flames towards the burned-out patches, or snuffing them out with
my broom. I slowly worked my way along the periphery of the fire,
painstakingly extinguishing every flame until I reached the furthest
edge against the rocks. Then, with the last snuff of flame, it was
suddenly totally dark! I stood there in silence and darkness for some
minutes, until my eyes gradually adjusted to the faint starlight and
I could see the expanse of the blackened meadow with the last few
glowing embers scattered about. Fortunately, I had brought my
headlamp with me from the cave, although it was a hundred meters
across the meadow, safely placed on a large rock. A few stumbles and
scratches later I recovered the lamp and made my way back to the
cave.
Shortly
after I returned from the Ajahn Chah memorial ceremony and a brief
trip to Bangkok, the burning season took a more serious turn, with
someone setting multiple fires around the adjacent area. One of them
I only saw by the orange glow through the trees as it was growing
dark. In the darkness it was hard to determine precisely where it
was, but upon closer inspection I saw that there was a whole series
of fires burning up the side of the opposite mountain and down in a
nearby valley where there was one of the unoccupied caves. Although
it seemed far away and was already quite dark, I decided that I
should investigate further. A short scramble straight down the rocky
hillside soon saw me involved in a two-hour marathon extinguishing
fires in five separate places, although I had to give up on the
biggest and most dangerous one which was blazing through the bamboo
between massive blocks of stone. After two hours I was so exhausted
that I could barely drag myself back to my lodging at the main hall
for a drink of water, a cleansing wash and much-needed sleep.
I
remained at my lodging in the main hall the next day to recover my
strength. Then the following day, as I trekked back to my cave, I
noticed a pall of smoke rising very near to my destination. By the
time I arrived at my cave the adjacent forest was alight and streams
of smoke were billowing across the plateau. I quickly extinguished
the nearby fire, but then realised that it was spreading down the
slope in all directions. Some three hours later, numb with
exhaustion, hoarse from smoke inhalation and trembling from aching
muscles, I crept back to my cave with just enough strength remaining
for some drink, a wash and a long sleep.
Aliveness
One
of the benefits from living close to nature for some length of time
is that our senses begin to wake up. Especially if we are living in a
rugged natural environment, we need to be continuously alert – to
the changing environmental conditions, to potential danger and to our
own physical situation. The main benefit of this is that we abide in
the present moment much more, even though it may not always be
comfortable. Our senses interact with sense impressions immediately
and more simplistically than the conceptual mind. Thus we can also
notice more easily when we do get lost in conceptualizing.
In
contrast, when we live in a familiar domesticated environment our
senses often go to sleep, since we do not need to use them so
intensely. For example, towards the end of December, due initially to
knee pain, I spent a few days staying in the guest hut beneath the
sala. This was much more comfortable than staying in the cave, as I
could close all the windows and be out of the cool wind in a
consistently warm environment. I noticed, however, that with the
reduction in physical sensation, as well as the sound of the wind, I
was more often in my own head, with focus on thoughts rather than
physical sensations. And many of those thoughts were concerned with
plans for the future and memories of the past. When I wanted to know
what time it was, I had to look at the clock rather than consult the
direction of the sun or moon. The extreme, of course, is living in a
busy city, where our senses often need to shut down due to being
overwhelmed by stimulation. We are then forced even more to take
refuge in our own minds, and when we find that unpleasant, to seek
for distraction in amusement or entertainment.
Living
in the present moment with the impact of sense consciousness can be
very peaceful and mentally quieting. There is just this present
moment experience, with no need to think about or elaborate on it.
Also, we can use this occasion to observe the effects of sense
stimulation on our changing moods. Some impressions are pleasant and
attractive, and we may notice a tendency to want to hold on to them.
Or they may trigger off memories of previously pleasant impressions.
Most sense impressions are fairly neutral and we notice that they do
not excite interest or revulsion. Here at Poo Jom Gom much of the
scenery is unthreateningly unusual: strange rock formations,
unordinary vegetation, unique patterns in the rocks, gnarled and
twisted trees, etc. This can create an unusual state of mind – open
and curious, yet silent and calm.
A
Simple Life
Why
did the Buddha recommend a simple lifestyle as a skilful basis for
spiritual practice? The basic principle is that we have limited
mental energy, and whatever we focus on has a strong influence over
our being. If our attention is preoccupied with non-spiritual
affairs, there is not much available for spiritual practice. This is
also the basis for the stress of everyday life which challenges many
people – they try to focus on some task, but much of their
attention is distracted or diminished by other affairs which draw
their attention. This could be some other task (if they are
multi-tasking), some emotional conflict, or even some unresolved
emotional trauma largely buried in the unconscious. If we at least do
not over-burden our attention with a load of trivial mundane life
tasks, we may begin to unpack the other sources of attention leakage
and learn to patch -up these leaks.
The new meditation platform.
Ajahn
Chah Ceremony
Of
course, the main event this time of year is the Ajahn Chah Memorial
Ceremony in mid-January. And this year was an especially memorable
occasion, marking the 100 years since his birth. Thus many of the
branch monasteries made an extra effort to attend, arriving with a
number of monastics and lay-supporters. Since I am normally in
Thailand at this time of year, I decided to make the accommodation
space at Wat Pah Nanachat available for visitors and only arrived for
the last day of the event, January 16th.
Besides the official events, there was also time for reconnecting
with others from distant places.
Here are the links to the event (from last year) and the talks given this year:
English Sangha Dhamma discourses
1) Ajahn Sucitto
2) Ajahn Pasanno
3) Ajahn Amaro
The
Uncertain Future
Generally,
my longer term plans are to spend more time in Australia, principally
at Wat Buddha Dhamma, north of Sydney. Ajahn Khemavaro has offered to
sponsor a two-year work visa for me, so presumably I should be there
to work! Hopefully this will include work on my on-going book on
'I-making'. The application for this visa was more complex than first
thought. Besides the mandatory health check, I also needed police
clearance certificates from Australia, New Zealand and Thailand, due
to having for extended periods in those countries. All this
necessitated two extra trips to Bangkok (one was just overnight) and
then return to PJG. However, it was not in vain and the visa was
issued on Feb. 23rd in time to book a flight to Sydney with Ajahn Khemavaro.
Wishing you all progress in the practice and a rewarding New Year.
