Thailand Trip Day 17

Day 17 – Day 30 : Entering meditation mode again. Now I am able to meditate for 1 hour for each walking meditation and sitting meditation. Of course there still have distraction thinking flow through my mind. Applying mindfulness of the thinking, and let it go.

For my daily meals, I eat vegetable powder brought from Singapore, a glass of milk, and some chestnut and dry longan for my breakfast. For lunch I eat beef noodle soup (35 baht), and a glass of milk, some chestnut and dry longan, banana, apple, tomato and small portion of carrot for my dinner. Rice and meat will lead to yawning and feel sleepy when doing sitting meditation.

For the 20 days of stay at Chiang Mai old city, I observed and realized that there are 70% of tourists are westerner and 30% of tourists are Asian. 98% of Asian tourists are China people. I observe that 70% of China tourists are pure female group like single 1 person, 2 people, 3 people and 4 people. It look like China people more willing to travel to more rural and less develop countryside for its nature scenery views, historical sites and local tribes culture and lifestyles than any other Asian country. Also, China female is more independence and more willing to embrace to these kinds of travel sites.

Tips : Laundry (wash and dry using machine, 7 kg) – 80 baht,

Bicycle rental : 50 baht per day, Motorbike rental : 250 baht per day

7 Eleven / Bank / Money exchange / Pharmacy / Guesthouses / Coffee shops / Songthaew can be found at everywhere of Chiang Mai Old City.

Update of Wat Rampoeng :

At Wat Rampoeng, I wake up at 3.40 am and 4 am start to meditate. 6 am the bell ring for breakfast. After breakfast, meditator go back to own room take a short break, and sweeping the courtyard leaves then continue meditation. 10.30am will ring bell for lunch. After lunch, meditator will go back to sweep own room, bath and then continue meditate. For the meals, there are vegetarian meals and meat meals for meditator to choose. The meals are prepared by central kitchen. Before we eat, we will chant first with meaning of consciousness of the purpose we having the meals. After that we will eat slowly and mindfully. We wash our own plate after eat. No foods are allowed after midday. However, liquid drinks like milk are allowed whole day. You can buy milk at temple shop. At 5pm to 6pm, Wat Rampoeng does prepare high sugar drinks for meditator. In monastery, all eating and drinking must be in sitting position, absolutely no stand / walk while eat or drinks.

Every 7am to 7.30am, there will have Buddha devotees bring the foods and drinks to Wat Rampoeng and queue up in a row to offer to monks. The monks will queue up and attend to each of the devotees to accept the alms foods.

For the first day in Wat Rampoeng, I meditate for 8 hours, started with 15 minutes for each walking meditation and sitting meditation in rotation. For the second days meditate up to 9 hours with 20 minutes walking meditation and sitting meditation in rotation. The consequences 3 days I meditate for 10 hours per day with 25 minutes and 30 minutes for each walking meditation and sitting meditation until my leaving.

The goal of Wat Rampoeng Insight Meditation is to gain a clear, complete understanding of the three obvious characteristics: Impermanence, Suffering and Non-Self. Having gained an insight into the three characteristics, the meditator realized that everything in this world is transient, subject to suffering and uncontrollable. Thus the mind abandons the desire to acquire, to have and to be.