meditating among monks

In addition to the many experiences i had while in Bangkok, one of them was Wat Pho, the temple of the reclining Buddha. Ironic or not, the enormous statue of gold on it's side with feet called the Goddess of Pearl was not the memory i'll be taking away from the experience. Instead, it involves a situation you can really only stumble upon when you are by yourself in order to take advantage of it. My Japanese companions had left me just minutes before and it was at this time that i noticed a gentle bellied rumble, the continuous and communal chanting of monks. It is a sound that seems to make me always stop in my tracks, you cannot help but acknowledge the beauty of this sound. I peered into where the fervent hum was, and as if it was beckoning me to it, i found myself amongst the monks and a group of asian descendants meditating all together. The chant itself is something that i can only attempt to describe. The rise and fall of tones i cannot understand the words, but in that i feel i can draw that much more out of the experience. For unlike other religions where you are told what to say when you pray, the words become empty; whereas when you have a chant, you seemingly encouraged to put your own words to the gentle rolling tones. It only lasted for moment, or so it seemed, i was entranced and sucked into the mystery and compelling nature of this practice. I can only imagine that in time i'll come to seek it out, rather than how it happened to find me as it did this time.

Wat Arun

Wat Arun, Temple of Dawn, this place was incredible, and i almost opted not to go in because i had spent more than what i thought i should on a weekend trip. So i dished out the two dollars that the entrance fee cost (ok yes, i have a problem with being frugal). Unlike the grand palace and the temple of the reclining buddha, this wat was much more earth oriented, decorated entirely of dull pigmented stone, nothing flashy. We walked through some back streets covered in dirty water as it had just down poured; the second rain thus far. Through tiny windy passage ways and underneath a nearly hidden door and through an archway you felt you had to duck to enter stood before us a structure only completely visible to a head thrust straight back. Wat Arun was enormous, stable in it's concrete wide base, symmetrical stairs on all four sides allowed us to climb not just the first platform, but up three flights, each getting progressively more narrow and significantly steeper. The final stretch where steps literally six inches high, trickier coming down than up because you don't expect your foot to drop down so far, and then you have a small panic attack because your footing seems askew several hundred feet up in the air with noting but a small railing to clench your fist onto for dear life! The view at the top proved very much worth the scare of the climb. All of Bangkok appeared to be at our fingertips, seeing as far as was possible for the eye, across and along the Chaophraya River , city scape after city scape, and small streets with dots of colored flags strewn across the rooftops connecting the opposite side. This site, the closest feeling i've had to being at the top of Eagle Peak, the feeling of vastness the same, but this time i was different in that i was simply seeing what you would everyday from a completely different angle. Amazing how something as common as a city can appear so new and unexplored, but instead of feeling the chaos of life below, you are overtaken with a sense of calming reverence.

The Grand Palace

This weekend, i went to Bangkok. You know, just one of those things anyone does randomly, no biggie. Ok i'll stop gloating now. We get there and meet up with some lovely ladies from Japan, who allow us to stay in their hotel room, four stars, and HOT WATER!!!! A simple luxury, or is it really a simple one, i wrote that down in my journal the other day and realized what may be trivial at home in America, is probably a very unlikely commodity in the average Thai home. I went to the place of the king, and my goodness i have never seen anything like this. Every building, numerous literally any closer and they'd be overlapping; every single inch was covered, bedecked if you would, in beautiful gems and mosaic tiles; don't even get me started on the gold. Entire buildings appear to be solid gold, some smooth, some mosaic, and then the gold leaf in the wall murals was incredible.The gold literally illuminated the wall! When you take a picture of it, that is the only portion you see, your eye is just drawn, sucked and lured directly to the image of the buddha. Each depiction is surrounded by muddied earth tone paints, the intricate etchings of gold enhance the details of the emerald buddha in escapades of beauties war and religion. The artistic style of each wall appeared as if a single person labored endlessly for years over each jataka. However in a couple instances i witnessed renovation of small portions of the wall, so the style has become characteristic and replicable by modern skilled workmen. It was interesting also, the palace was under constant reconstruction. What has been around for years and years is still unfinished! It's impossible to imagine that more labor could go into something so beautiful; i am curious to spend time in the area to attempt to find the imperfections, they must be there, i know they are, for hand crafted items it is inevitable...where o where!(secret, i did find one, the head of a beast in the line of many was indented)

Abandoned Shrines

Friday morning proved to be a peek into the part of Thailand's hidden culture. Emily and i ran to a dirt road, right off the main road from school; a line of forgotten, dirty, and broken shrines lay in disarray all along the ground. It was strange to see these shrines, what are all over the country, in front of every store and home, so elaborately decorated and carefully cared for, just strewn along and cast aside. Figurines decapitated and whole pieces broken off as the larger portion lay on it's side. All of these seemingly have been undisturbed for quite some time. Just beyond was a mini junk yard. Trash piled in heaps, little bits of tile, trash bags, colorful foam bits and everyday household garbage, right next to what is prayed to ritually for many of Thailand's people. Over to our right was what appeared to be a village that was never quite finished. Concrete floors and walls created the basics of a floor plan for a home that had no roof, holes for windows, and lots of shrubbery, the earth was reclaiming it's territory. I couldn't believe this site. Wouldn't it be considered bad karma to discard what is seen as sacred? Did these shrines in some way become houses for the dark, why where they left here and by whom? Overall it was just an odd collection of sites, each pinching it's way to being haunting; unsettling.

Indian Wedding

Across the way from our condo balcony we can see the shining lights at the Sheraton hotel, and hear the loud music just beckoning to us as we stare, longingly at a paradise we can only view from afar...or can't we? Sunday afternoon while swimming we came across some guests who where staying to attend an wedding that evening, well it'd been going on for several days (months before hand) and they invited us that evening to share in the cultural experience. How could we pass it up? Knowing they always run late, we didn't plan on reaching the ceremony until 10pm, as we where getting ready thunderous claps of loud noises where rumbling through our building 500 yards or so down the beach, we RAN across and up three floors to a sky filled with glowing embers. Fireworks beyond your imagination ignited in the sky for quite the show which ended as several red lanterns floated down from the sky like jellyfish. It was time to get our dancing legs over there! Hopped the fence, in a long dress nonetheless, and walked in on what was the most extravagant display of celebration i may have seen to this day with my own eyes. The entire courtyard was filled with satin covered chairs and table, a stage, a grand buffet of all Indian dishes mixed with Thai deserts, an intricately adorned altar with viewing benches where scented wooden fans where spread to cool oneself. Fruity drinks where served to us free of charge. As the ceremony was taking place, the couple looking gorgeous as ever, surrounded by the jewels and finery of all of the women's saris a troupe of Thai dancers performed to Indian music. It was beautiful to witness the multi-cultural quality of this wedding. Embracing all of the different nationality wedding guests, welcoming a decent handful of study abroad students, Thai culture and Indian culture. The food was to die for, i am officially, as if i weren't before, in LOVE with all varieties of flatbread! I was amazed once again by the hospitality of a culture that was not my own. Can you imagine feeding and giving open drink to 20 additional guests?

Tham Krabok

The psychology department took students on a five hour drive for a field trip to Wat Tham Krabok, an herbal rehabilitation center for substance abuse victims. It is highly known and revered here in Thailand and is rapidly becoming so around the world. The program includes a minimum of seven days where patients cleanse the body by means of a secret shot made up of 100 different Asian herbs (recipe known by only two people) that works by contracting the stomach when taken and once combined with water, from my understanding, causes something in the blood to react and thus, regurgitation. In my eyes it seems as if this facility has something western rehab centers neglect. And that is fixing the addiction. They may allow the patient to become clean but they don't make an effort to ensure they will not fall into the hands of the drug lords once released. At Tham Krabok they infuse a teaching of a personal spirituality, through Buddhist practices. However they only ask you meditate, and you can to whomever you personally choose. We talked to two young boys, 19 and 20 who are currently housed at the wat and speaking ot them, after only two weeks, their life is already turned around. They believe and can see that this time is different, and stated specifically "I know this is it." They where so honest, so frank, and open about what they had done and where they want to go. Relieved that they where making progress and seem to understand that this experience has indeed forever changed who they are. *photograph is of a fallen Buddha statue's head in the center of the Wat. The traveling monks that run the place (all services are free, to come and stay and be treated) work on creating the Buddhist art that surrounds the place.

Smiles

I am recently puzzled and intrigued as to how Thailand can be tagged "the land of smiles" when in their religion a smile equates desire; yet desire is one of the four noble truths that Buddhists strive to eliminate. Buddhism is the largest practiced religion here.

An enlightening Bus ride

On the bus ride to school today i was talking with my friend from India, Sam. Somehow we got into how Britain stole their most precious gem, the largest diamond in the world, Kohinoor "sparkle." This gem of India is now apart of the British crown. They even cut the diamond down from it's record size to something about half of what it originally was. Then Britain steals again, taking a thrown of solid gold form one of their rulers, melted it and distributed to who knows where. We where both baffled at this, that one country can be so powerful that it can steal, and demand they have custody of another countries prized possessions. And continue to repeat this act of theft. Then to top it off, Britain is the reason Pakistan and India are no longer unified. And continue to repeat this act of theft. The conversation rolled into the view middle easterners have on americans. Did you know that for any student of an ethnicity that looks any little bit like a muslim, they are often denied a student visa to study in the united states? To me this is wrong, we are punishing those who have done no crime. The actions of a few have tainted the future of countless others. Are we as americans so close-minded and judgmental that we cannot grant the possiblity of higher education to those students who seek it out. Sam brought to my attention that students where at the time where students int eh United States and returned home; when they tried to come back as students they too where denied. What would you do if your education was put to a sudden halt, and your degree was just hanging, waiting for who knows what kind of miracle to befall you? I met a boy from Palestine yesterday who is here in Thailand because he cannot be allowed into the US. My wish, that we can one day, and hopefully that day is tomorrow, be able to see past the thoughts of a group of individuals and realize that all of the middle east is not a terrorist. That we can stop living in fear of what could happen, and allow all students to seek the education they desire.