Lessons from a Monk

This time two years ago I was in Koh Phangan, Thailand. I’d just spent an intense amount of time on my own, isolated in a fishing village while doing volunteer work at a local school. The next part of what I had set out to do while I was away, was to attend Vipassana. Coming straight out of one isolated setting and straight into another was a very necessary decision. I’d already been experiencing moments of doubt, loneliness, empowerment, strength and resilience during my weeks volunteering, as well as new appreciation for my body and mind. So I figured now was as good a time as any to dive into an intensive meditation course.

By the end of the first day I wanted to quit. I questioned everything and felt so overwhelmed. Scared and in pain, it felt so easy to run away. But the next day I turned up to the temple and set one foot in front of the other, and it eventually got a little bit easier. This excerpt was written not long after. When the experience had begun to sink in and I knew I had to record the lessons I’d learnt so as not to forget. I hope you take something from this, even if it’s just the idea that you can overcome any obstacles in life.

I am fortunate enough to have spent 4 days in a Buddhist temple, doing 5 straight hours of walking meditation per day. It was intense and beautiful and life-changing. It helped me realise that I have the power to create calmness within myself whenever I need it. I discovered that my mind is an easier place to be when I know the past cannot hurt me and the future cannot scare me. Even days after the experience I could still feel an overwhelming sense of contentment and oneness. A feeling I hope to make use of for the rest of my life. So I wanted to share some of the wisdom and knowledge that was passed to me:

•Our mind is like a prison filled with expectations. It is only when we are aware of this, that we can become unattached and therefore free.

•Life is like river, and even if you are the best swimmer you will still lose an upstream battle. So learn to flow with the current.

•Everything except for the present moment, is illusion. Memory, emotion, ideas about the future. None of it is important.

•Mindfulness teaches us to slowly flip our consciousness from unaware to aware. If you catch your thoughts and see that you have run away with them, then you can simply come back. That means you are already aware. Then bring more awareness into the present moment.

•Even good memories can be let go of, because we cannot touch them, no matter how much we want them, because it is in the past. It does not serve us anymore, only reality can do that.

•Everything we do and say has a reflection. Everything we put out into the world is mirrored back to us. Do you like what you see looking back at you?

(7/12/16)