Thailand Meditation Retreat News

Every year participants in Karuna Meditation Center Thailand’s three-month Rains Retreat take a long, deep, introspective look at the essence of the Buddha’s teachings. This is the same time of year that the Buddha took a few months to continue his meditation, even after enlightenment, and is a tradition followed in Southeastern Asia by many monks, nuns, and lay practitioners to this day.

The environment in the center is expressly set up around creating a relaxed, conducive atmosphere to meditation and quieting the mind. The daily schedule has plenty of meditation time as well as breaks that allow meditators to not feel so pent-up; one can go to the beach, get a massage, or just sit quietly and comtemplate the teachings during the three-hour afternoon break. Meals are healthy, light yet satisfying, and suited to western tastes and include the flavors of Thailand.

In the three months of retreat, practitioners will explore extensively the Four Foundations of Mindfulness as given in the Mahasatipatthana Sutta:

• Mindfulness of Body (kaya)
• Mindfulness of Feelings (vedana)
• Mindfulness of Mind (citta)
• Mindfulness of Objects of Mind (dhammas)

Meditations will follow the Mahasatipatthana and Anapanasati Suttas, and the final month will be specially devoted to the last two foundations (mind and objects of mind) by way of study and practice of Mahamudra as presented in the classic text, The Ocean of Definitive Meaning, by the Ninth Karmapa.

The length of retreat is a perfect amount of time, as many practitioners find that it takes some time, more than just a few days, to settle their minds and bodies into retreat, and the order of meditations is suitable to this. By the last month of retreat, the mind and body is sufficiently calmed and focused to be able to look deeply during meditation.

Although attending the entirety of the retreat is highly recommended, we understand that, due to practical constraints, some students may not be able to come for the whole retreat. If you are interested and would like to come for part of the retreat, contact us and we can discuss and make arrangements.

Even if you are unable to make this particular organized retreat, the center is open to retreatants wanting to come to practice for any amount of time the rest of the year. We have found meditation in Thailand to be a particularly good experience for practitioners who want to  come and practice in a Buddhist country but with English-speaking teachers.

On why to do the contemplations:

“It is a matter of training the mind.  The whole process of these contemplations is a mind training in and of itself.  You’re training the mind to think positively.  And the reason why you do that is because the whole point of Buddhism is to extinguish suffering, to extinguish dukkha.  And that can only be done through the mind.”

On contemplating the precious human birth:

“The practice is what changes your view and your outlook.  It’s very difficult to maintain any kind of negative feeling if you’re doing this practice of the Precious Human Birth, because you’re constantly celebrating the simple fact of your own existence and the existence of others.  This also carries over into your relationships with others, and it becomes very, very difficult to have negative feelings about anything or anyone, no matter what you’ve been through.  It’s a simple practice, but very powerful in its effects.”

While visiting Phuket, there are quite a few wonderfully-Thai Buddhist wats (temples) and sites available to those wanting to get a feel for the country’s religious style and architecture, as well as seeing how Thais relate to their religion and integrate it with their daily lives.

On their days off and national holidays, Buddhist Thais often go to their local wat to make offerings and say prayers. From talking to them, they see this as something they genuinely enjoy doing, rather than seeing it as a cultural responsibility. They also really appreciate foreigners taking an interest in their religion and are very happy to see foreigners curious about and taking care to observe temple etiquette when visiting these sites, such as wearing modest dress (long pants and at least a short-sleeve shirt for men, long pants or skirts and tops that cover the shoulders for women) and removing shoes before entering a holy area (it’s easy to spot where to take them off, just look for where all the shoes are lined up at the entrance to a spot; often there are signs in English as well).

Wat Chalong

By far the most visited Buddhist site on the Island is Wat Chalong , located between Phuket Town and Chalong. The grounds are fairly large with several buildings worth going into.

One building contains statues of the founding monks of the wat , two of whom were well-known healers (one a herbalist, the other a bone-setter) and were key in negotiating a settlement in an 1870’s Chinese miners uprising.

Another building here is a tall tower adorned inside with colorful murals in the Thai style depicting stories of the Buddha. Continue to the top and you will see a enshrinement of what is said to be a bone shard of the Buddha as well as other relics. The view of the island from this point is very nice as well, with a view of Buddha Mountain (more on that later).

It is on the standard tourist route, so it can be fairly busy; the best times to go are before 10 or in the late afternoon, when you can tag on a trip to Phromthep Cape for and unforgettable sunset.

"Phuket’s Big Buddha Statue"

Six years and 60 million Baht (about US$2 million) so far in the making, the Phra Puttamingmongkol Akenakkiri, as it is officially called, will be an impressive monument on the island at about 45m tall sitting atop a hill whose view spans the island.

The project is expected to be completed in 2009, but visitors are welcome now to watch construction on this large undertaking.

Wat Pra Tong

This temple houses the mysterious half-buried Buddha statue that, depending on who is telling the story, either sprung up out of the ground and confounds those who try to dig it up, or was buried in silt as a result of the change of course of a nearby canal.

Wat Phranang Saeng

This is the oldest temple on Phuket, built more than 540 years ago, and home to some historically significant statues.

Other Temples Around the Island

All-in-all, there are 29 wats on Phuket Island, each with its own story and character. I’d encourage you to stop by the local wat wherever you are staying to find out what you might discover. Make an offering, circumambulate a stupa, or just sit and feel Thailand. Meditation can be found anywhere.

Here are some responses from recent retreatants:

“This year’s retreat was so great! Genla’s [Michael's] instructions were developmental so that you could clearly understand each step. The meditation sessions were so valuable with his … instructions. The opportunity to walk on the beach was also a meditation. The neighbors neaby the center were warm and friendly. If you are seeking a place to more thoroughly explore mindfulness, this is the place!” - Shirley

“A life-changing experience for which I am profoundly grateful. I had expected it to be much more difficult…but to my surprise I relished the silence and the practices. Genla’s teachings are so understandable - I get it! But now I have to practice.”

“I had a great rereat experience. The teachings were awesome, the community was supportive, and the chance to quiet down and do some real “looking” into the mind’s nature has been motivational for my continuing dharma practice.”

“[The] environment was very conducive to practice. Not many outer distractions, and [I] felt very safe and welcome in town. It was obvious that a lot of effort and thought was put into the entire retreat in general, and into the teaching in particular. Truly an experience of a lifetime, a gem whose value cannot be measured.”

Hello. Welcome to the first post of our blog! Retreatants are now halfway through our annual 30-day Mahamudra Retreat taking place at Karuna Meditation Center. This is the 6th such retreat being taught by Genla Michael Gregory.

Retreatants are enjoying a relaxed, introspective atmosphere with daily yoga sessions and healthy food.

The retreat will finish May 30. If you would like to come practice Buddhist meditation here, please contact us, we would be happy to have you.