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.

We are happy to present to you the Heart Sutra as it is presented in our prayer books.

The Heart Sutra

Thus I have heard. Once the Blessed One was dwelling in Rajagriha at Vulture Peak Mountain, together with a great gathering of the sangha of monks and a great gathering of the sangha of bodhisattvas.

At that time the Blessed One entered the samadhi that expresses the dharma called “profound illumination.” And at the same time noble Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, while practicing the profound prajñaparamita, saw in this way: he saw the five skandhas to be empty of nature.

Then, through the power of the Buddha, venerable Sariputra said to noble Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, “How should a son or daughter of noble family train, who wishes to practice the profound prajñaparamita?”

Addressed in this way, noble Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, said to venerable Sariputra, “O Sariputra, a son or daughter of noble family who wishes to practice the profound prajñaparamita should see in this way: seeing the five skandhas to be empty of nature.

“Form is empty; emptiness is also form. Emptiness is no other than form; form is no other than emptiness.

“In the same way, feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness are empty.

“Thus, Sariputra, all dharmas are emptiness. There are no characteristics.

“There is no birth and no cessation. There is no impurity and no purity. There is no decrease and no increase.

“Therefore, Sariputra, in emptiness, there is no form, no feeling, no perception, no formation, no consciousness;

“No eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind;

“No appearance, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no dharmas;

“No eye dhatu up to no mind dhatu, no dhatu of dharmas, no mind consciousness dhatu;

“No ignorance and no end of ignorance up to no old age and death, no end of old age and death;

“No suffering, no origin of suffering, no cessation of suffering, no path, no wisdom, no attainment, and no nonattainment.

“Therefore, Sariputra, since the bodhisattvas have no attainment, they abide by means of prajñaparamita. Since there is no obscuration of mind, there is no fear. They transcend falsity and attain complete nirvana. All the buddhas of the three times, by means of prajñaparamita, fully awaken to unsurpassable, true, complete enlightenment.

“Therefore, the great mantra of prajñaparamita, the mantra of great insight, the unsurpassed mantra, the unequalled mantra, the mantra that calms all suffering should be known as truth, since there is no deception. The prajñaparamita mantra is said in this way:

“Tadya ta, ga-te ga-te, para ga-te,

para sang ga-te, bodhi so ha.

“Thus, Sariputra, the bodhisattva mahasattva should train in the profound prajñaparamita.”

Then the Blessed One arose from that samadhi and praised noble Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, saying, “Good, good, O son of noble family; thus it is, O son of noble family, thus it is.

“One should practice the profound prajñaparamita just as you have taught and all the tathagatas will rejoice.”

When the Blessed One had said this, venerable Sariputra and noble Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, that whole assembly and the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised the words of the Blessed One.

Here are some photos from the 30-day meditation retreat this past May. Enjoy!

Rainbow Around the Sun.

This was a wonderful sight to see in the middle of a silent retreat.

In Sesssion

Meditators during one of the daytime sessions.

One of the many flowers outside of the center’s building.

Meditators pose for a group photo after it’s all done.