Talk with Abbot (head monk)

Now I shall tell you of our Abbot at Wat (temple) Simbunrung. He is an excellent man. Widely loved and respected by local Thai people, novices, monks, foreigners and children alike. I do not think I know of anyone whose reputation is so unblemished. Usually there's always someone that starts to hate such a person out of sheer jealousy, this was not the case this time.

Although I have had some very inspiring conversations whilst here, notably with the western creator of this program (the abbot being the other co-creator), the most helpful so far have been books. So I was still looking to see some of the wisdom contained in the books, personified in a person. And I can fairly objectively say that this is what the Abbot here is. The Abbot is only 37 years old. 

I made an appointment, since he is a very busy man. I enter his office and prostrate (bow) three times, as is the custom. Now when you talk to the Abbot he sits in a decorated stage like thingy with flowers, insence and Buddha images, while you sit infront of it (actually it's the place where I did the 8 precepts ceremony, which you can see on the pictures). At first I sit way too far away, but I am beckoned closer and after three beckonings, I'm sitting at normal talking distance. His english is very good by Thai standards, but communication was somewhat slow at times (despite his handy translation computer). Soon I found out, that this interaction was not necessarily going to be about the intellectual / philosophical novelty and enrichment. It was about hearing the teachings from someone that not only knew them, but also actually has SEEN them and embodies them.

My synopsis of what he taught me

Wisdom, concetration and minfulness are the foundation for right action, right speech and compassion. With these in place you will not react through your moods and impulses and it will become easier to live according to the 5 precepts. A good way to stimulate the first three factors is through meditation.

Compassion is the foremost thing. If we would simply live by the 5 precepts, we would not need jails, police, armies and laws. Now see, every idiot understands this and this is usually the point where every philospher dives into history and human nature to explain why this cannot simply be done. When the Abbot says it however, you see that the question of "but how do I bring about compassion?" does not even arise. Compassion is the ONLY way. This is right understanding, which the Buddha taught. You can test it out for yourself. It is the only thing that leads to true happiness. You can tell by by the way that he speaks it, that he blames no one for their non-compassion, he understands how hard it is and that the effects that ignorance have are grave. But that's just the thing, he seems to genuinely understand and feel compassion for all of us living creatures who are stuck in this cycle of ignorance.

He explains to me that one should not just teach the Dhamma (teachings of the Buddha) to everyone that seems to misbehave; only when there is a right opportunity. All of his just seemed so gentle. And I noticed that he hardly ever refered to himself, but always spoke in a general form.

In my own meditation I had noticed the (to me) almost supreme importance of patience. As soon as you start to desire results, your mind will speed up and will create the opposite of results in meditation and thus this is made painfully clear. So I ask him about this importance. "Yes! Very important!" he went on to explain why.. but then "But Buddha say, patience, not enougy. Also; effort!". Now this really was a big insight for me in hind sight. For I have always been struggling with the fact that if you invoke patience, a lot of times nothing gets done... but if I'd start to motivate myself, I would become dependant of an outcome and lose patience, resulting in major frustrations. From the Abbot's words it became clear that there is a form of effort, or energy, which is not directed at any outcome... which does not create more thinking and worrying, but is simpy effort for effort's sake. A kind of 'patient effort'. I kind of suspected this in a way, but just the fact of seeig that the Abbot lives this, makes you realize its actual truth and existence.

I do not want to act like the Abbot is super-human, he definitely is not. Like Lao Tzu said "when you emphasize the positive, you always leave out the negative", which is also true in this case. But when it comes to compassion, I had not believed people like this to actually exist. Now, I had already seen a general tendency of compassion in Thai people everywhere, but this really made the fact that compassionate people actually DO exist really clear. And I think this, is the ultimate antithesis to Ayn Rand's philosphy. Compassion for compassion's sake, not for one's own sake.

Temple life in general

I was alone at the temple for a few days here. I had no fellow visitors and all the novices had gone home for New Year. During this time I had been meditating 4 hours a day. Slowly I'm starting to believe that I'm seeing some subtle changes. When I think back to home, I cannot seem to comprehend some of my old obsessions and thought patterns. For the first time since a long time (perhaps 18 years or so) I feel not worried about the future. I feel confident that with patience and effort a lot can be achieved and know that this is all that can happen and that it does not matter where it will lead. A lot of what we humans worry about or blame ourselves for, is outside of our influence. I also know that there will be down times, in which I will lose myself, but I know that these will also be impermanent, no matter what.

The thought of heading back into 'civilization' is a strange one. I know that I could not give up my normal life, but I also know that I do not wish to go back to being controled by cravings and obsessions that completely obscure any kind of insight. In the end it will probably result in a compromise where I enjoy life back home, whilst setting as much time as possible aside for meditation.

On a less deep note; I went for lunch with a girl I know around here yesterday, because she was leaving, this was a most welcome break I must say. Very nice girl as well, shame she left now.