The first week of the year after the New Year Holiday was very tiring and tedious. I'm generally busy during the first week of every month due to the rent collection at apartments (our clerks collect cash from our tenants but we need to go there and collect it from them). On top of that, I have to wind myself back to the work schedule after such a long holiday.
Anyhow, yesterday I went to listen to LP Pramote's talk in Sriracha. I hadn't seen him at all in December, before which I saw him every week. Is it necessary to drive 200 km every week to see him? I think so. He has some kind of energy that can invigorate me and keep my practice on track. And seeing him reminds me of what I'm really in this realm for.
Nothing in his teaching is new to me. But it's good to hear the practice guidelines again. He said we need to observe the conditioned phenomena (สภาวะ) so that our mind can remember what they're like. Once they arise, we can see them immediately. To me, the analogy is just like playing sports. As you practice, you become more agile and adept. But the key is to be an equanimous observer which requires the secure and stable mind (จิตตั้งมั่น), or else we are taken over by what we observe. To achieve that kind of stability, one can do formal practices (e.g., sitting or walking) or be aware when the mind slips into one the six senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, bodily sensation, thoughts, which is the most common). It's not either-or, actually more like one needs both to support each other. I mean, being a layperson, how many hours of formal practice can one do in a day?
Awareness is not an end in itself, but it is a key to see things as they are, the ultimate truth. Impermanence (อนิจจัง), unsatisfactoriness (ทุกขัง), and non-self (อนัตตา). Buddhism is amazingly concise, isn't it?
I just happened to think of what Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of Ashtanga yoga said regarding the yoga practice:
After the talk, I went to a wedding reception of Fon, my friend's sister. Naw, the bride's sister, told me that her friend just got a divorce and that she'd no longer wait for an amend. Seeing all these breakups and knowing the reality of marriage life make me think that wedding receptions are kind of superficial and unreal. Perhaps, I'm pessimistic, but I often wonder, when I go to these events, the odd that the union would last. I only knew a few people there, and the food at the InterContinental Hotel sucked, so I left early.
I must confess that I gave in to shopping. I really love Art's Tailor (good tailoring and fine fabrics despite sometimes old-fashion design) and they're having a sale! Generally, their stuff are expensive. And I'm not really in need to buy them. I've got a really nice Chanel-look jacket, a shirt and a tunic. I love them all.
Now my wardrobe is kind of stabilized into four brands. I'm glad to find what I like and what fits me. So I waste no time in searching.
Then I went to Baan Aree to help P'Lek distribute the biographies of Luangpoo Mun. Though I didn't do much, it's nice to help out and be at Baan Aree. I love the energy of the place. To me, every place has got its own energy, especially those where people practice meditation. Mental focus is just like any other sort of energy though it can't be detected by man-made machine just yet. Some people find me quirky when I say such things. My brother made fun of my engineering background when I talk like that.
Anyhow, yesterday I went to listen to LP Pramote's talk in Sriracha. I hadn't seen him at all in December, before which I saw him every week. Is it necessary to drive 200 km every week to see him? I think so. He has some kind of energy that can invigorate me and keep my practice on track. And seeing him reminds me of what I'm really in this realm for.
Nothing in his teaching is new to me. But it's good to hear the practice guidelines again. He said we need to observe the conditioned phenomena (สภาวะ) so that our mind can remember what they're like. Once they arise, we can see them immediately. To me, the analogy is just like playing sports. As you practice, you become more agile and adept. But the key is to be an equanimous observer which requires the secure and stable mind (จิตตั้งมั่น), or else we are taken over by what we observe. To achieve that kind of stability, one can do formal practices (e.g., sitting or walking) or be aware when the mind slips into one the six senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, bodily sensation, thoughts, which is the most common). It's not either-or, actually more like one needs both to support each other. I mean, being a layperson, how many hours of formal practice can one do in a day?
Awareness is not an end in itself, but it is a key to see things as they are, the ultimate truth. Impermanence (อนิจจัง), unsatisfactoriness (ทุกขัง), and non-self (อนัตตา). Buddhism is amazingly concise, isn't it?
I just happened to think of what Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of Ashtanga yoga said regarding the yoga practice:
Do your practice and all is coming.That's what we're supposed to do with the Vipassana practice as well.
After the talk, I went to a wedding reception of Fon, my friend's sister. Naw, the bride's sister, told me that her friend just got a divorce and that she'd no longer wait for an amend. Seeing all these breakups and knowing the reality of marriage life make me think that wedding receptions are kind of superficial and unreal. Perhaps, I'm pessimistic, but I often wonder, when I go to these events, the odd that the union would last. I only knew a few people there, and the food at the InterContinental Hotel sucked, so I left early.
I must confess that I gave in to shopping. I really love Art's Tailor (good tailoring and fine fabrics despite sometimes old-fashion design) and they're having a sale! Generally, their stuff are expensive. And I'm not really in need to buy them. I've got a really nice Chanel-look jacket, a shirt and a tunic. I love them all.
Now my wardrobe is kind of stabilized into four brands. I'm glad to find what I like and what fits me. So I waste no time in searching.
Then I went to Baan Aree to help P'Lek distribute the biographies of Luangpoo Mun. Though I didn't do much, it's nice to help out and be at Baan Aree. I love the energy of the place. To me, every place has got its own energy, especially those where people practice meditation. Mental focus is just like any other sort of energy though it can't be detected by man-made machine just yet. Some people find me quirky when I say such things. My brother made fun of my engineering background when I talk like that.
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