Suan Seang Arun (สวนแสงอรุณ)

Other photos that I took can be viewed here.  The details and contact info about Suan Seang Arun can be found from this flyer.

แผนที่ไปสวนแสงอรุณ  (อ.บ้านสร้าง จ.ปราจีนบุรี) 

I've got some questions asking whereabouts of this place, so I figured I should write about what I did there too.  And I couldn't find such info from my Google search this evening.

There are many reasons why I went Suan Seang Arun (SSA).  Most importantly, I personally knew the monks who lead the sessions, and their teaching and practice style agree with my personality: nice balance between group practice, dhamma talks and evening/morning chants, and the schedule wasn't too tight.  The monks's lineage is traced back to Luangpor Tien and then Luangpor Kamkhien (Wat Pa Sukato in Chaiyaphoom).  Basically, they use bodily movements to make one aware of the presence of one's mind and body, whatever is more obvious (yet, self awareness is not an end in itself).

Logistically, the place is close to Bangkok, only 1-2 hour drive, depending on the traffic and the road taken.  The retreat lasted for only 3 days so I didn't have to plan ahead so much.  I like the rustic-garden setting: Most veggie we ate was grown right there.  (The photo below shows the female pumpkin flower that has already been pollinated and about to grow into a pumpkin!)  Not a surprise that the food was excellent: Fresh, wholesome, and yummy!  Many local veggie that a city girl like me had never eaten before was served.  And it's entirely free of charge, subject to our conscience of making a contribution to keep this place running...

On Friday, I left Bangkok in the morning.  Last time I came, our kutis were on the other side of the road, but this time we lived closer to the main hall and the kitchen.  Some of us arrived by cars and some by trains.  After serving lunch to monks and feeding ourselves, we had our first session which began with self introduction on the type of dhamma practices we have had so far.  A third of us had never been to a retreat before (white cloth as opposed to a multi-colored-and-yet-clueless rag like me).  Oh, I forgot the amusing part.  One of the aunties in our group made a confession about her earlier disinterest in Sangkha.  Now that she was drawn into it, she felt guilty towards her family for taking time off to be there.  And she asked if Phra Ajahn Note (pictured below, photo from the SSA's web) had any binds.  I guess the fact that he looked so young fascinated her (he IS young age-wise, by the way).  He said that most of us were bound to someone or something.  In our lives, the critical turning point is when we're about to die.  "Normal" people worry about their belongings, their families, their past karma... But people who call themselves dhamma practitioners (ผู้ปฎิบัติธรรม) fear that their future existence won't be kusala (wholesome).  It's kind of a Catch-22 thing: the very worry and desire is indeed akusala.

After answering questions and letting other monks speak too, Ajahn Note concisely gave us the big picture of Buddha's teaching and why it did matter to our lives.  Then came the practice itself: 14-step hand movement (see the lovely VDO on Facebook by Tsuki Indi)and the walking practice.  I prefer the walks as my back is killing me when I sit for too long.  Plus, I get sleepy too when sitting.  We practiced together a bit and was let out around 4PM.

I almost forgot that we ate normally here.  At other retreats, we wouldn't be allowed to have dinner or coffee.  I roomed with another girl who came by herself.  Our kuti had two bedrooms on the upper floor (thin mats, blankets and pillows were provided) and the bathroom on the ground floor.  After taking a shower, we got together again at 6PM for the evening chant which lasted about 20 minutes, followed by a dhamma talk delivered by Ajahn Note.  

We watched a documentary คนค้นคน on Nong Gun and Nong Kee who were both physically disabled from a genetic disease.  They grew up normally until about age 6-7 thereafter their bodies started to deform.  Gun was so impaired that he couldn't move, and he was almost blind.  The documentary showed how Gun's belief in the law of karma, dhamma teachings that he heard on CDs, and his incessant chanting helps him remain quite positive with life.  When the video clip was over, we had a group discussion.  As is usually Thai, no one responded.  I didn't plan to speak up but was asked to, so I let my assertiveness come alive.  I love the stamina of this kid, the joy of his also-disabled brother, and the calm acceptance of their parents.

We finished around 9PM.  What I really like to do when going to the country side is to look up to the sky.  Bangkok has too much light, smog and dusts that nothing up there can be seen.  I couldn't sleep much that night as it was too humid and warm, and an electric fan didn't help much (air-con totally spoils me).  We needed to get together at 5AM on the next day so I got up at 4AM.

The morning chant was lovely.  I was particularly fond of looking out and seeing how the sky slowly lighted up.  It was such a big contrast: surrounding by dark trees against the backdrop of bright clear sky.  And I love how the place slowly came alive in the morning.  The sound of people working in the kitchen.  It is like a theater getting itself ready for the day of another show.

After the morning chant and a small dhamma talk, Ajahn Tum led us through some simple upper body stretches: necks, upper backs, hands and wrists.  Besides Ajahn Note, Ajahn Tum is another fascinating character that it'd take a long time to describe him.  As one of the founders of Plan Associates (a well-known architectural design company), he built this SSA compound where he lived over its initial five years.  Besides dhamma, his passions (that I know of) are in horticulture and holistic health.  Very well-rounded and highly intellectual person.  And I've met many smart people...

The breakfast was followed by another short dhamma talk with self practices (all of us were in the same area of the main hall).  As is tradition, Ajahn Note didn't have a script when he gave talks.  He spoke whatever came to him.  That kind of immediacy touched the hearts deeper, I think, given that one's heart was open.

The lunch today was especially grand in terms of veggie's selection as a former gardener of this place made food offerings to the monks.  The food that I had for the first time in my life was boiled-egg curry with young tamarind leaves and a curry of some sort of spongy shoots (ก้านของตันหัวบุก).  The dessert was awesome too: home-made fruit ice (สละลอยแก้ว).  My detailed account on food, as opposed to dhamma talks, clearly indicates where my heart is...

In the afternoon, we had a dhamma talk and a practice session.  The drowsiness that I was worried about didn't show up, thank goodness.  I didn't feel very comfortable having people practice around me so I went upstairs.  I mostly walked, stretched when my back was too tight, and did the hand movements when walking becomes too exhausting.

In the second evening, it rained with a thunderstorm.  Similar to the first night, we had an evening chant, dhamma talk and video viewing.  This time, we were shown the TV interview of Luangpor Kamkien (his downloadable talks is on fundham.net).  He was equally charming and compassionate on TV and in person.

I slept well on the second night.  Sunday was our last day there.  We began our morning rituals like the day before.  But instead of doing the stretches, Ajahn Tum walked us through the garden.  Very refreshing!  He showed us edible plants and herbs, telling us what cures what and what can be used for what...  And I realize how little I know about plants.  I had listened to him twice but very little remained in my brain. My new piece of info is that some mucous (เมือก) veggie like okra (กระเจี๊ยบ) and aloe vera is good for stomachs: it aids digestion.  And banana (กล้วยหอม) creates stomach gas.  Oh...and I've talked about the pumpkin pollination.  Also, the purple-color substance in the butterfly pea flowers (ดอกอัญชัน) helps stimulate peripheral nerve cells (ปลายประสาท), e.g., in eyes and brows.  So in the old days, babies' brows were drawn with juice from butterfly pea flowers so that brows grow quickly.

Hmmm.. I could remember more than I thought.  Symbolically, we ended our garden tour at the kitchen (food-as-medicine kinda ending).  After the tour, we had breakfast, dhamma talk, practice, lunch and sojourn.  I generally hate saying goodbye face-to-face so I didn't.  I texted Ajahn Note and Ajahn Tum when I arrived to Bangkok to thank them.