Alive and Well at Baan Boon (บ้านบุญ)

See all the photos here.

Over the past weekend, my friends and I went to practice and listen to a dhamma talk by Ajahn Jayasaro at his Pakchong hermitage.  As is my habit, I was reluctant to go initially but ended up having a good time.  I guess it's my self-defense mechanism so as to not having too high expectation.

We arrived around 7.30AM to Baan Boon "บ้านบุญ" (Boon means merits or wholesome) which is a house inside a large real-estate property called Baan Rai Thawsi (บ้านไร่ทอสี  Click for the map).  It was run by the Panyaprateep Foundation that owns the Thawsi School (in Bangkok for Grades 1-6) and the Panyaprateep School (a boarding school in Pakchong, Korat, for Grades 7-12).  The classes in these schools are designed to be consistent with Buddha's teachings ("โรงเรียนวิถีพุทธ").  Ajahn Jayasaro gives consulting advices to the schools. 

Baan Boon and its garden are lovely and well-designed. The meditation room is on the second floor.  Ajahn Jayasaro (click to see his short bio and English dhamma talks) leads a practice session on the 1st and the 3rd Sunday mornings of every month, subject to his other arrangements. (Contact the Thawsi school office to check the time.  Download his dhamma talks on MP3, some are in English, but most are in Thai).

We started with the morning chant and 30-minute sitting practice (anapanasati).  I loved that he guided us through the sitting and then let us on our own.  Perhaps it was the pleasant weather, my good night sleep, or the excellent energy of the place, I felt completely at ease and my concentration was better than usual.

Then we were given a short break and then returned for his talk.  Though I have heard many of his talks already, I still found something new in this one.  (I'm not going to summarize what he was talking about or perhaps on the next blog post then.)  Some parts of it sounded like he was addressing to me.  I felt refreshed and nourished.  A good dhamma talk is much more rewarding than going shopping or seeing movies though my shopaholic streak still remains in me...

After the talk, we were allowed to give one-spoon rice alms to Ajahn (the rice was kindly provided by the Baan Boon).  He is so beautiful to behold: the way he moves, the way he smiles, and how he looks at us.  He is really reserved but not uptight.  And it wasn't like he was overly careful.  His manners are deliberate and yet at ease.  Really amazing how a Westerner can be so composed.

While Ajahn was having his meal, the owner of the house provided us with delicious food (some were brought by other visitors and we may help sharing the costs of the food and dhamma books.)  I'm really grateful for the owner of the house to let us into this lovely place, organize this delightful event, distribute dhamma books, and also feed us.  Compassion makes the world go around.  Wealth is indeed for sharing and for bringing about wholesome things.

What I also found interesting was my trip companions.  Mostly very eccentric folks.  I just found out that one friend was an adopted child of a rather dysfunctional family.  I was impressed that he could turn out to be "normal" at all (whatever that word may mean...).  In Thailand, we often blame bad fortunes or mishaps on our own past unwholesome karma, but I prefer the concept that we face difficulties so we can become stronger, in a sense of perfecting Paramii (perfections).  Putting blames on bad karma is too depressing and not very encouraging.  If I must endure, I'd rather do it wholeheartedly rather than bitterly.

I don't generally like to be with that many people whom I'm not so used to, and I did feel irritated at times over this weekend (I have learned to shut up, fortunately).  But I absolutely think that my time was worth it.  Though my friends are weird but most have genuine interests in dhamma practice, and I feel I have done my part as a friend (the house we spent a night belonged to my dad's friend and I drove one of the two cars) and as a Buddhist.  Plus, being in the presence of Ajahn Jayasaro, with or without his talk, is in itself a very delightful experience.