Written by: Dr Jerome
Venerable Phra Mana shared that he was a forest monk from the age of 22. He completed his medical studies in Thailand prior to being ordained. He worked as a doctor but he was not happy seeing the problems of mankind and he decided to be ordained to understand the true nature of life.
Forest monks are renowned for their ability to use nature and surroundings to teach the dhamma. Ven. Phra Mana came to the meditation retreat in Green Beach Resort in Sam Roi Yot on an evening. That evening, he brought us to Sam Roi Yot beach for a walking meditation exercise. The beach was a beautiful long stretch of pristine beach with few locals around.
Before the walking exercise, Ven. Phra Mana explained that the ocean in front of us is vast and wide. It can be compared to the ocean of samsara. In the depths of the samsaric ocean, we can find lots of unknown challenges, problems and uncertainties in life. And life after life, we had lived with ignorance of the truth that all conditioned things are impermanent (anicca), unsatisfactory (dukkha) and anatta (non-self). And through attachment and craving, we conditioned our next existence. We should see that our attachment to material and thoughts brings us suffering.
The Buddha is compassionate and kind enough to provide us with solutions to cross this ocean of samsara to the other shore. Crossing this ocean is not easy and one will need to give up his past habits of aversion and attachment. In this depth of samsaric ocean, we can meet with lots of obstacles and challenges. Hence, these solutions are “floats” to help us cross the ocean. These floats can come in form of loving kindness (metta) meditation, chanting, concentration (jhana) meditation, insight (vipassana) meditation, etc. When we need to use the floats, we use them. When we do not need to use the floats, we do not use them. If we have crossed the ocean, do we still need to wear our floats around? No! We will throw them away! In similar way, these meditation techniques help us to solve our problems when they arise! We should not attach to these techniques when our mindfulness are sharp enough. It is said that some (not ALL!) people who practice the arupa jhana attach to the pleasant feeling in the arupa jhanas and fail to leave them. Hence, it is important to learn and master meditation techniques and use them appropriately in maintaining our mindfulness in daily life.
Teachings from Sam Roi Yot meditation retreat (17 to 25 November 2018)
I am blessed to attend a meditation retreat organised by Brother Richard Chia teaching the meditation techniques of concentration (Samadhi) and vipassana (insight) in the lineage of late Ven. Amatha Gavesi Thera. Participants of retreat were even more fortunate to have visiting forest monks led by Abbot Ven. Phra Mana from Sunnataram Forest Monastery during the last 3 days of the retreat.
- Dr Jerome
Buddhism and Meditation courses by Brother Richard Chia: http://www.basicbuddhism.org/
Sunnataram Forest Monastery: