The Art Of Being Still

By Pico Iyer

Today we were visited by a monk named Pico Iyer.  Pico originally travelled to Thailand before returning and becoming a monk. He mentioned that making a living and making a life can sometimes move you in different directions.  One thing that struck home with me is when Pico said that the duration of his trip gave him many amazing sights, but in the years that followed taking time to sit still allowed him to turn those into lasting insights. I enjoyed our time listening to his stories and insight into the Buddhist religion as someone who joined from a completely different lifestyle.  It was interesting having already heard another monk speak from a different perspective. I'll leave you with this quote to think about: 

"One of the beauties of travel is that it allows you to bring stillness into the motion and commotion of the world."

Candle Ceremony

Hello again, my dear Reader. 
I'm not sure if I've already told you that all schools in Thailand are affiliated with a neighbourhood temple. This stems from a time when monks were the teachers.  I think it is a lovely aspect of the Thai culture.
Friday will mark the beginning of Buddhist Lent here in Thailand. School will be closed on Thursday and Friday. In preparation for the holiday, community members have been preparing candles to present to the monks in the temples. At our school each class has had a turn adding wax to the candle mold. I also saw candle making outside the temple on our trip to Ayutthaya.
This morning I went to school earlier than normal so I could witness the candle ceremony celebrations. The children with special roles were dressed in traditional Thai clothing while the other students had on their school scout uniforms.  Some of my kindergarten cuties had the privilege of riding in the truck with the candle. There were a group of girls doing traditional Thai dance led by the school's dance teacher and a group of students providing the music and song for the march. I was not happy when I realised I had rushed out of the house without my phone to record all of this.  Pitsuda was great about allowing me to use her iPad to take a few photos. She's so kind!
There were also students carrying alms buckets and donation boxes.  Members of the community made donations in the boxes as we paraded through the neighbourhood. My heart raced a few times when some of the older students were playing around as we were walking on the main road. I had visions of preteens being hit by the crazy busy Bangkok traffic but it was all fine (sigh of relief).
We made our way back to the school yard and then in groups the children proceeded to the temple.  Carrying flowers and incense the students and teachers walked slowly around the main hall of the temple three times before going back to school.
It was a beautiful day and I am so grateful to have taken part in this special occasion.

Rest in Peace

This afternoon we had the privilege  of listening to the Venerable Phra Shakyavongsvisuddhi (Anil Sakya) speak at Wat Bovoranives Vihara, a Royal Monastery. The well known monk, who is a descendant of Buddha, told us the impressive history of the monastery which dates back to the reign of King Rama III. The crown prince, and future King Rama IV, was a monk during that time. He was well educated having studied Latin, English and astronomy with missionaries and sailors. As the abbot of Wat Bovoranives he became friends with the Royal Catholic Archdiocese of Bangkok and allowed the Christian missionaries to use the temple.
After the death of King Rama III, Prince Mongkut then called Vajirañāno Bhikkhu, disrobed to take his place as King Rama IV. This was a very important time during Thai history because of the threat of colonisation. Fun fact: Thailand was never colonised. 

The history lesson was followed by a Q and A session which was equally informative.  I regretted not having brought a pencil to take notes! Like I told you already, I can be such a nerd. 
You can imagine that the questions ranged and I can assure you that the answers were very detailed.  One of the points that Anil Sakya touched on was the importance of living in the moment.  Buddhists do not focus on the past or future because it can cause suffering. As an example he said that the Western way to say R.I.P. is too late.  Instead of waiting until someone is dead to say rest in peace we should all be aiming to rest in peace during every moment.  How beautiful would life be if our main focus was peace in each moment? He went on to say that it doesn't mean you can't think about the future, but we shouldn't put too much thought into it and hold on to our plans for the future. I like that.  It reminded me of my Grandma always telling me to never make plans without adding "God spares life" to your thought.  Obviously that is a Christian view on a similar idea.
Here are a few points I found interesting during our session:
Seek to be the knower.
Monks are not there to tell you what to do or convert you. Buddhists do not believe in a higher deity. They tell you the teachings of Buddha and it's up to you to learn from that.  There are 84,000 teachings in 45 volumes all about improving your life to be a quality human being, changing your life to be more beneficial, helpful, happy and compassionate. It's not only about learning the teachings but practising them in your life. Practising will allow you to know the results of living this way rather than relying on the monk's words.
Compassion for its own sake.
Who you are is defined by another human being - "I" is only relevant when there is a "you, he, she, they". Compassion is accepting your influence on others.
Many times people give with the intention of being noticed or appreciated for their deeds. We should aim to be compassionate only to help others, not to feel good about ourselves.
Buddhists monks don't pray.

They chant and recite the teachings of Buddha to use as guidance. The Buddha statue is not a sacred object for them in the sense they are not praying to it but more along the lines of viewing it as a mirror. Buddhists meditation is quite different from the Western idea of meditation. Buddhists use meditation to reflect on life and make sure you take the steps to correct the things you are doing wrong.  It's all about cause and effect.
The four noble truths of Buddhism:
Realisation that life includes suffering,
Attachment is the cause of suffering,
Ceasing suffering can be attained and
the Eightfold Path to cessation of suffering.
All males in Thailand will become a monk at some point during their life.

By law, you are entitled to four months of paid leave to study as a monk. You can go in and out of your time as a monk. Some people will do a month or so before disrobing. In order to get married a man must have completed his four months of Buddhist learning so that he is prepared to care for another life.
Interesting note: I read a passage about the life of Buddha to a grade 6 class last week which provided an excellent schema for this evening's talk. Isn't it fantastic how reading can be so helpful?
Fun fact: Female monks do exist and they are called nunks. Their robes are slightly different to accommodate for necessary undergarments. 

I am thankful that we had this opportunity to hear Anil Sakya speak. I think I could have spent the entire day listening to him.  He travels often, teaching at Oxford and Santa Clara, speaking at events such as the World Economic Forum and addressing the UN headquarters in New York.  As I previously mentioned it was truly a privilege to have the chance to listen to him today.