7baz Posted October 29, 2011 been sincerely thinking of just going to Thailand for a year ,becoming a monk and learning how to really meditate. i know people around the world go to Thailand all the time and become monks. has anyone here done this ? im at a stage in my life where i just want to get out , leave everything behind and just go. i want to purify my mind and get rid of all the garbage i have been building up the last ten years and just forget about this shit. can i simply jump off the plane , go to a temple and be welcome with open arms , or is there more to it ? will i be able to sleep there , be fed etc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tripsis Posted October 29, 2011 I recommend you read the book Phra Farang for some insight into life as a (Western) monk in Thailand. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
7baz Posted October 29, 2011 found the book and read the reviews tripsis , looks really good , thanks so much man i appreciate that a real lot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tripsis Posted October 29, 2011 It's a great book, very inspiring, but also gives a realistic perspective on life as monk there. Definitely worth reading. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ballzac Posted October 29, 2011 been sincerely thinking of just going to Thailand for a year ,becoming a monk and learning how to really meditate. i know people around the world go to Thailand all the time and become monks. has anyone here done this ? im at a stage in my life where i just want to get out , leave everything behind and just go. i want to purify my mind and get rid of all the garbage i have been building up the last ten years and just forget about this shit. can i simply jump off the plane , go to a temple and be welcome with open arms , or is there more to it ? will i be able to sleep there , be fed etc I have a feeling that Buddhism is more about acknowledging the "garbage" and accepting it than escaping from it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
7baz Posted October 29, 2011 (edited) its a catch 22 ballzac , my primary motive is to learn to meditate properly , something i know the monks are a master at doing , even thou yes we can say the same for india and other parts of Asia. ok so i learn abit about Buddhism , for me i see it more as a insight , i have in no way shape or form a desire to be a Buddhist for the rest of my life as a full on devotee. Edited October 29, 2011 by 7baz Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
klip247 Posted October 29, 2011 (edited) I was thinking about doing the same thing last year, but have since realized that there is no need to travel overseas in order to learn meditation! Meditation can be learned at home working solo, knowledge of the essentials plus discipline and consistency are your friends, you have all the tools you need right now, you do not need to travel overseas to learn how to meditate. I will now link you to a website where the core essentials of meditation are outlined these guides have helped me out heaps, you can definitely learn how to do this solo!; this information is sufficient enough to get you started: Gnostic Meditation Introduction to Gnostic Meditation Vigilance Calm Abiding Concentration Mental Discipline Vipashyana and Clairvoyance Imagination, Inspiration and Intuition The Foundation Also these are very good articles to go through: Meditation - The Science of Awakening Dhyana, the Perfection of Meditation The Ten Rules for Medtiation And a really good series that have been transcribed from their weekly lectures: Meditation without Exertion Fuel for Spiritual Experience Good luck and I hope this helps you get started on the right track! Edited October 29, 2011 by klip247 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhoenixSon Posted October 29, 2011 http://www.dhamma.org/ a very good introduction, centers are all around the world. In ten days you will have a basic handle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
woof woof woof Posted October 29, 2011 (edited) Yes you acknowledge the garbage. Once you see it for what it is you will let it go. And will not want to go back to it. So you will indeed "escape"(maybe not the right wording) from adding more garbage. It's a process. With time you will achieve deeper peace within yourself and this will help with taking your meditation further. Going to Thailand is a good idea if you ask me. But why not a 10 day vipassna to begin with? btw,.. I dont really think there is an absolute proper way to meditate. Al meditation really is, is sitting in a stable comfortable position (or with time it gets more comfortable) and achieve a peaceful inner stillness. with time and practice it becomes deeper (more peaceful and more connected/ open etc etc) Edited October 29, 2011 by woof woof woof Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
7baz Posted October 30, 2011 (edited) klip247 i dont want to read ebooks and look online and spend hours going around in circles. and then folk out money paying for courses. i go to thailand / laos.. im in real proper hands , real monks who have been practicing a art thats over 2500 years old. to be sitting in a thai rainforest meditating to me is pure bliss. i dont need to worry about accommodation , food , it means less stress. i sincerely just cant see me learning it properly while i still gota go to work , more stress , pay the bills.. even more stress etc etc etc. i need to escape and get out before i do my head in. this is it , everyone has there own ideas on how to achieve things in life. the way im doing this is the hard way ,and it for my own good. no smokes , no coffee , no sex , no more wearing my beanie. the bueaty of all this is that in my mind i will be in unknown territory. Edited October 30, 2011 by 7baz 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
7baz Posted October 30, 2011 Vipassana sounds like a great idea , will look more into this. there any in melbourne ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seldom Posted October 30, 2011 i have a friend who did a 40 day Vipassana retreat with these guys http://www.meditation.asn.au/ http://www.meditation.asn.au/Documents/schedule2012.pdf http://www.meditation.asn.au/Documents/Retreat_applic.pdf one good thing it's not in any way run for $, each person pays according to their means, which if you're poor can be virtually nothing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CβL Posted October 30, 2011 In my opinion, running off to a monastery is taking the easy way out. And any honest individual who is experienced in taking easy way outs will tell you - the easy way out is not the best way out. It will be easy because you can pretend that your problems didn't follow you. You won't see evidence of your past activities, nor people who remind you of your past actions (or inactions). That makes it all rather easy, return back to the mind of your childhood, and just follow a path laid out for you, rather than plant your own bricks. You can't run away from your problems to solve them. Haven't you see the Lion King? The hard way is to acknowledge your problems. Face them like they are ocean waves about to break. Understand the problems, by being bitterly honest and truthful to yourself. You have probably lied to no-one more than yourself. I think you would understand if I said it has to get worse before it gets better. I can teach you how to meditate. There is no secret, as much as the religious elite would have you believe. The secret is that it's so easy you'll think there's more to it - but there's not. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qualia Posted October 30, 2011 are you actually planing on becoming a buddhist? or do you just need to "escape" from your problems? no offence but this seems kind of "touristy" to me. if it was me i'd seek out a temple of some sort in melbourne. i'm sure there's plenty around of one persuasion or another. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
klip247 Posted October 30, 2011 (edited) 7baz, at the end of the day that's your choice if you want to go there, i was simply referencing some reading material that helped me out and was actually hoping that it would help you realize some things as well. By the way you don't have to fork out cash for any courses and neither join any school, its all free information.. like it should be! "i go to thailand / laos.. im in real proper hands , real monks who have been practicing a art thats over 2500 years old." I would still be cautious... not all people who claim to be monks are truly monks. "to be sitting in a thai rainforest meditating to me is pure bliss." This I can definitely agree with, it beats shooting RPGs and assault rifles. "i sincerely just cant see me learning it properly while i still gota go to work , more stress , pay the bills.. even more stress etc etc etc." Yes your right the strange stress of modern day living makes learning anything anti-stressful quite difficult, whether we admit it or not.. alot of us are actually addicted to this stress in some strange and bizarre way. "no smokes" Cigarettes are ultra cheap there, although strangely enough I quit smoking in Cambodia and havent touched anything since (I smoked way too much when I was there and got sick of it), its been about 7 months. Goodluck with that, but once again you can quit smoking without having to go overseas! Edited October 30, 2011 by klip247 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rabaelthazar Posted October 30, 2011 7Baz, if it is the Thai Buddhist philosophy/meditation you're interested in, I'd recommend take a day down at this place in Warburton. The head monk is Australian, but spent a very long time practicing in Thailand. He is well respected by the Thai community here. You can head up for a day on any weekend, bring a plate of food. A whole bunch of Thai and Indian people will also bring a plate of food, you offer the food to the monks and whatever is left over you eat with the other visitors. Then you go up and listen/talk to the head monk. He normally speaks Thai, but will speak English if there is a large proportion of Indian or Australian visitors. It's not like being preached to by a priest... it's more like an open conversation. You might enjoy it and, if not, at least you'll get an awesome feed of home cooked Asian food. Yummo. The temple holds regular retreats and meditation sessions, so might appeal and will be far more convenient and far less expensive than travelling to Thailand. If, on the other hand, you're more interested in just getting out of the country, then don't faff about - get on a plane. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Psylo Posted October 30, 2011 "to be sitting in a thai rainforest meditating to me is pure bliss." This I can definitely agree with, it beats shooting RPGs and assault rifles. Go to Cambodia and you can meditate and play with heavy artillery 7Baz, I think you should follow your heart. If nothing else, a south east asian trip will get you away from the daily grind for a while. But yea, watch out for "Spiritual Scammers" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rabaelthazar Posted October 30, 2011 Oh, and one more thing.... if the meditation doesn't end up working out - there's a diverse range of fungus in some of the nearby pine forrests. One way or another you'll reach a transcendental state. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
7baz Posted October 31, 2011 Rabaelthazar your a very wise man ,m thank you lol i just been accepted to to the vipassna 10 day course. going this wednesday am i nervous ? yes i am will they actually teach you the art of meditation , or they kinda simply just make you meditate and you end up somehow figuring it out ? blah i hope the coffee n nicotine withdrawals doesnt mess me up while im there lol 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted October 31, 2011 hope everything works out baz. being a monk for a year sounds great to me. if you stop drinking coffee now you'll be past the worst by wednesday. almost true of cigarettes too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
7baz Posted October 31, 2011 it will all work out. me and a heap of mates will be going to the rainbow serpent , january or febuary ? i cant remember. then il be going. just before my 36th birthday too , so this way everything pans out the way i want it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
santiago Posted October 31, 2011 go for it 7baz, if you dont have anything major like kids or a wife holding you back then your free to act apon your own impulses as your really not effecting anyone else. dont worry about running away, thats a simple cop out you dont deserve. your in kings cross right and a bunch of hooligans corner you for your wallet, going on some theories it may be best for you to save your wallet and fight many dudes, your not going to run away from your problems right? wrong, martial arts which is closely connected to meditation will teach you to avoid all conflict no matter what the cost, but deep within you have the tools to fight and thats the irony. running from a fight may save the lives of your muggers, so is it really wrong to run. its the gutless who stay in the rut. the lion king is a movie, your life is real. i dont think your running anyway, your just wanting change and your entitled to that. life isnt a movie and forget the cliches. you will regret it if you dont and that only worsens your inner turmoil. this move may lead to more problems one would guess, i would personally exaust all local options first as there may be different trees in tibet but its still the same freakin earth. edmund hillary did a similar thing and he regrets it now, but life is a regret in many phases. that aside, you should do it but its going to risk your life in any ways, but you and i know your not running from anything. good luck buddy...all the best and take care. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
woof woof woof Posted October 31, 2011 Keen to hear about your experience after you are back 7baz. Vipassna is the basis of all meditation. And they say it's what the Buddha did to achieve enilightenment. YOu will noticably feel that you are balencing out the emotions (brain chemistry). Some moments will feel like uphill battles (uncomfortable and feeling as if you are not doing it right,...just keep breathing and focus on keeping your breathing relaxed,.. that is all that there is to it.), and others will feel like peaceful gliding through the air. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
woof woof woof Posted October 31, 2011 the reason I reccomended Vipassna is that it is not a to drastic of a move. And also because many people that have done Vipassna will likely do a few more sessions after that. I'm personally not completly convinced about buddhist teacings. the methods,..altough perhaps effective are 2500 years old. So I would say,... those are extreme old school teachings. hahaha. I put it this way,.... the buddhe himself did not recite his own teachings the whole day to keep his mind from straying. He just sat down and focussed on his breathing. (vipassna) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
7baz Posted October 31, 2011 santiago has somehow tapped into my mind reading my thoughts lol i am indeed not running around from anything. if anything i will be running myself into more hard issues and problems my brain will need to quickly overcome. being in a strange country , adapting to there way of life , the food in which i love anyway. , kissing goodbye my modern toys , internet etc. then getting used to the silence and quietness , meditating , learning new things.new faces. woof woof im not totally convinced either , but just the insight would be wonderful. it wont quite be like going to a scientology church where you can taste too many things that dont quite fit right lol and you bet i will be recording all my experiences here. before i go i will do a pic of how i look , and a pic of me actually being there , and so on. and will i be taking my camera along and going looking for wild trees and shrooms in the thai forest ? fuck yeah will be taking my canon EOS 100d camera with 3 different lens :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
