Thailand's International Meditation Centers by Brooke Schedneck

Author:Brooke Schedneck [Schedneck, Brooke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780415819589
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 18636826
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2014-09-30T00:00:00+00:00

Nature and surroundings

As described earlier, a significant trope for international meditators is the connection between meditation and nature. A striking feature commented on by many international meditators attending this retreat is the importance of nature. Compared with Wat Rampoeng, international meditators who choose the International Dhamma Hermitage hardly ever comment on the orientation or the management of the retreat. Instead, as demonstrated from the comment book and the insight sharing that takes place in the evening on day ten, what is most significant for these foreign meditators is the environment of the hermitage. One international meditator described water as the significant part of his retreat experience. At the International Dhamma Hermitage the retreatants have communal wells of water for showering and separate ones for laundry, as well as the use of hot springs during breaks and foot baths to wash off one’s feet. The meditation hall is filled with sand and is located in an open sala, adding to the natural feeling and resonates with the imaginary of meditation as a practice to be done in a forest or other natural setting. However, this spartan lifestyle is both praised and criticized as extreme by foreign participants. One travel blogger writes:

[T]his sandbox of a meditation hall proved to be quite the challenge, as most days it rained and your feet would be wet and then would be completely covered with sand by the time you reached your place. Sand would get on your cushions and in your clothes and could be quite irritating and a distraction while you meditated.

(Azurra 2007)

Similar to Wat Rampoeng, the exotic becomes difficult and challenging. Some beginning meditators find the adjustment to this lifestyle testing. Each meditator’s room consists of a cement bed and a wooden pillow, a demanding aspect of this retreat. But along with these challenges comes the realization that this is part of the natural lifestyle and retreat experience sought after. Another travel blogger comments about the living conditions, “I expected simple accommodation, not something that was frankly, oppressive. I found it [the concrete bed] pretty much impossible to sleep on it, it didn’t much help going to bed at 9:30pm” (Freeman 2009). Getting used to the surroundings and the lifestyle can be rewarding for those who stay. Because of this many travelers spend time writing about the layout of the retreat center and how they dealt with living in this way for the duration of the retreat.

Well, it must have taken some time that I actually realized that THIS ‘room’ will be my place for eleven nights. It is comparable with a cell or even a prison. The room is approx [sic] 8 sq meter, has openings to all sides (even to the next room), it has a STONE Bed, a WOODEN pillow, just a mat and a blanket. There is also a cloth line [sic] and some hangers. More disturbing for me was the thought that all sorts of creatures moved in before me in my “room” and it did not look like they will leave.

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