Blah blah blah blah blah .. oh to hear the sound of my own voice again! Have just completed a 10 day Vipassana course in the middle of nowhere! I can actually talk to a man without getting told off! Am v glad I went actually. T'was very relaxing and enlightening. The whole idea of the course was that you sit cross legged without moving (about 6 hours every day, although I only managed about 4) and you ignore and accept your pain. Thus all your demons and inner problems (what is called Sankara) will surface, and you will be a bootiful harmonious person forever more.
Well, a good idea in theory. And I'm sure I've changed for the better. The only problem was that I got SO BORED sitting there. You're supposed to concentrate on your breathing and sensations around the body in order to reach the depths of your mind, which I did, but I really don't think I have any hidden depths. I just sat there in pain with an empty mind for a lot of the time. So I ended up singing stuff like 'Shut your fucking face uncle fucker' and 'Papa don't preach' to myself to pass the time. Not really helpful for meditation. Ab Fab and Blackadder were also particulalry helpful.
Anyway, we will see whether I have become a better person. In the mean time, I am in one of the old capitals, Sukothai, just relaxing with some people from the meditation course, and tommorrow am off to the old city to see the lovely ruins on a bicycle.
The real world is awaiting - when I get back to Chiang Mai, will neet to look for a job, an apartment, a bike...everything to keep me afloat really. No problem!
May you all experience real peace, real harmony, real happiness. No more Sankaras. Ohmmmmmmmm..............
