MY EARLY ENCOUNTER
Way way back then when I was still a secondary school student, there was a buddhist place next to my school. My classmate asked me to meet her there for school work revision. It had a canteen serving porridge and sometimes vegetable soup, for free. It became my frequent place after school.
One weekend, the same classmate tagged me there for morning chanting and followed by buddhist class. It became my frequent place every weekend.
Somehow I stopped going there. I never did, not even once practicing meditation.
Back then, meditation to me was something tough to do. If it was not from the right teaching, it could lead to some evil spirits stuck into your body or something worse than that.
Hence I was late in meditation practice because of this misconception from the very early stage.
THE JOURNEY STARTS
Until my mom got into it and had been practicing it daily. From her I had the rough idea about how a silent meditation like.
Overtime, through the conversation with mom, the idea of going to a retreat came. Thailand's Dipabhavan Meditation Retreat came into my mind, as I visited it years ago. I could still remember the peace and breezy air while entering the centre. I made an online request and attended the next available course. It was on May, 2014.
The first was always the greatest. All I could say is, it was a turning point in my life. Since then I viewed things quite different from before.
THE DRAWINGS
I even came out some drawings. The retreat was not just about searching inner soul, it helped to observe the nature and the surrounding. When the mind calms, we see things clearer. This theory works for other aspects in life too.
THE RETREATS
If you are interested, there are 2 more places running meditation courses in the same province other than Dipabhavan in Koh Samui. Look for Wat Kow Tahm in Koh Phangan and Wat Suan Mokkh in mainland Surat Thani.
Read about Being mindful of each breath — on observing the process of breathing.
I do wondering the general perception towards meditation. Any thought, my friend?