Blog Full

9 Jan 2019

The Grand Palace & The Emerald Buddha & The Reclining Buddha – All That Glitters Is Gold – January 10, 2019

by Maurice | posted in: Adventure, Sabbatical, Spiritual, The Human Condition | 0

I have arrived at Chiang Mai and I feel like I’m forcing this particular writing because it’s been a while since I’ve posted something and I’m feeling a sense of obligation to write something. Some of this is cut and paste from other places to give you some of the history with some editing. As of now my interest in writing has gone into areas of spirituality and overcoming the suffering inherent in the human existence. I have something I’ve written that I’m sitting on at the moment.

Thailand embraces the Buddhist religion and I’m learning so much. I’m learning how much I do not know about Buddhism. I appreciate the Buddha dharma and I’m learning how many different interpretations there are. Just like Christianity and the many sects, there is the same with Buddhism. I was a bit confused when I turned on the TV one night and found a channel devoted to cock fighting. If one of the Buddhist teachings is non-violence, how is it possible that there is a television channel devoted to this? I scratch my head. I’m definitely missing something.

One of Thailand’s biggest tourist attraction is a large complex in the city centre, made up of temples, buildings, halls, courtyards and gardens – the result of more than 200 years of refinement. Located near the Chao Phraya river the palace grounds occupy a large rectangular area protected by a high, white wall. Ayutthaya, the capital of Siam had in 1768 been sacked by a Burmese army and the capital was moved, first to Thonburi and then Bangkok. In 1782 King Rama I rammed the first poles into the river bank marking the shift of capital to Bangkok and the start of the new royal palace.

The Grand Palace was not built in a day, but after the first 100 years the most important buildings had been constructed. As you enter the tourist gate on the north end of the palace, you will face a long, wide lane. You are now in the Outer Court. To your left, in the north-east corner of the complex you will notice across a huge lawn another wall around Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha).

I went on a Sunday and the place was so busy and crowded with many people. It is one of the places in Thailand where people come to worship Buddha. There is so much gold and precious stones in the place… someone spent a lot of money on that shrine to Buddha and people come from all over the world to see the place. If you have any issues with personal space, then you better be aware of how crowded it can get. If you stay more than three hours you will grow tired and would be better off returning at another time. In my view there is simply too much glitz and glitter. This is the Thai way and they really know how to impress. I certainly was.

Temple of Reclining Buddha

The Wat Pho or “Temple of the Reclining Buddha” is one of Bangkok’s most attractive temples. It is a much visited temple complex due to its location immediately South of the Grand Palace and the huge Reclining Buddha image it houses.

The Wat Pho is the oldest and largest temple complex in Bangkok, it houses more than 1,000 Buddha images which is more than any other Wat in Thailand. Most of the images were brought over from abandoned temples in places as Ayutthaya and Sukhothai by order of King Rama I.

After the foundation of Bangkok in the Ko Rattanakosin area in 1782 and the construction of the Grand Palace, King Rama I ordered the construction of the Wat Pho. The temple was built on the site of an older, Ayutthaya era temple named Wat Photharam right next to the Grand Palace.

During the reign of King Rama III the temple complex was renovated and enlarged which took over 16 years to complete.

To be honest… I’m a bit temple’d out. I’ve been visiting so many temples and places of worship in my travels, from India to Nepal and now in Thailand. And I felt that I needed to see this temple because of its grandeur and the story. I continue to be most interested in how the cultures deal with the end of human life. How we get into a peaceful relationship (or not) with our mortality and the ceremonies and rituals that we embrace based on religious traditions. So, my tendencies are to continue explore those areas. I am still most enthralled with the Hindu tradition around death. I’m not sure how the Buddhist’s deal with death rituals. Something I need to explore a bit more while I’m here in Thailand.

2 Jan 2019

Giving and Receiving are NOT the same – January 2. 2019

by Maurice | posted in: Love, Personal Growth, Relationship, Spiritual, The Human Condition | 0

I have had the beginnings of this writing in my draft folder for a long time and it’s about time I got to it. There are writings all over the internet about giving and receiving that say all kinds of different things. Are you giving too much and not looking after yourself? Are you giving too much and receiving to little? Giving and receiving ARE the same! The secret to happiness is in giving to others. Avoid giving unsolicited advice. Give and you will receive. Are you confused yet? I certainly am.

One thing that I do not want to miss is the importance of service work, community service or being of service to humankind. This is a kind of giving that reaps its own rewards and cannot be overlooked. It is not about receiving or getting anything back when doing service work. This is about giving back to the world for the blessing of being able to be part of the world. It’s that simple.

An aspect of giving-receiving is where some of us have learned to be a giver out of self-preservation. Some people grew up in families where we learned that by giving of ourselves we avoided conflict and were able to try to keep the peace in our home. We were recognized for what we did than for who we truly are. As we keep giving and giving and giving we lose track of our own self-care which can lead to co-dependent behavior in our relationships.

Is it really more selfish to receive rather than to give? Some religions have taught us that. And that life is more about suffering than being happy. Isn’t that judgment an historic, worn out, religious dogmatic teaching? From the Bible, Acts 20:35 (King James Version): “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” By believing in this way of being we make ourselves feel competent, strong and that we should never make mistakes.

It’s much easier to hide ourselves behind giving. We give and give and give and never give others to give to us or allow ourselves even a chance to receive. We don’t want to feel indebted to someone or pressured to reciprocate. Even a simple compliment can be hard to receive. Just learning to say “thank you” helps experience the natural sense of gratitude that comes along with receiving a gift or compliment.

We like to think that by giving we are having a positive effect on our “karma”. But I think we get karma confused with the giving and receiving concept. Karma literally means “action” or “doing”. Karma, one of the fundamental concepts of Buddhism, is what affects the cycle of rebirth. This is about actions that determine “cause” and “effect” and have nothing to do with giving and receiving.

There are times when we are forced to receive. When someone criticizes our work, we have some choices in how to receive that information. Are you more likely to get defensive and take things personally instead of keeping an open mind and heart to see someone else’s point of view? What about when we make an error or mistake where we need a correction, how gracefully are we able to receive that correction? It’s the difference of being humble or feeling humiliated. The feeling of gratitude for the opportunity to make things right or the feelings of incompetence.

Receiving means to be receptive. Opening ourselves up to receive. When we go to a seminar, workshop or even to school we are saying that we want to be open to receive new information. And yet, we can show resistance to receiving knowledge from our teachers, our fellow colleagues and students. We have lost sight of what strength really is. Strength is cultivated during our practice of receiving new outside information. Let’s not let our ego get in the way of receiving that information because we have attached part of our self-identity to our “knowing” instead of being humble in our unknowing. How can we grow in our wisdom and knowledge when we have such resistance in receiving new information?

What about giving and receiving in relationships? Yes, absolutely, relationships are a series of give/take compromises, one after another. I have already demonstrated in this writing that it’s much easier to be a giver. We can have such expectations on each other in relationships. How we want to receive love. How we give love. There is such conflict that happens in our relationships because we haven’t figured out how to receive each other with kindness and compassion.

Receiving creates intimacy and connection in our relationships. Prioritizing giving may create distancing and separation. If we don’t allow ourselves to receive a simple gift or compliment we are depriving ourselves of a moment of connection with someone else.

Which one would be more important to really learn how to do well? Giving or receiving? If you really had to choose between giving and receiving, which one would you choose? Yes, completely a trick question.

I’d like to leave you with these last bold statements to answer those above few questions as to why receiving is more important than to give.

To receive what someone has to give at any given time is the greatest gift you could possibly give.
Practice dropping our judgments and expectations so we can receive what life has to offer us at any given moment. This practice will bring us the greatest peace in our lives.
Learn how receiving someone’s criticism, anger or frustration, without shame or blame, so no matter what someone has to say to you, it will never destroy your inner peace or leave you ungrounded and break your peacefulness.
Develop a practice in the art of listening so you can receive and hear what someone has to say instead of listening to respond.

31 Dec 2018

Entering The New Year in Thailand – December 31, 2018

by Maurice | posted in: Adventure, Love, Relationship, Sabbatical, Spiritual, The Human Condition | 0

It’s a glorious day here on Pattaya Beach. Spending New Year’s Eve morning at Laguna Beach resort at the pool and soaking in some sun before I go to the beach. It’s been such a wonderful time thus far here in Thailand and I’m looking forward to more exploration of this beautiful country.

After 3 ½ months of travel I still sometimes I feel like I’m not doing enough or seeing enough or taking advantage of what life has to offer when I’m in new places. It’s quite the spin that my mind can get me into when I don’t allow myself the time to just be and realize that I’m never going to see it all or do everything. It’s when this way of being comes into my awareness I know it’s time for me to get still so I can listen to the spirit within me. When I allow myself to do just that I’m always amazed the peace that comes over me in the acceptance of myself and what is.

Here I sit at the beach after about 10 days in Thailand on the eve of the new year and I read the fakebook and others writing about their new years resolution’s. I’ve never really been a resolution-ary. If there’s some change that I wanted to put into place in my life, I didn’t need the new year to make it happen. At the same time, I understand how new beginnings can make us reflect on our past and see how we might want to make a shift in our lives, to do something differently, to become the people we are meant to be, to realize our true nature. Whew… that was a mouthful. ????

I’ve always wanted to take some time off work and travel like this. Without having an itinerary and landing some place and seeing where interests/spirit/people/life takes me. And here I am doing it. I’ve always been the “different” one, even my mother has asked me since I’ve been young “why do you have to do these things or say things like that?”. I really have not allowed people or the culture to dictate to me what’s acceptable. I have gotten myself into some controversy in my work and in my relationships because I do things differently.

What’s next for me then? Don’t worry, I’m not suddenly going to align myself with mainstream cultural norms. Although, I will consider what might be next for me, especially when I arrive back home. But in the meantime, the new year is upon us and I contemplate and wonder as I sit with the breeze from the Gulf of Thailand in my face.

Self-Care…
I LOVE the pleasures that are brought to the body… food, massage, the smells of my garden and sometimes I can go a bit overboard and make the wrong choices eating and drinking. I want to be more conscious in the choices I make for my body.

Service Work…
I believe it’s important to be of service to humanity. Getting involved with the Portland food council was my latest volunteer interest. I will continue to offer myself to Hospice work when needed and there’s a good match. And I will be the best teacher, coach and mentor that I can be to my students.

Relationships…
One of the questions we get asked upon our death is “How well did you love?”. What does it mean to “love well” in our relationships today? I’m not just talking about the love you find in Eros or erotic love… I’m talking about all the ways we love… from affectionate friendship (philia), to playful (ludus), to self (philautia) and selfless (agape) love. I will continue to make the commitment to learn and practice what it means to love well in all my relationships.

Vision/Seeing to End Suffering in Myself and Others…
The Buddha’s insight, in its concentrated form, is found in the Four Noble Truths (ariyasacca). They are the truth of suffering (dukkha), the causes of suffering (samudhaya) the method to end suffering (nirodh), and the Noble Eightfold Path that leads to the cessation of suffering (magga). The only thing that creates misery are my own thoughts, and those thoughts are the beginnings to actions. I will continue to practice my own seeing/vision of people in their perfection and know that any aversion is creating my own suffering.

I’d love to hear from you and what your commitments, intentions are for the new year.

Happy New Year Ya’ll!

29 Dec 2018

You Can Live Life The Way You Want – Pattaya, Thailand – December 27 – 29, 2018

by Maurice | posted in: Adventure, Personal Growth, Relationship, Sabbatical, The Human Condition | 0

I found that it typically takes me 3-5 days to really settle into a new place after I move from one town to another and even to one country to another. To find my way around the streets, make a few friends, find the good local eats and return to my center. Every place is unique and has different things to offer. There isn’t a good or bad judgement, maybe a personal preference but I make every attempt to not judge. We are all the same and wanting the same things in life… food, shelter and love.

I’ve tried to avoid the bigger cities during my travel. It’s a personal preference. Here I am in Pattaya, Thailand after 8 days in Bangkok and, once again, learning so much. I did all these things in Bangkok that I would consider more “western” in nature. Dining out in restaurants. Going on the air conditioned Ferris wheel at Asiatique The Riverfront, Rooftop Bars, looking at possibly buying a new swiss watch that they don’t sell the size I want in the USA… so I spent a little more money than I anticipated. In all honesty, I’m a little bit “temple’d” out, of visiting the thousands of Hindu and Buddhist temples in this part of the world.

After a few days of this, it’s time to find the local markets, the street food and where the locals eat. They are a little bit hard to find because there is no real internet listings or advertising for these places. I ask around and use google translate and find my way around. Patience is the key and using people that can help translate when possible. I was done with the consumerism and “dining” in restaurants. It’s back to learning the local customs, culture and foods.

I did say back to the local customs, huh? Oh… Pattaya, Thailand… Miles and miles of beaches and consumerism where people come from all over the world to soak up the sun. Or do they? C’mon, you know what I’m talking about. One of, if not the biggest, sex tourism capitals of the world. You can really get whatever you would like here. You can buy your way to all the physical pleasures the body has to offer, you can eat at fine dining restaurants and you can also do what I’m doing… trying to live in the local culture, customs and foods.

Once again, this time is different. How? Because Thailand is what they call a “developing” country. There are elements of western capitalism and industrialization here. Thailand is a place that was never “occupied” and taken over by big brutes of countries like the British or the United States. And yet there are big influences here that come from these countries as their military personnel came here to Thailand for R&R during war time and were catered to by the locals. Think about it… From WWII, to Korean War, to Vietnam, that’s many years of influence.

As I sit here at a coffee shop on Beach Road it starts to rain, and as people duck in to stay dry I meet someone from India, someone from Germany. People come from all over the world to Pattaya and they also come for all kinds of different reasons. You can stay in dorm room hostels for $4US a night, low end hotels for $10, beach resorts for $20 (where I am) and high-end hotels for $300. You can dine at high end restaurants and pay western pricing and you can eat street food for a few bucks US.

Something that has taken me a little bit to get used to once again is how “transactional” things are in this part of the world. Just like when I was in India and Nepal, everything is negotiated. When I want to go get a Thai massage and wanted it from an experienced massage therapist I had to negotiate my way through all the other “massage” possibilities hidden in the parlors. When I go to the markets and want to buy a t-shirt and there are no price tags listed I must negotiate. There are times where things are more straightforward than others. There are times when people see the color of my skin and charge me more money than the locals, even when I was with a local helping me get the best pricing. There are a few stores you can go to where the prices are labelled on items, like at the grocery store.

Trying to find a family homestay like when I was in India and Nepal isn’t the same here in Thailand. Airbnb here is the same way as in the USA. Self-check in and where I get curious. Here is something that I learned… there is this slang word, “farang” … very often the word is used in a derogatory or resentful manner, when a Westerner has overstepped the bounds of admissible conduct or has done something that brings shame to Thailand or its people. A taxi driver educated me in this terminology. I get looked at differently. When I was in the markets I could hear the word being used when people saw me walking around. And yet, it is the farang that is responsible for a lot of the economy here. This is part of the reason why there is no real “homestay” opportunities.

Another piece of information that I have come across here is there are a lot of “deadbeat” dad’s. Meaning, fathers who have left their families and have never returned and are not helping support their children. And there isn’t a government or policy that will go after these men like they have in the states. This leaves women really concerned about their financial lively hood and very standoffish when it comes to love relationships in the future. So, the “transaction” continues in love relationships here in Thailand, at the market and in the selling of sex on the street.

Wat to do? (I love that expression now) How to align yourself/myself to foreign cultures such as this here in Pattaya?

The thing that I’m beginning to appreciate about Thailand is that you can come here and do what you like and how you like to do it. The only thing that will keep you from doing what you want to be doing and hold you back from doing it is yourself.

You can’t blame the outside world anymore. It’s all inside you to do.

What’s holding you back from doing what YOU want to be doing … and being who you want to be?

« 1 … 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 … 40 »

Leave a ReplyCancel reply