Blog Full - Maurice Leavitt | Personal Essays, Travel Writing & Reflections

30 Jan 2019

Part 3 – How Culture’s View of Communal Cooking Fosters Rich Human Connection – “To Give Life” – Bangkok to Nakhon Pathom to Yasothon, Thailand – January 28, 2019

by Maurice | posted in: Adventure, Love, Personal Growth, Relationship, Sabbatical, Spiritual | 0

This post might be a little long. I’ve been away from my computer for a week and have made some heart-warming connections in the last 10 days with lovely local Thailand folks that I want to write about. I’m currently sitting on a farm located in a town called Yasothon, Thailand, in Issan, Thailand’s largest region. This regions economy is based on agriculture where sticky rice is 60% of what they grow. This is the hot season, yesterday it got to 95F with a low of 63F at night. It gets as hot as 107F come April.

What does it mean “To Give Life” … to be “Live Giving”?

Having the power of providing sustenance, spirit or life.
That gives or can give life
Strengthening; refreshing; inspiring

After a bit of a challenging time in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I sat wondering what might be next for me in this country. I thought I wasn’t having the genuine and authentic experience that I truly wanted inside Thailand like I did with the home-stays family’s in India and Nepal and I was getting myself ready to possibly head to Cambodia. I surrendered into whatever was meant to be for me here in Thailand, whatever it was. Then, something happened…

In the process of trusting the universe (god), and my surrender into whatever is meant to unfold for me being perfect whatever it is, I was invited to visit the home of “Kay”, a personal chef in Bangkok and to visit the family of a new friend Purada, who I now call “Moo Kee Mao” (my Thailand version of Mickey Mouse) in Nakhon Pathom. Both with the intent of having an authentic Thailand experience with food and real people. I have been speaking/SMS messaging with these women for over a month and haven’t been able to connect with them except for a one day visit to Moo at the floating market in Nakhon Pathom the first week I had arrived in Thailand where she proceeded to get sick from all the eathing and activity.

… something for me had shifted.

Back to Bangkok

I made my way to Kay’s home in Bangkok following my time in Chiang Mai. Kay is from Chinese descent and a Muslim woman married for about 30 years with 4 children. When I first arrived, I was invited to sit and have tea and a conversation. The topics took a ride all on their own, from religion to education to relationship to spirituality to family to personal values to love to many many others. Three hours went by and it felt like 10 minutes. It was like I found a long-lost friend or sibling and we were picking up where we left off. Then we realized that we wanted to cook together and began pulling things out of the refrigerator to cook for dinner.

Spending time with Kay was a reminder and confirmation of all who I am in the world being reflected right back to me. And vice versa. That we are to be listening to our hearts, doing good for each other, being of service to humanity and putting life back into others that seem to be struggling with themselves. We were sharing both of our chosen positive world views we each learned from our study and from our personal life experiences as we were holding each other in the highest positive regard. All of our conversations around our beliefs systems included and transcended any religious dogma or faith.

Oh, wait… cooking… that’s right… Kay and I originally began our conversation around matters of cooking. Isn’t that the same thing that cooking does? Cooking brings people together to find commonalities with each other, accepting our differences and seeing the good in each other! Providing each other with life’s sustenance and spiritual truths, helping guide us into enjoying our lives and allowing others do the same. In short… life-giving.

We proceeded to cook the things that were in Kay’s refrigerator… Mackerel, lotus trunk, green papaya salad and grass jelly with corn. Kay’s pantry is filled with all the spices, bottled sauces and everything you may need to cook. We sat and enjoyed dinner together and planned what might me happening in the days to come.

I get a message from Kay a couple of days later after she completed 1000 pieces of baking sausage stuffed buns and banana muffins she was contracted to make for a government funded disability center with 500 beds. She invited me to join her for the day. At first, I was thinking I would take the day to rest after two days of walking around all day in Bangkok. Then Kay invited me a second time. She has such a way with her words that motivated me to get my ass out of bed and get to her place.

I accompanied Kay to Phrapradaeng Protection and Development Home for Persons with Disabilities and witnessed how they treated the people there, the cleanliness of the facility and of course I compared that in my mind to the facilities I have been to in the USA. Even though there are a lot of rules and restrictions in the USA for nursing home / assisted living facilities, I felt this facility was far superior than ones I’ve been to in the USA. For the most part, people working there were happy and wanted to be serving the people living there and you could see that in the vibrancy of the people they were serving. In this part of the world people definitely treat their elders with more dignity and respect than we seem to do in the USA. To Give Life!

We spent the rest of the day going through the markets, so I could ask the questions about items that I have not been able to get answers to. And winding up at IconSiam, a “westernized” mall on the waterfront that showcases the wonderful food and crafts of Thailand. In all honesty, Kay was interested in seeing the high society toilet bidet in the bathrooms at IconSiam and it was a bonus that I was able to see and experience that place.

The following day we had a full day planned of cooking and going to the market for provisions. Some of the problem is that we could just talk for hours and hours and we had to make ourselves stop talking so we could actually get something done. In the meantime, we were able to cook Pad C-U, Pad Thai, Tom Yum, Grilled Beef, Kao Thai Kaoi Kai and Chu-Chee. It was a long day of cooking and everyone got a chance to experience life through nourishment.

Nakhon Pathom

The following day I was on my way to Nakhon Pathom to meet a new friend Moo and her family. After being invited by her to get a tour of the morning market and the floating market a month before, she had invited me to her home for me to be welcomed into her family and have a real Thailand experience and to cook with her ex-husbands mother. As Moo would say… she was willing to do for me.

I arrived in Nakhon Pathom on Friday morning after very little sleep and still a full belly from all the cooking (and eating) the night before. We immediately went through the market to get the raw materials we would need to cook that day. Moo took the day off from work and wanted to be home to be with her 9yr old son and 2yr old daughter. I was really happy, even ecstatic, to be welcomed in to be part of the family.

We spent the rest of the morning walking the land, talking and hammocking, playing with her cute 2yr old and harvesting food from the land to be used to cook with… Banana flower, galanga, lemongrass, taro root, mangos, papaya, guava, jackfruit, kaffir lime, Thai basil and some other leafy greens that I cannot remember the names of. Moo has lived here all 42 years of her life with her family and harvesting from the land. Her parents passed away only a few years ago and she is living there with her sister, her sisters’ friend, her 2 children and her ex-husbands mother.

After dinner we went to a first annual carnival at the Buddhist temple. It was very crowded and extremely loud. I have never heard sound so loud like that before. I wondered why, was it a rave? There were no other white skinned foreigners there that I could find. I had my first taste of freshly friend grasshoppers, crickets and other insects. They had rides for the children with no seatbelts or safety mechanisms or fences to keep people from hitting their heads on the rides spinning around in circles. I told Moo… these Buddhist monks know how to throw a party even if there is no alcohol or drugs there and only gambling and loud music. <smiles> Thailand can be such a contradiction in itself, to me sometimes at least.

We spent the next two days in a regular routine. 6am to the morning market to give food to the monks, to release live fish (Buddhist practice of giving life), drinking coffee and eating breakfast, have morning heart speaks complete with laughter and tears, and provision for the days cooking program. Back home to play with the children and to cook.

The menu over the weekend included Lard Na (Wide Noodles in gravy), Nam Ya (Thai Minced Fish Curry), Khau Tom Mad (Sticky Rice and Thai Bananas wrapped in banana leaf), Nam Prik (Spicy Thai Dipping Sauce), Pad See Ew (Stir Fried Noodles), Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles), Prik Nam Pao (Red Chili Paste), Thai Banana Flower and Pad Kra Pao (Pork and Holy Basil Stir Fry). I will record the recipes and pictures separately from this writing.

Having small children (9-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl) in the house also provided me an opportunity to see another place where “giving life” plays out and how people orient themselves around the children as children represent life’s potential for everyone around them to receive. Children have such a beautiful way of bringing hope, goodness, innocence and simplicity and breathing life into our every day existence. Even if you don’t speak their language.

Being around the elder in a family is also a gift to receive. In the culture here in Asia, the families live together and value the wisdom in their elders. While in the USA we push our children out at age 18 to make a life for themselves and put our elders in nursing homes so parents can get their lives back. Moo’s ex’s mother knew so much about the land and the food produced by the land, is helping with child care, bringing generations of cooking wisdom to me and thriving in her own life doing what she wants to be doing surrounded by the life in her family. It was even wonderful for me to be made fun of and be the source of humor as “the foreigner” who does things differently than them.

It was a wonderful 4 days/3 nights with Moo Kee Mau and her family. I received so much care, kindness, generosity and love from them. As I write this, tears come to my eyes… the impermanence in life… to receive such love and life from complete strangers and then having to leave, say so long, and wondering when we will see each other again as I move along on my journey back to Bangkok and through other countries in Asia and Indonesia.

Yasothon

After such a wonderful time with Kay in Bangkok and feeling like I made a lifelong connection, Kay and her husband Jilly invited me to spend some time on their farm in Yasothon, Thailand, about a 7 hour drive from Bangkok. I had just met Kay who invited me into her home and now was invited to the family’s farm home in the country. We were talking about this in the car. Should I be the one to be nervous and scared? Because I am not. I think we know when people are operating from their hearts. It doesn’t take much time at all to see people’s intent. I feel extremely blessed to have met Kay and Jilly and be invited along with them… even when we do fight over who will pay the bill for the food at the market. <smiles> I need to get more insistent about that.

A message came through that one of their friend’s mother passed away and there is a funeral the following day. I was invited to come along to experience a Buddhist funeral. At first, I wasn’t sure about going. It was a 5hr round trip drive… I wasn’t part of the family… I was a foreigner… I was behind on my writing… I wasn’t getting time by myself… blah blah blah! Kay has a way with her words and I was convinced to go. I was reminded that I asked for a real Thailand experience and here was a chance to see a Buddhist death ritual at a temple in the countryside of Thailand. I’m so glad I went.

So here I sit the following morning feeling the temperature rise into the mid 90’s after a nice sleeping night with temperatures in the mid 60’s and much better air quality than in Bangkok. The three of us cook together, work together, talk about anything and everything under the sun and it is a very peaceful, caring and loving time here.

It’s sometimes hard to believe how the three of us have such differences in our countries and religions of origin and yet we all have extremely similar views of how to live life, extend love and being happy. I’ll spare you all the conversations about god that we have for the time being. I am continually blessed beyond any stretch of my imagination. Being given life is taking on a completely different meaning with the foundation staying the same. (S.M.Q., you’d love this)

Giving life and love is a reciprocating process when done well between people. It is a place where we need to receive what others have to give and not get stuck in only giving or receiving. I needed to allow these people to offer themselves, their lives and homes to me and to just receive them. Letting go of any idea I had in my head of Thailand being “trans-actional”. At the same time, I was giving of my own life and my own life’s experience… providing an opportunity for sharing a different perspective when entering a strangers home, being allowed to purchase the food for all the meals and sharing of myself wherever I could… all the while receiving everyone else’s generous hospitality.

I learned how much I like to give and how I need to allow others to give to me without feeling obligated to do anything in return. If someone (including me) has an issue or hidden agenda in their giving where there is an expectation to receive something back, then it is not truly giving from the heart. I like to call it… Giving from a closed fist.

In conclusion, the giving of life can show up in many different ways. Whether its in the form of sitting with people sharing and giving of ourselves so someone can be free from their suffering. Life giving actions can be in the form of performing service work people who are less privileged than we are. Giving of life can also be in the form of nourishment while we put our hearts and love into our food that other people will consume which will provide them sustenance in life.

Life is a rich journey. Have trust and faith that life is unfolding perfectly for you, not allowing your ego to decide differently and that the universe (god) will provide everything that you need.

What are some of the obstacles that get in your way from trusting and having faith that the universe (god) will provide for you?

22 Jan 2019

Part 2 – How Culture’s View of Communal Cooking Fosters Rich Human Connection – January 22, 2019

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

There is so much to this topic. After I wrote part 1, I realized there was a part 2 to all this… and most likely a part 3, 4, etc. as things unfold over time and travels. Different cultures have different ways of cooking/eating together. I’m trying not to have a preference or a judgment about it and only report what it is that I’m finding.

Yesterday on a one hour walk from where I am staying into Silom, Bangkok, I came across an area where there is an outdoor market and a bunch of restaurants with mostly locals and no tourists. One of my favorite places to be. It was around lunchtime and was full of hustle and bustle. Most of the food items cost around B25-B75 (about $0.75 – $2.00) depending on the kind of meat protein in the items. Meat is the more expensive item, rather than the vegetables. Yes, the USA still has it backwards. I made a note to stop back through this area again when I was ready to eat… today was that day.

I walk into this restaurant where there are all locals eating. Students in their school uniform and aeronautical students with their epaulettes. I got a smile from one of the cooks which I find a rare occasion, so I stepped in and looked at the 9-item menu and decided to stay. I just so happened to order the most popular item on the menu… a pork-based soup… it was described to me as Pad Thai Soup. I’m really loving the noodle bowls here even in the hot weather.

It was my lucky day. The restaurant cleared out and I was the only one left inside finishing my meal. I looked around and mentioned to the owner, Burt, that maybe I should leave because having a foreigner in his place might not be good business. He spoke English fairly well and told me I was OK. I began asking him some questions about himself, how long he’s been in business, how long his employees have worked for him, standardizing recipes and his educational background.

I received some really great data from Burt that affirmed what I have been experiencing around Bangkok, Pattaya, and Chiang Mai. That there isn’t much home cooking going on here and most people are eating outside of the home. People are meeting their friends and family outside of the home and the sense of community and belonging is happening in these market places and street food “restaurants”. These places are full of people all the time and there are a lot of unique items to purchase interspersed between the many of the same old typical Thai food items. You just have to know what to look for or hear by word of mouth.

Even as I sit here writing this in a mall full of westernized restaurants, I am surrounded by locals pulling out plastic bags full of street food. Here in Bangkok, you can buy a cup of coffee on the street for $0.75US or you can go to Starbucks and spend the $3.00US. You can go to a restaurant and spend the $7US for the same item you can get at the street food market for $2US. Burger King and McDonald’s are more expensive than the Thai street food. It’s cheaper to eat street food than it is to cook it yourself.

Another thing I am finding is in regards to my Airbnb home-stays here in Thailand. Not every home has what we would call a formal kitchen, with a stove, oven, ventilation, hot water system, etc.. If a room has sink with running water, a refrigerator and a microwave, it is called a kitchen here. Most of the places I have stayed in have a one burner electric induction cook-top, a microwave and a refrigerator if they say they have a kitchen.

With all this in mind from part 1 and here in part 2, how would you deduce where Thailand’s culture of cooking lies? Where are the people here building their sense of community belonging around cooking? It’s been a fascinating investigation for me and one that has taken some time to figure out. I’ve needed to spend some time here, meeting people and having the necessary conversations in order to find the authentic home cooking experience which I am now exploring this week. It’s possible I have been looking in the wrong places, or I had some expectation it was going to look a certain way, or how it needed to look… a false idea of an outcome of sorts.

You definitely can find families who are cooking but, most of what I am finding is that people generally are eating the wonderful street food, together on the street, or bringing it home… “take away”. When people are cooking at home, the items are simple to prepare, with local readily available ingredients. It’s way too hot here to cook for long periods of time. It’s amazing to see how easy it is to cook the foods they are making on the street, Pad Thai, Pad C-U, Noodle bowls, Mango & Sticky Rice, Roast Red Pork/Duck

I can get a little bit confused about all this because I think I may need more time here in Thailand to get the experience I that might be truly there for me which comes out of building relationships. I think about what I would be like in a country where there has been a revolving door of people coming through. Where a lot of these people would not give back to the country and the people by making an investment of their own resources and heart. Only taking the resources and acting in a way that would benefit only themselves. It takes time to cultivate and nurture new relationships and to build trust with people to have them open their homes to you here. And understandably so based on the history of the culture.

In conclusion… I’m getting the experience I surely need here in Thailand. I’m incredibly grateful to the people who have opened up their hearts to me, and in some cases their homes (Heather, Pratima, Purada, Kay, LekNoy). This has been a rich and powerful experience which will have lasting effects on me for the rest of my life.

A deep bow to the divine in all!

21 Jan 2019

How Culture’s View of Communal Cooking Fosters Rich Human Connection – Bangkok, Thailand – January 20, 2019

by Maurice | posted in: Adventure, Cooking Advice, Personal Growth, Relationship, Sabbatical, Spiritual | 0

This topic has been the focus and intention for my sabbatical and travels here in South and Southeast Asia. The agreement with my employer was for my exploration to be in India for two months. My time in India flew by so fast. I wanted to extend the exploration of how communal cooking fosters rich human connection into Thailand and the rest of my travels throughout Asia.

It is important to mention that the concept of hospitality goes hand in hand with the aspect of communal cooking. How we welcome people into our homes, lodging facilities and food service establishments is the first experience people have before they get to settle into what it is they will be doing in these places.

I mentioned in previous writing describing the experience I had being welcomed into people’s homes in India and some of the differences I had in Nepal and now being in Thailand. I had no problem when I was in India finding families to stay with and cook with. And in Thailand, relating to the people and trying to find the “authentic” cooking experience has been challenging to find. Investigating the “why’s” has been a fun and challenging time after being here for about 5 weeks now.

After asking and asking and asking for what I want with people and being turned down time after time, I made a couple of connections with local people that I am currently following through with. One of these experiences was yesterday. I have been in email and SMS communication for several weeks with a personal chef, Kay, a woman who I was introduced to through someone who just so happened to speak English working at one of the main food markets in Bangkok.

I pause for a moment…
Before I go into writing about the absolutely beautiful experience I had I want to write about two things that I think had a big impact in my experience yesterday. The first being the development of trust in relationships and the second having a common world view / personal value.

Developing Trust

Developing trust between people takes time and isn’t necessarily a “given” in the beginning of any friendly connection. It is understandable to me here in Thailand, due to the history and stereotyping of the white, middle aged, westerner, “farang”, that they wouldn’t be welcomed into somebody’s home right from the beginning. What is it that the foreigner truly wants? Is there a hidden agenda? There has been many a traveler through Thailand who has left a messy trail for the locals to clean up. And the important thing I needed to remember… that in my presentation of myself I represent what has happened here in Thailand in the past. Developing a genuine connection and trust between the foreigner and the locals has been a challenge for me. Not impossible, but just not as easy as it was in India.

Personal Values / World View

It’s hard to develop a connection when one or more people has an internal mechanism protecting them from outside world and thinks something bad is going to happen from others. We live in a world where there is a tremendous amount of pain, betrayal and heartbreak everywhere. Nobody is immune to it. There is only one way out of this world and we are all on that path. How we choose to deal with our pain and see the goodness in people and the universe is up to us. Having a personal world view or a value system that see’s people as generally good natured has helped me let go of any ideas I had of how things were going to be for me here in Thailand.

Ok… now I can continue…

After a 14hr overnight train ride from Chiang Mai I arrived in Bangkok and checked into my Airbnb to take a nap before I go to the next destination. I was invited to Kay’s home to first, have a conversation and then second, to see about cooking together. I arrived about 1pm and proceeded to have conversation until about 4pm. There were many topics covered… religion, relationship, family upbringing, cooking philosophy, life experiences and many others that left me feeling like I was with an old friend picking up where we left off the last time we were together.

We had some very similar views about cooking, spirituality, relationship, being of service to others and many more. We even chuckled at the realization that there we were, a Muslim and a Jew, having a great conversation without any conflict. There was a topic about being in a society that has “classes” and how after you attain a certain level of status you would never again have to clean the toilets. Check out this article about how China is hiring only university graduates to clean toilets.

It’s hard for me to remember everything which I would like to do sometimes, and this is one of those times where I’d like to. Being tired after a long overnight travel had me more open with less fear and insecurities which was wonderful to be in the flow of the moment. And sometimes when truth speaks from the heart it bypasses the brain.

We didn’t talk about cooking, menu planning, what I would like to learn about Thai cooking, what she would like to get in return/compensation… none of that. I didn’t even remember that I came with this sabbatical intention of mine. It was all purely human connection and seeing the beauty in each other. It brings tears to my eyes just writing this. Which, by the way, is not what strong people do in this culture, show and express their emotions. THIS… is a great example of how communal cooking fosters rich human connection. I was being blessed and knew it.

Kay has an outdoor kitchen and a fully stocked pantry with all the sauces, spices and condiments you could possibly need for cooking in her outdoor. She took me to her front yard and showed me the things she had growing… things like Thai basil, mulberries, chilis, lemongrass and many many other things. We had the conversation about how spicy things are cooked and personal preferences for spiciness as she picked these tiny bomb peppers. I thought I liked things spicy, HA! Kay then proceeded to go through her refrigerator and pull things out she was going to cook for dinner for her family. Mackerel, green papaya, lotus trunk, sapodilla, grass jelly… and I became her commis chef, peeling and julienne green papaya, frying mackerel, and stir frying the lotus trunk.

I was in a completely unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar equipment and unfamiliar ingredients. I officially became Kay’s student and understudy. I was remembering the lesson I give to my students about some of the signs of a good cook… being in an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar ingredients and equipment and producing a meal that people love. I was fortunate to have Kay there with me as the guiding force behind the cooking. My oil wasn’t hot enough in the wok for the fish, I burned a little of the garlic for the lotus trunk… what kind of chef did I think I am? None of this food was any of the food I had imagined I wanted to learn to cook. I laugh at myself as I type these words out. It was totally perfect, and I loved every minute of it.

We sat and ate, and I thought maybe one of Kay’s children would join us who ran out of the house to work after over sleeping. There was a conversation of going to one of the markets that evening. It was after 8pm and I was tired and called it a day. We have another plan to cook together on Thursday. I am so looking forward to being in the presence of Kay, a beautiful human and a talented chef.

18 Jan 2019

Paed Tidt 8-Directional Sak Yant – Chiang Mai, Thailand – January 18, 2019

by Maurice | posted in: Adventure, Love, Personal Growth, Sabbatical, Spiritual | 0

When I decided I was coming to Thailand I wanted to investigate the possibility of getting a Sak Yant tattoo. There was something unique and special about having a seasoned monk perform a sacred ritual inside a Buddhist temple while performing a hand-crafted art practiced for thousands of years. And today is the last day I will spend in Chiang Mai, Thailand and it comes with bittersweet feelings.

The last couple of weeks have provided me yet another growth opportunity to continue to look inside of myself, echoes of my past, and make the choices I needed to for myself to continue to be at peace with who I am, how I engage with people around me (friends, beloveds and the corner market cashier) and how I want to continue to offer the gifts I’m meant to be giving back to this world. As painful as some of these moments have been during the past couple of weeks, I’m at peace with myself, accepting what is. I want to express my gratitude to the people who have been around me and communicating with me.

One of the first days after I arrived to Chiang Mai I just by chance walked by one of the most popular Sak Yant places. It was then I was reminded that I wanted to check out this possibility. I stopped in and had a conversation with the receptionist, looked at the books with the designs and made the appointment. I knew I would need the guidance of the monk to help me decide what I wanted. Taking into account my own personal mantras, values, my work in the world and the practices towards peace I would have to sit with this idea for about 10 days because that was the only time their most practiced, 30yr veteran monk was available.

I’ve never really been a tattoo person in my life except when I decided I wanted to design one for myself a couple of years ago. I spent about 6 months designing the only tattoo I have on my left arm and I appreciate the intentions and meanings around the decided upon design with the Celtic knots and the meanings of the words. If you are interested learning more about my first tattoo click here. This tattoo is a compilation of personal values that I embrace and practice in my life and forgive myself for when I don’t make the mark, which happens more regularly than I like to admit sometimes.

Being in the mix of the choices I made for myself, facing into the “farang-ness” here in Thailand as well as people’s individual challenges dealing with my expression in this world I continued to look at different Sat Yank designs that would represent me and help continue to set the intentions I have moving forward in my life. One of my teachers said… modern-day world is paved with intentions.

I sat in front of Monk Rachan and was reminded that no matter how liberal I think USA is – there is a class system here in Thailand – I am NOT EQUAL to a Monk and of course not, I did not devote my life to the study of Buddhism, celibacy and relinquishing my worldly possessions. Think about how you would act towards a judge in a court case, who looks as if they might let you off with a warning for some indiscretion and is just waiting for you to give them any reason to throw the book at you. I was on my knees and also sitting lower than him.

After giving the monk my offerings, I sat and talked a little bit about who I am, my work in the world, my personal mantras and showed him a few of the designs I liked. With his guidance I decided on the Paed Tidt 8 directional Yant.

This video will give you some idea of what Sak Yant is all about…

Here is what was explained to me and some of what I pulled off of the internet about the Paed Tidt Yant …

The Sak Yant design ‘Paed Tidt’ or Eight Direction Yant is a sacred Geometric Yant containing eight Mantras written in 2 concentric circles in the center of the design. The design of the Paed Tidt Yant also incorporates eight representations of the Buddha. These are the groups of 3 ovals each increasing in size from the top.

In Thailand, there is a Buddha image, each one in a different pose, for every day of the week. (On Wednesdays there are 2 Buddhas, one for the morning and one for the evening) and these 8 Buddha Images can be seen in many Thai temples, usually surrounding a Chedi.

The Paed Tidt Yant will give you protection in whichever direction you are traveling and ward off evil spirits. The script used on the Paed Tidt Yant is an ancient Khmer script known as Khom. The Mantras written in the Paed Tidt Yant and which should be chanted when going out to give further protection are as follows.

The yant is not necessarily for traveling per se, but is for pulling in good luck and protection from all 8 directions and is also good when travelling as all yants are. This is a powerful yant to be helpful in the future which is a form of traveling but has no compass directions. Do not limit your mind.

Unaalome, which is the circle at the bottom represents the life you live with the many earthly distractions we encounter in our daily lives. If you let these things control your life you will go around in circles. Get rid of these things and you will get on the ever-increasing spiral. The more you do this the better your life will be. The spiral represents the head and spirals around the crown of the scalp until it reaches the top center point of the scalp. The straight line pointing upwards represents the straight path to Enlightenment without any wavering behavior that the Arahants have accomplished.

It is believed the better you get at cutting these negative influences out, you will get to enlightenment much faster.

There are rules which the Yant bearer should try and follow. These can vary from master to master. Nothing will happen badly if you stray from some of the rules. Try and keep to the rules and your life will be good. Below is a good example of these rules:

Do not kill a person for pleasure.
Do not steal for your own personal gain.
Do not lie to harm others. We all tell white lies and there is a difference.
Do not have sexual relations with another’s partner.
Do not spit in the toilet. The toilet should be a clean place and not to keep it so, shows disrespect to oneself and others.
Do not swear at or disrespect your parents in any way.
Do not speak about people behind their back in a manner likely to cause harm.
Do not over consume alcohol and become troublesome to others. Keep in control.
Do not walk under female underwear. The reason for this is to avoid temptations and distractions that the opposite sex can bring. Monks themselves are not allowed to touch a woman’s skin for this very reason and when a monk tattoos a female, he will wear surgical gloves.
Do not partake in evil deeds. Avoid all contact with such happenings whenever possible.

Now I can continue to heal and make my way back to Bangkok tomorrow. My time in Thailand is limited and I’m not sure where I may be headed to next. Maybe Cambodia to visit Anchor Wat or to Vietnam. There is more life to be revealed to me once I arrive in Bangkok.

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