weary

Thank you both!

If I understood correctly, that means if I time my entry into Thailand to get 90 days so that it occurs before I only have 6 months left on the passport, I *can* actually hold off getting the new passport until my planned trip back to Europe in March 2019? (That trip will be straight back to my home country from Thailand.)

When applying for a 1 year multiple non-O (marriage) in Savannakhet, how many pages minimum must be left in the passport?

I have 12 pages left and my passport expires in July 2019. However, I will probably get a new passport in March 2019. Does that seem OK?

As for the passport copies, do they need the stamp pages or just the passport page with photo and personal details? 

Nope, not rubbish.

"The Lao Government prohibits sexual relationships between foreign and Lao nationals, except when the two parties have been married in accordance with Lao family law."

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/laos/local-laws-and-customs

http://www.laos.embassy.gov.au/vtan/AEV001002.html

Still quiet, but picking up a bit lately. I think the word has started to slowly spread among Thai introverts, as well as Southern Thai food aficionados - the place opposite Rimping is making a killing. Go Prommy!

Before you consider ordaining, why not try a few meditation retreats? Also, it could be a good idea to listen to Dhamma talks from monks of the tradition in which you think you may want to ordain.

Thannissaro Bhikkhu, Ajahn Jayasaro, Ajahn Sumedho are some of the Western monks from the Thai Forest tradition. Dhamma talks of theirs are available online. Dhamma talks by their teacher Ajahn Chah are also easy to find for example on Youtube. There are also guided meditations which can be useful to get started.

First of all, good on you for having learned how to swim. First step completed.

Like others say, now what you need to do is put in more time. Time and pace yourself for each activity, increase the distance and time a little every time. Every additional technique you learn in the water, and every increase in range or time will increase your confidence. Each time you do something despite feeling fear, the fear weakens in intensity. The trick to success is to do it anyway.

Mistakes are necessary - and only temporary. Just keep swimming.

The Kalama sutta goes even further than what is typically quoted.

From Access to Insight ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.065.than.html ):

Translator's note: Although this discourse is often cited as the Buddha's carte blanche for following one's own sense of right and wrong, it actually says something much more rigorous than that. Traditions are not to be followed simply because they are traditions. Reports (such as historical accounts or news) are not to be followed simply because the source seems reliable. One's own preferences are not to be followed simply because they seem logical or resonate with one's feelings. Instead, any view or belief must be tested by the results it yields when put into practice; and — to guard against the possibility of any bias or limitations in one's understanding of those results — they must further be checked against the experience of people who are wise. The ability to question and test one's beliefs in an appropriate way is called appropriate attention. The ability to recognize and choose wise people as mentors is called having admirable friends. According to Iti 16-17, these are, respectively, the most important internal and external factors for attaining the goal of the practice. For further thoughts on how to test a belief in practice, see MN 61, MN 95, AN 7.79, and AN 8.53. For thoughts on how to judge whether another person is wise, see MN 110, AN 4.192, and AN 8.54.

So unlike the way most of us Westerners hear or understand it, one's conclusions after practice should be presented and discussed/validated by somebody who is wise.

Most people (and I very much include myself in this) really, really like to think we are less deluded than we are, because it can be painful to admit to the extent of one's own ignorance.

To me it seems like delusion is the hardest of them all to see through and uproot. If you check with those who have walked the path for a significant part of their life, spiritual practice is typically a series of insights, all of which can often feel like 'this is IT', not to mention that most of us carry a sense of 'everybody else has got it wrong and I have got it right', based on our conditioned reactions and beliefs, and because we would otherwise have to live with significant cognitive dissonance, which takes a lot of energy to deal with as long the stronger our self-view is.

After having had one experience I really did think was IT, I am now much more wary of any such tendencies, and always use the simple 'what if I am wrong?' as a check for whenever I think I have figured something out.

The problem with finding somebody who is wise is that sometimes they either are not too wise, or they tell us things that are so difficult to accept that our psychological defense mechanisms kick in and try hard to find fault with them so we won't have to accept uncomfortable truths.

The question is, do they mean during each session or more in general? This I do not know as I do not have personal experience of Goenka.

Speculatively, it would seem to make sense to me that this applies to each sitting, i.e. first you reach a state of unbroken concentration (also known as access concentration, upacarasamadhi) during your sitting, and once at that stage, you start to engage in vipassana.

Anapanasati - remaining aware of the incoming breath and outgoing breath to develop Samadhi. (yes, practiced before Vipassana)

Thanks

Sounds like you are looking at this from the Goenka angle, in which anapanasati with the focus on the nostril/upper lip area is used in preparation for investigating physical sensations in bodily sweeps.

I think Fred comes (mainly) from the Mahasi Sayadaw (through Ajahn Sirimangalo) tradition, which, briefly, uses the method of placing a factual verbal label on each experience, from the very start of meditation practice.

In this model, whenever the attention is diverted from the anchor, mindfulness follows, sticking a label to the experience in mind at present, and mindfulness then returns attention to the anchor, which for sitting meditation is (at first) the physical sensation of the in-breath and out-breath in the abdomen, but later extended with various 'touch points' located on the body. For walking meditation, the anchor is the various stages of movement in each foot.

So Mahasi vipassana is essentially a practice of increasing clarity in noting experiences, and during the noting, using a verbal label.

If I have understood things correctly, then perhaps the above points on the difference could be helpful to keep in mind for the discussion.

I think if you have seen good results in your life from Goenka practice, there is no reason to deviate to using another method - just keep doing whatever it is you were instructed to do at your previous retreat.

If you feel that Goenka practice is somehow lacking despite having tried it for long time, it could be a good idea to try another method instead (but I would discuss this with a Goenka teacher first - they should be able to analyze your practice better since they are familiar with their own system).

http://www.abuddhistlibrary.com/Buddhism/B%20-%20Theravada/Chanting%20Books/I%20-%20A%20Chanting%20Guide/anumodana.html

"When Thais disagree with me, they are being illogical."

Interesting - I assumed they would contain helium as that is the only gas used 'back home' for these purposes... but I would not be surprised.

Does anyone know where in town I could hold of a large helium balloon as a present for a child, within today?

I managed to lose the one he was given yesterday and want to find him another one, but the one he got yesterday in San Sai was from a fair that was a one-time occasion.

Random Sand: How many hours per night do you sleep, lately? I am asking because the theory building and the ideations are very similar to what I experienced myself after prolonged meditation practice a couple of years ago.

If I am right, your current state feels absolutely amazing, but it is not 'IT' and not sustainable, and it could make you do things you will regret when you once again observe the world from another perspective than your current one. Stay safe, and consider getting more sleep.

Brahmi is a herb that has several interesting characteristics, for example it has been proven helpful in improving memory in the elderly (one likely mechanism is by inhibiting acetylcholineesterase, an enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitter acetylcholine), reducing the build-up of beta-amyloid plaque (beta-amyloid accumulation is observed in Alzheimer's disease), acts as a mild anxiolytic and contains antioxidants. It has a reasonably long history of usage within the Ayurvedic system.

As with many herbs, research is limited, but its claimed effects are more properly tested than many other herbs with claimed beneficial effects, and no major side effects have been seen at normal doses.

It's cheap enough to buy over the Internet, and it looks like the Thai government is starting commercial production of this herb, so it's not difficult to get hold of, but as I like to 'roll my own', I'd like to get my hands on some plants and add them to my kitchen garden. One such reason is that this plant can accumulate impurities in the environment, so I'd feel safer growing and preparing my own extract - and it's fun.

Does anyone know a place in Thailand that sells Brahmi seeds or plants? Preferably in Chiang Mai / The North.

Reishi/lingzhi mushroom gives me a nice, smooth balanced effect of simultaneously better and calmer mood. I take it with a bit of vitamin C to improve absorption.

Green tea is great too. Works even better if you take it together with fish oil and ginkgo biloba, but they thin the blood, so avoid if you're on warfarin.

No such things.

I know you said 'not Buddhist', but I would still recommend you to check out the writings of Ajahn Chah.

Just a note from the Ego.

Kundalini. Not kunalindi.

Here is my advice to you. Of course it is just another person's opinion. Ultimately, trust your own wisdom because even if it proves wrong you have learned something.

Gradually and gently meet your parents resistance with polite persistence, a bit like regularly falling drops of water gradually will wear a hole in a hard material given enough time. If your parents are like ice, they will appear hard at first, but it won't take long for a hole to form. If they are like rock, you will see no progress for a long time, but eventually there will still be results.

As long as you carefully think over your motives for this desire, present them well to your parents, always maintain your mental calm and show them in a concrete way that meditation is helping you improve as a person, making you stronger, more loving, more relaxed - they will understand. They will understand because by displaying mature behaviour, you show them you are grown up, independent and capable as well as deserving of living your own life. They will understand because they love you, and with the right nourishment, that love will wither away their egos and fear, even if these forces are greater at this point in time.

This understanding can not be forced, so be gentle and gradual. Arrange your life so that you can practice as much mindfulness and meditation as possible, while not neglecting your necessary duties or withdrawing from contact with your parents or others to an excessive degree. The more mindfulness you practice in all situations, the more it will become your habit, like second nature. Your daily sittings will also provide progress on the path and give you better knowledge of yourself, wisdom and stability.

So even if they do not let you go until they die, you will still have spent as much as you can of your life (one way of looking at it is 'all of your life' because you are also acting out of respect and love for your parents) cultivating the qualities we are seeking by following the path.

I know that there is much doubt among many of the literal truth of the bible, since it has passed through many translations and had many authors of many parts which were eventually decided upon by a council as to what would be included and what left out.

Although the Pali texts were first written several hundred years after the Buddha's Parinibbana the teachings were kept alive by a tradition of memorisation and chanting. But, what for me leads to my conviction in their veracity is the fact that at that time there were still many Arahants, and it was these Arahants who were involved in the memorising and eventual writing down. Since Arahants are beyond corruption I do not think they would alter anything plus their state would enhance their ability to remember and recall.

Hi Fred.

Technically, involving Arahants would assure uncorrupted teachings.

However, due to the nature of Awakening, an audience would have no idea whether one had achieved Arahantship or not.

Knowing how powerful attachment to Greed, Aversion & Delusion is, I'd imagine there would have been many with large ego's purporting to know the truth.

who determines on what basis that a person has become an "Arahant"?

My understanding is that Awakening comes from wisdom gained from personal experience and cannot be taught or conveyed verbally or otherwise.

This suggests that only an Arahant him/herself or another Awakened being.

On the other hand others can tell if one is not an Arahant due to displays of attachment to Ego.

I think Naam's question is very crucial. Some Buddhist traditions, such as the Burmese, have developed 'maps' of progress in insight, and the common goal posts on the way are defined in these maps. They used to only be known to the initiated, but are nowadays easily found online for anyone interested in pursuing the issue.

As far as I have gathered, if a person upon interrogation and extended observation of his meditation instructor is found to display the required understanding and behaviour of an arahant, then that will be deemed to be the case. There is no perfect 'scientific grade' double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized test of this , but the recommendations in the scriptures for would-be disciples of a certain meditation master is to observe and ponder the teachings and behaviour of that person for an extended period of time to see if they live up to what is described in the scriptures as expected of a being who has reached the highest state of enlightenment (there are four stages of enlightenment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_stages_of_enlightenment .

Interestingly, recent neuroscientific examinations (EEG and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) of (claimed) enlightened people reveal some features not found in others, one such being the experience of nirodha (cessation) which signifies not arahantship, but having reached the highest jhanic (absorption state) level mentioned in the scriptures - admittedly, this is supposedly possible to achieve without being an arahant.

Also interestingly, these people say they experience nirodhas in their everyday life with varying frequency.

The book 'Saints and Psychopaths' by the late Bill Hamilton could also shed some light on the issue if you really want to get into it.

I have met them many times in the Thai hotels/resorts. They walk next to eachother and will never give way for anybody else. [i thought that was the Chinese! ] They take all the beachbeds at 6 am [i thought those were Germans! ] and start drinking there right after breakfast [i thought those were Scandinavians! ], yelling [i thought those were Koreans! ], rude behaviour [i thought those were Israelis! ], being very wild and drunk at 1pm [i thought those were Irish! ] before they go take a nap [i thought those were Caribbeans! ].

At the breakfast buffet a fat russian bloke grabbed the whole pile of plates while my arm allready was reached out to take a plate. He waited for his group of friends who came a few minutes later and gave them all a plate. They piled them plates up, ate only half of it and went for a new pile. Leftovers disappeared in their bags for lunch.

They barely speak english, don't care at all for other tourists, are agressive and only drink/eat all day.

I know there are other nationality's which also can be rude but the russians are the worst for me.

Just my own experience and opinion. From now on i only want to go in a hotel where there are no russians.

Wise men say 'only fools Russian'.

Blown away by your replies too, Sheryl. Those 23 years certainly paid off in some valuable insight. Thank you.

I live up here in the north west in Mae Sot. The other day I was in Tesco's and in the electrical appliance area of the store. The following is for real and I stood there and counted and watched them for a good 20 minutes. I saw 8 Monks buying 4 flat screen TV's (of 36" size), 5 Samsung tablets, smart phones, a surround sound system, a laptop and 2 Epson printers, along with a whole mess of other stuff. I am guessing that this was done before they went and did the food shopping? It struck me only because I was at a loss to figure out what they, the monks, needed with all that gear. You see monks all the time on their mobile phones yet also walking the street in the morning with their alms bowls. The hypocrisy is beyond understanding. But why is it that the Thais do not see that! Maybe we should all shave our heads and start wearing our own robes... and ask for money to pay for our next visa run or pay that bar bill, or keep hat extended Thai family in clover! I am just saying...................

There is the hypocrisy that you mention, without a doubt. The overwhelming majority of Thais agree it is a problem, too. Just look in the local Thai press - scandal after scandal. People really are not happy about it.

But, keep in mind that the monks in the temple are recruited straight from its surroundings. What role models and experiences do these people have before they enter the monkhood? Is it fair or even logical to expect them to transform into saints or arahants given the circumstances they come from?

The Vinaya has 227 rules. First, imagine living yourself living your entire life according to these 227 rules. Then, imagine the likelihood of the kid(s) in your class at school that came from really difficult circumstances (if there was one) and had attentional problems and low impulse control, being able to live according to this rule set. Many of these kids who become novices and later monks have that background. What is the conclusion?

Also, both Jesus and the Buddha were kind of clear about not judging others too quickly.

Meaning: the situation you describe may not be exactly what you assume it to be. Without more information, we can not know who is going to use these electronic devices. It may be like you assume, just indulgence, or it may be the case that the gadgets will be used by the monks for the purpose of teaching dharma (what's so wrong with using technology to spread the word?).

It may be the case that they have been entrusted to buy these gadgets for a foundation or charity that is helping out or schooling refugee kids (there are a lot of them around in Mae Sot, just as well as there is a lot of 'funny business' going on there, too).

Are you absolutely certain about what is what?

Questions to ponder:

How would I deal with being completely banned from using technology? Would I be able to?

How many ways are there of using these appliances - are all these ways detrimental to the pursuit of living and teaching the dhamma? Is it possible that the benefits outweigh the negatives?

The Vinaya was written when no smartphones or computers existed. How to deal with these things is not self-evident. If you think it is feasible to completely enforce a technology usage ban for monks, then consider the consequences: how many people (who always are a product of the conditioning from the society surrounding the temple) would/could become monks?

How would the social function of the temples be - the truth is that for better or for worse, the majority of novices in Thai temples come from broken homes and relatively poor families.

The majority did not become novices because they actively wanted to pursue enlightenment, they became novices because the other options they could see at the time were worse.