NotYetArahan

I am afraid I have only meditatated at Chom Tong from the placed on your list.

I find the practise and attitude there quite relaxed compared with some other places I have been.

For a first time they like you to do a "basic course" which takes 21 days. If you have less time that should be fine, but they will try to push you to do 21 days.

There is no Buddhist training. They train you how to do the vipassana meditation. Daily interview with English meditation teacher. Meditation teacher can be reached throughout the day if you have a problem.

This season plenty of space. But polite to call a day before arrival or earlier.

In case of any more questions please feel free to ask them.

Take care

I used to meditate outdoor in a forest monestary. Outside the kuti was a small table to sit on. Suspended from a tree branch was a monk umbrella with musquitonet. I don't know how to call this monk requisite (clod?), but you can buy in the store. I have not had any problems with insects.

You could improve the system by putting the 4 table legs in 4 containers filles with water. The umbrella you can leave outside or install prior to meditating/remove after meditation, a job of a few minutes.

Cheap enough?

Take care

We use so little electricity we don't have to pay ! Seems this is initiated by Thaksin so that the poor people (not using too much electricity) keep some money in the pocket. We use actually around 30 to 45 kwh per month.

Two things:

First, why bother about these small amounts. Just buy the stuff if the price seems right. Exposure is low

Second, I don't know what 10 rai of 13 year old Eucaliptus when cut in one go will sell for. Then father in law is out of problems as well I guess.

regards

Indeed, the action you take depends on your progress on the path.

I find it impossible not to kill animals. With walking meditation I kill animals, when driving I kill. When I boil the water I kill.

I think because we live in this world it is unavoidable to hurt or kill other beings. We need our food, clothes, medicines, housing. This has it's consequences. We can try to keep the consequences low but not avoid them.

I need to live, so if need be there ants get killed, termites get killed. I try to find solutions to avoid, but if there is no solution so be it.

By the way: If you have termites you can cut out the piece of wood and replace with other wood. Maybe treat the further "risky" wood with chemicals.

Good advise from the previous people.

I started my practice of mindfulness in my work by doing my work properly using the next steps:

1 What is now the priority?

2 Do the action which is the priority

3 When you finish the activity ask yourself the question: is the result what I planned it to be?

4 If not: finish the activity properly and ask yourself the question again.

5 If yes: go to the next priority.

This also works with interuption by people and phone calls etc. Just ask yourself again: what is now the priority?

So, when you do an activity: do this activity. Don't think about the next one and the next. There is only one priority

When you properly finish an activity you are blameless: this reduces fear and increases inner peace. Properly finishing an activity can mean to do it only roughly AND properly communicate it to who needs to know or NOT do it and communicate this properly.

It is simple like this

If weather is the issue, why not start your practise in the cool season?

Personnaly I have no problems with the heat. When sitting you are just sweating. It is not realy an obstacle. Only if you think it is an obstacle, it is an obstacle.

My wife says that around 4% of the monks are "good" monks: dedicated to improve the mind and doing so with enthousiasm and effort.

She tries to find the "good" monks and happily enough she can find them. I have therefore only good experiences with monks.

Interesting to here your stories though.

I am now on holidays in my home country and am wondering whether I should take a bread machine from Holland or whether I can by one in Chiang mai.

Anybody knows whether bread machines are being sold in Chiang Mai. And if so, where?

thanks

You should know the large trading companies in SE Asia. Give them a call or/and pass by and try to get a more decent salary. You can in this way still live in the area if you don't like to go back to home country

I paid 1,500 Baht design costs for a house of 750,000 Baht.

The house was elevated, 72 m2 with also 72 m2 grond floor (no walls of course, only concrete floor)

The house was made with the drawings supplied. I think it was over-designed. Maybe with proper calculations the construction costs could have been less, but not too much.

The house was not a standard design, so the Architect had to design up to our wishes.

I am now evaluating some health insurance plans and am wondering what level of coverage should be sufficient.

1. the plans cover room rates to 1,500, 2,000 or 5,000 Baht. What should I pay in a good hospital for (semi) private room?
   
2. daily charges intensive care to 3,000, 6,000 and 10,000 Baht. What should be sufficient?
   
3. surgical fees to 40,000, 50,000 and 80,000 baht. What does a pretty serious operation - ball park - cost (heart, tumor removal, joint replacement)
   

I have found price lists of the private hospitals catering for medical tourists and noticed that simple room rates are 2,000 baht, but (serious) surgical fees in the region of 500,000 Baht.

What would that be for a good hospital? Anybody any ideas?

Thanks

We first built the house and then applied for the permit. That took a week.

A bit scary for me, but that was the way they did in the village

Hi,

I have been there.

I assume you have read some books from Thich Nhath Han (probably wrongly spelled).

The life in Plum village is very much according to Thich Nhath Han written dhamma.

I was happily surprised that the Sangha in Plum village practise what they preach.

Have fun

Arjen

A few more figures. I live in a village 150 km away from Chiang Mai. I live together with my wife quite local. Biweekly we drive to Chiang Mai for shopping and errands and pleasure.

food, small items 9000 Baht/month

visa costs (incl travel BKK etc) 2000 Baht/month

accomodation 0 Baht/month: have our own house

car 1500 Baht/month gasoline only. Amortisation excluded here

medical insurance 5000 Baht/month

various incl donations 3000 Baht/month

trips, holidays 5000 Baht/month

Total 26500 Baht/month

This is for 2 people living cheaply. For one person this could be

food, small items 4500 Baht/month

visa costs (incl travel BKK etc) 2000 Baht/month

accomodation 0 Baht/month: have our own house

car 1500 Baht/month gasoline only. Amortisation excluded here

medical insurance 2500 Baht/month

various incl donations 1500 Baht/month

trips, holidays 2500 Baht/month

total 14500 Baht/month

Assume no car ==> 13,000 Baht/month

assume cheap medical insurance (-2000) 11,000 Baht/month

but accomodation costs (+2000) 13,000 Baht/month

some costs transport - gasoline motorbike 13,500 Baht/month

Allow for some initial costs. My initial costs were around 50,000 for kitchen equipment, furniture, bicycles etc. You will need this as well if you like a small motorbike.

So: 13,500 Baht seems ok = (13,500 Baht/31) = 435 USD/month plus 1430 USD initial costs

Notes:

1) I noticed in Chiang Mai things are a lot more expensive, so above village budget should be increased somewhat for Chiang Mai circumstances.

2) If you have a cheap insurance you need family to take care of you and in case of medical problems the insurance could not (fully)cover

I hope this helps a bit

Another thing: better get paid in Euro.

regards,

Arjen

I did not have time to look through all the posts, so maybe what I will say has been said already.

Well, I am Dutch and have been working abroad quite a lot as expat.

American companies in the past paid double of the Dutch companies for working abroad

The Company I work for, when working abroad we get approx 70,000 Euro/year plus around 2000 Euro netto per month for working abroad. This is working 2 months, have 1 month of. Of course accomodation, food, car, all expenses paid.

This is much more than you are getting. American companies should pay more than above.

Expat accomodation in NL is Euro 1,500 plus/month if you want something furnised. Maybe quite a bit more in Amsterdam. If you only want carpets and curtains it could go down to around Euro 1,000/month. If you like somebody to look for accomodation I can give you a contact.

Good luck. I hope it is helpful.

Arjen

Taxes in NL are high. You will have to pay taxes I should say, but that should be easy to find out.

I miss the meditation center in Chom Thong (nearby Chiang Mai) in the above mails. Basic course takes 3 weeks approx. Follow up courses 12 days. Mostly Thai people, but for the Westerners there is seperate instruction and interviews. Unfortunately no Dhamma talks.

Goodafternoon!

I am trying to estimate building costs of a small house in the simple m2 unit price way. However, I am wondering what I should count at m2. In my case the house will be on columns with a concrete groundfloor and a large balkony (without therefore any walls.)

Specifically: 40 m2 walled in, 80 m2 concreted ground floor and 40 m2 balkony (also running around the house)

Would this be according to the unit price definition (40+80+40m2) x say 10,000 Baht = 1,600,000 Baht?

Or is it (40+40m2) x say 10,000 Baht + 80 m2 concreting costs only = 800,000 Baht + say 50,000 Baht = 850,000 Baht?

Or should I reduce the unit rate for the balkony as well?

Take care

I am wondering when a medical test can make immigration decline to give you a non O 1 year visa renewal.

Is it so that if you can't touch your toes your down and out? Or does it not matter what the result is but immigration just wants to have the piece of paper?

Just curious

Thanks

Transferring merit or saying metta suttha in my opinion is a good practice for yourself to improve metta. If it helps for the other one that's fine. If not, you have helped yourself already

for sofar I know it is recommended to stay lower than the monk with your head. So kneeling is fine. Stooping should do the trick. With a large monk you should make yourself smaller anyway

another thing is to be bare footed. To have the slipper on while the monk is bare footed is not good practice.

I think the monks in Chiang Mai give a short blessing. In that case keep your hands to the forehead while slighly bending till the blessing is finished. If the monk does not bless then the wai is shorter of course.

Best is to observe other people doing it for a while and copy.

However, the most important is the giving and do it as fruitful as possible. The ceremony around it is less important.

Probably a number of you are free lancing so should be able to help me.

I moved to Thailand a short while ago and have the intension to work here and there in the oil and gas industry so now and then.

I know how this is done in Holland. Registration at the Chambre of Commerce etc etc.

If I would like to work in Thailand, Singapore or Malaysia (the most probably countries) what paperwork is required? That is probably different per country. Is mostly the temporary employer taking care of that?

Should I have a VAT number or just a bank account?

thanks

a beginner

Another consideration to keep the topic here is that within the "general topics" it sinks quickly to the 2nd, 3rd etc page and will be forgotten quickly. Maybe it is a bit of topic here but considering the alternative it's the best here anyway.

Indeed,

carefull engineering is required after a soil investigation (CPT is sufficient). Having soil info and topography survey, the calcs and coming with solutions take only a few days for an experienced geo engineer.

Brace yourself for the rock structure which will be engineered. Anyhow, for each soil type there is a solution. Soft clay is not too suitable for a rock berm protecting a slope (rock package sliding down). In that case sheetpiling is probably better.