connda

Out of interest, has anyone ever reached Bhanga during Vipassana? They say that is when the most deep-rooted Sankharas come out. And if so, was there a turning point in your life or anything noticable or significant?

I had another decent meditation this morning of Anapanna. I wonder how long i should continue Anapanna before beginning Vipassana again?

Yes, i definately agree that we should not be meditating to achieve a certain state or feeling during the meditation. I wonder if i should also apply this to my counting of benefits aquired in life from the practise?

Continue Anapanna Sati for the entirety of this life. Sitting, standing, lying...Anapanna Sati. Excited, calm, bored...Anapanna Sati. Vipassana will kick in all on its own. You'll be fine.

There are many reasons why people stop their practice.

Usually negative self talk (apparent good reasons).

One common reason was, "I used to meditate quite well but then I began to have trouble reaching that state.".

Good point I think that's what happened to me. After seeing the Dalai Lama in Dec 1973 I had an amazing experience, even more convincing as it was not some sort of emotional response as I thought the Dalai seemed very disappointing in what he had said, mostly about mending clocks. Meditating afterwards it was oceans of light, music like bell sounds and I seemed to be in an vast infinite space, I was quite shaken after it. Happened the next night but not as powerful. Never could get anything like that again it was back to' I wonder how long I have been doing this', so gave up in the end.

reaching some desired state is not the purpose of vipassana meditation

Yep...but now convince the nirvana junkies.

"Like WOW man. I saw Buddha floating right in front of my third eye!"

"Then what happened?"

"He, like, disappeared!"

"E-x-a-c-t-l-y."

Its because the first generation starts the company,the 2nd generation

builds the company up, and the 3rd generation runs it to the ground,

this is what happens in a lot of family controlled businesses.

regards Worgeordie

That's why smart corporations give the 3rd generation heirs enough money to slowly kill themselves off pursuing hedonistic self-gratification (ie drugs, alcohol, and fast, dangerous toys) while the corporation is firmly run by an non-family CEO and board of directors. I've seen it in action. It works pretty darn well.

The secrets to corporate longevity

$$$฿฿฿ Having politicians in your pocket ฿฿฿$$$

More gals have showed up in both the bars and massage shops in the last couple of week imho. I know business has been really slow this year, so it's a 'buyer's market'. Other than that, the scene looks pretty much the same as any other 'high-season', just fewer farang tourists. As far as the guest-houses though, they seem to be doing alright. So if you plan to stay in the local vicinity of Loi Kroh, you might want to check ahead for lodging.

Once again someone getting busted for the ludicrous crime of smoking a plant. You can go out and drink tequila or vodka and grope bar girls all night, but sit around your own flat and smoke a few bong hits and watch a movie? Oh, the humanity!

Some Thais who owned a Tat shop adjacent to our apartment complex use to smoke regularly for years. They'd open the roof ceiling and everyone in the apartment would know when the 'fired up'. Police never visited them. Tatted up farang v.s. Tatted up Thai: who ya gonna bust? Busting a farang pot smoker zzzzzzzzz

For a second there, I thought this was something a fisherman hooked in the Mekong and hauled ashore (with a joint in it's mouth).

I read the Thai writeup of the event.

The foreign man was sitting across the aisle on the train from the monk. Monk was laying down sleeping or just sleeping. Two foreign women got on and the foreign man got up to allow the two women to sit together. The man woke up the monk to explain/ask (in English) if he can sit beside him. The monk spoke fairly rudely to the guy saying in Thai he didn't understand. Convo went back and forth with foreigner speaking English and monk speaking Thai. The write up said the foreigner kinda of gave up and said ok, fine, fine. Monk misheard this as ควายๆ (kwai/buffalo) even though their entire ordeal had been because of language barrier so kind of ironic he thinks this guy is insulting him.. ends up slapping him three times in auspicious fashion. The video shows the last slap and then the train official coming.

The monk looks like the bit of a rougher type. Doing the ol enter the monastery trick perhaps?

super props to the foreigner (seems like a brit/mate) for being so chilled and not even raising his voice. Monk is getting shamed via Thai social media. Hopefully he gets some more repercussions than outrage and online derision

Yeah, that's the gist of it. Also read that the farang being aware the lady could not sit next to the monk offered his own seat. Thais pretty upset about the whole thing, from those saying they would have hit the monk back to he should be defrocked.

I agree. Not 'monk-like' behavior. If a novice monk, he should probably be set straight my the abbot. If a senior monk, he should probably be dis-robed. I've seen this on Thai news. Thai's are not happy with this.

I've been told by a Thai that the monk is probably not a 'real' monk and that he had been drinking. He apparently hit the farrang because the farrang was 'yak-yaking' him.

Nope. The monk was sleeping and the monk and the farang were sitting across from each other. Two women boarded the train and the farang moved to give them his seat and he sat next to the monk. The monk woke, said something, and the farang said, "I'm fine." The monk heard, "Buffalo". Then a big dust up. Bad farang!!!

One word: "Don't"

You'll get over it in time.

I am truly sorry your panties were put in a twist by this heinous disregard for the feelings of others. But, Thailand hasn't reached 'Nanny-State' status yet. But give it time. Constant nagging and leading by Western, puritanical example may eventually get these Buddhist heathens to change their minds.

OK - Enough syrupy sarcasm. This isn't worth a post. Get over it. I know conservative Thais that will expose their (maile) chests in public. Females use to also prior to the advent of Christian influence. Next you'll be complaining about 'bare-breasted' statuses at the temples. If it bothers you so much....go home. You don't belong here.

If you have a nice enough rack, why would I care. Just saying.

Naa bura. Slow day in the International Newroom.

Direct election - where everyone has a vote. Bad? Only if you are the one rigging the system.

But with that said. When Thailand adopts the US model, where corporations and multi-billionaires saturate their 'chosen' with massive campaign donations that exponentially out-weigh anything that individual voters could contribute, and the electorate is enticed to vote for the glossiest, shiniest, and most 'buffed' candidate that money can promote, then I guess parliamentary elections can be best controlled by those who wish to control. Imhfo

They will disappear until the price of oil is rigged back up. Duh!

Thai Soaps? Scrapes the bottom of the intellectual barrel. Which means it appeals to 90% or Thais and (if they could understand the language) 95% of Farangs.

Have you ever seen non-self manifest without manifesting?

I'm thinking that a valid prescription for Cialis and 24 hours in-country and you'll be fine.

<Head shake> Perhaps some Thais should go to Russia and dress up as Russian Orthodox priests. Tit for tat I'm thinking -- then it's over.

Connda Why not apply for residency. There are human rights and there are immigration rules and regulations, these are rules that you know and I know and not human right issues. Come on, I would like to buy land and build a house but the land law in this country prohibits it for foreigners. Rules are rules I'm afraid.

Once set of rules for foreign women married to Thai men.

Another set of rules for foreign men married to Thai women.

That is discrimination based on sex which is a human right's violation in the eye's of the European Convention on Human Rights. Does that mean squat here in Thailand? No.

That was the initial point I made. Still is.

Stamp out drug trafficking? It will a cold day in hell before that happens. But what the heck. It gives the BIB something to do other than to shakedown farangs on Sukhumvit, and it gives the news agencies a steady flow of photo-ops.

Let me get this right. Some Forum Board members are totally against "enhanced interrogation" techniques such as sleep deprivation, water boarding, electro shocking of the genitals, etc. All this because it violates the "Human Rights" of known or suspected terrorists whose only goal right now is to kill innocent civilians through acts of terror. The same ones who will chop your head off while praising "Allah". I am totally against those techniques my self, due to time constraints utilizing them. Hours, perhaps days wasted to gather necessary Intel to prevent an upcoming slaughter of innocents. What about the basic "Human Right" to Life for the intended victims of a Terror Attack?. Reading most of these Posts, they're mostly regarding the CIA, interrogation facilities, sovereignty of Thailand and the usual bashing of America, and really nothing about saving lives or preventing terror attacks. My solution is simple and quick. I'll gather up five suspected terrorists, who I am 100% sure they know something about to happen. I'll cuff them and blindfold them and place them in a chopper. My crew will fly out over the Sea at about 1500 meters in elevation. I'll open the chopper door and ask the one who I think is the toughest of the bunch of them, questions on what He knows. If He refuses to talk or spits in my face, I'll thrown him out the open door with the others watching. I guarantee you, the others will sing like canaries and valuable Intel will be gathered to prevent an upcoming terror attack. Fly back to base for debriefing. Mission Accomplished. I don't believe that anyone who is willing to kill innocent Men, Women, Children and Babies has any rights to be called "Human" in the first place. They lost that, along with any compassion or sympathy from me. Who has a quicker or better Intel gathering technique than mine? Let me know.

No. Some of us just realize that torture simply elicits false confessions that are great for the propagation of propaganda, but of little use to the boots on the ground in the intelligence community. The various Intel communities need actionable intelligence, not BS. Politicians with an agenda need propaganda. Don't grasp that? That's ok. You're not suppose to.

lol, vassal state and has been since vietnam war days

My recommendation for an eye specialist is Professor Songsanguan Ausayakhon (MBA John Hopkins) her

private clinic is on Sridonchai Rd and her phone number is 053449230,

She works out of Sripat and Maharaj. I've seen her at her private clinic and at my last visit to Maharah Hospital.

Got to love Thai Visa we have a guy on his high horse with a better than you know it all attitude to a guy who I am sure tongue in cheek insinuates that the immigration staff sleeps there.

Don't many of the Immigration staff live just behind the office?

What is someone, "on his high horse with a better than you know it all attitude" ? I can think of many posters I would consider in that category.

Don't bother hml367, NJ might not know much about certain things but he certainly does like to write about them.

As long as it keeps the three of you happy I am a success. Check me out. I may appear to be always wrong because I am not a Thai basher. So I will have a hard time turning the information in to sh-t. When the funding is spent the service will improve immensely.

Carry on with your beliefs. I have faith in the Thais. They do not follow my schedule but they do get the job done. That is why I live here. If I felt the way a lot of posters do I would be out of here like a shot.

I've bashed immigration when they deserved it, but I'm with you on this too. Police Colonel Prachak Awaiyawanont has always been upfront and transparent in his assessment of the immigration office that he leads. They have budget issues and staffing issues. Some things work well, some thing still suck. But I'm in agreement. If BKK ever releases the funding, CM immigration will change for the better.