Why I swapped partying for meditation

A gap year student describes how learning meditation during a stint in a Buddhist monastery in Bangkok changed her life

I don't know what I expected to happen while I was in Thailand on my gap year, apart from some kind of weight loss from dysentery. The year didn't start well: I'd suffered from anorexia during sixth form and my recovery had included a humiliating cycle of bingeing and starving.

By the time I arrived in Thailand in February of this year, the bingeing had won out and I was heavier than I had ever been. Aged 18, I covered up in frumpy kaftans, feeling fat and middle-aged. My hope was that I would get a nice tan and return home triumphant, skinny, gorgeous and happy.

In reality, I found myself with no money, no friends and a large dose of homesickness, and ended up staying in a Buddhist monastery in Bangkok for six weeks. I lived with the monks, meditating for eight hours a day. And, to my surprise, this turned out to be the best thing that had ever happened to me.

Continued at Times Online.

Why I swapped partying for meditation

A gap year student describes how learning meditation during a stint in a Buddhist monastery in Bangkok changed her life

I don't know what I expected to happen while I was in Thailand on my gap year, apart from some kind of weight loss from dysentery. The year didn't start well: I'd suffered from anorexia during sixth form and my recovery had included a humiliating cycle of bingeing and starving.

It appears many turn to Buddhist practice or Meditation to escape illness or overcome physical or psychological pain in their life.

A striking similarity to Christianity.

Could having an affliction or be subject to much suffering turn out to be your blessing?

Edited July 29, 200817 yr by rockyysdt

A gap year student describes how learning meditation during a stint in a Buddhist monastery in Bangkok changed her life

It appears many turn to Buddhist practice or Meditation to escape illness or overcome physical or psychological pain in their life.

Meditation can change many aspects of one's life, ie. physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual. It taps into the little used power of the mind that we all have but of which we are usually unaware. After meditating for 30 years and teaching meditation for over 20, I believe that it is this mental power that accounts for many "phenomena" like faith healing and healing waters. The person is so strongly convinced that this is possible, that they make it happen. It is not the healer or healing water that does the healing but the power of the mind of the healed.

I find that when my head is not thinking, when it's just helping to keep me balanced and such, I can see more things and hear more clearly taste more stuff and smell more and, well...I do like using these other sensory media.

I found that when I only used my thinking, that I was living in my idea of the world. I don't like to do that anymore, I prefer to use my eyes and ears and nose and tongue and teeth and fingers and such to be in a more actual contact with the world itself, not my opinion of it.

Over the last 5-years, I've been able to learn how to allow my head to be without ongoing thought, except when I need to think...and guess what, on most days, I don't 'need' to think very much when I'm walking, or in the shower, or having a dump, or listening to others speaking, or eating tasty food, or listening to the dogs barking, or in the traffic, or breathing and the like.

Now that I rely less on my opinion of the world and more on this richer sensorial engagement with it, I'm less critical of the world, I whinge and bitch about it less and generally find it a more enjoyable way to live.

Edward the Magnificent!!!

Why I swapped partying for meditation

A gap year student describes how learning meditation during a stint in a Buddhist monastery in Bangkok changed her life

I don't know what I expected to happen while I was in Thailand on my gap year, apart from some kind of weight loss from dysentery. The year didn't start well: I'd suffered from anorexia during sixth form and my recovery had included a humiliating cycle of bingeing and starving.

By the time I arrived in Thailand in February of this year, the bingeing had won out and I was heavier than I had ever been. Aged 18, I covered up in frumpy kaftans, feeling fat and middle-aged. My hope was that I would get a nice tan and return home triumphant, skinny, gorgeous and happy.

In reality, I found myself with no money, no friends and a large dose of homesickness, and ended up staying in a Buddhist monastery in Bangkok for six weeks. I lived with the monks, meditating for eight hours a day. And, to my surprise, this turned out to be the best thing that had ever happened to me.

Continued at Times Online.

shes cute.

good story too.

Edited August 3, 200817 yr by sgtpeppers

I find that when my head is not thinking, when it's just helping to keep me balanced and such, I can see more things and hear more clearly taste more stuff and smell more and, well...I do like using these other sensory media.

I found that when I only used my thinking, that I was living in my idea of the world. I don't like to do that anymore, I prefer to use my eyes and ears and nose and tongue and teeth and fingers and such to be in a more actual contact with the world itself, not my opinion of it.

Over the last 5-years, I've been able to learn how to allow my head to be without ongoing thought, except when I need to think...and guess what, on most days, I don't 'need' to think very much when I'm walking, or in the shower, or having a dump, or listening to others speaking, or eating tasty food, or listening to the dogs barking, or in the traffic, or breathing and the like.

Now that I rely less on my opinion of the world and more on this richer sensorial engagement with it, I'm less critical of the world, I whinge and bitch about it less and generally find it a more enjoyable way to live.

Edward the Magnificent!!!

Thanks for that Edward. It seemed as if you were describing my very own "rebirth".

I find that when my head is not thinking, when it's just helping to keep me balanced and such, I can see more things and hear more clearly taste more stuff and smell more and, well...I do like using these other sensory media.

I found that when I only used my thinking, that I was living in my idea of the world. I don't like to do that anymore, I prefer to use my eyes and ears and nose and tongue and teeth and fingers and such to be in a more actual contact with the world itself, not my opinion of it.

Over the last 5-years, I've been able to learn how to allow my head to be without ongoing thought, except when I need to think...and guess what, on most days, I don't 'need' to think very much when I'm walking, or in the shower, or having a dump, or listening to others speaking, or eating tasty food, or listening to the dogs barking, or in the traffic, or breathing and the like.

Now that I rely less on my opinion of the world and more on this richer sensorial engagement with it, I'm less critical of the world, I whinge and bitch about it less and generally find it a more enjoyable way to live.

Edward the Magnificent!!!

Great skill you've developed E the M.

You said it took about 5 years.

How much time did you spend practicing?

What type of practice did you involve yourself in?

I find that when my head is not thinking, when it's just helping to keep me balanced and such, I can see more things and hear more clearly taste more stuff and smell more and, well...I do like using these other sensory media.

I found that when I only used my thinking, that I was living in my idea of the world. I don't like to do that anymore, I prefer to use my eyes and ears and nose and tongue and teeth and fingers and such to be in a more actual contact with the world itself, not my opinion of it.

Over the last 5-years, I've been able to learn how to allow my head to be without ongoing thought, except when I need to think...and guess what, on most days, I don't 'need' to think very much when I'm walking, or in the shower, or having a dump, or listening to others speaking, or eating tasty food, or listening to the dogs barking, or in the traffic, or breathing and the like.

Now that I rely less on my opinion of the world and more on this richer sensorial engagement with it, I'm less critical of the world, I whinge and bitch about it less and generally find it a more enjoyable way to live.

Edward the Magnificent!!!

Great skill you've developed E the M.

You said it took about 5 years.

How much time did you spend practicing?

What type of practice did you involve yourself in?

Sorry about the delay...

Well, I began to learn to focus on one thing at a time...I learnt to only look when I'm looking...etc...I'm sorry for sounding simplistic...but that's how it's become...

Initially, I used my breathe to train my attention...I found really quickly, that if I'm not paying attention to my thinking, it winds down really quickly...lots of practice using my breathe to take my attention into my body...and I found that it's really okay to be in my body...

My mind was trained as a problem solver...I can't be bothered trying to solve things too much anymore...solve feelings, no way...solve what I'm having for dinner in six hours time, no way...solve why you said what you said last week, no way...I'd prefer to look at trees now, or listen to the traffic...

listening to the traffic doesn't generate resentment, criticism, judgement, ridicule, sarcasm, hatred...these things only happen when I think...they are all thinking things, so...when something upsets me...in the past, i'd try to resolve that upset somehow...and often end up in one of the thinking things above...but I've learnt that if a thing is upsetting me and I focus on it, even to try and resolve it, it upsets me...so I don't focus on those things anymore, I use another of my senses when I'm emotional...my eyes, ears, tongue etc...

etr