Retreat in Myanmar

It was in year 2009, four of us from the Martinus Meditation center, Mt. Lavinia arranged a tour to Myanmar. This country is well-known as the Golden Land in south east Asia. We were able to obtain the visa for our tour without any hassle from the consulate as we were accompanied by our chief monk in our Centre.  The tour was in the month of March, summer season for Myanmar. We landed in Yangon, capital of Myanmar and visited their glorious, glamorous and giant golden temple, “shwedagon Pagoda”. Subsequently, we visited their main monastery to meet the chief Buddhist monk. After the initial discussions, they took us to a forest monastery in a distant village full of paddy fields and enormous trees.

In the forest monastery, we were given accommodation in small cottages. Which only Two devotees could house. I stayed with our monk’s elder brother, where as my wife occupied the section assigned for females. The centre had a common hall for us to practice mindful meditation. Male devotees used the front side of the hall, where as the females used the back. There were only few devotees as it was the most warmest period in Myanmar. During the day time, there were many instances when I thought of giving up meditation. But the tranquil forest picture on the wall, painted a picture in my mind's eye ” A beautiful river flowing through the forests, inhaling the scents of cold breeze and slashing water on my feet”. This picture was so soothing to my mind that it helped me to endure the hot climate and concentrate on my breathing.

First few days were very challenging. We had to wake up at 4am, get ready and meditate in the main hall until breakfast time. As the days passed by, we got used to the routine.  I observed monks meditating for long hours. It gave myself a boost to practice hard. Use of mobile phones inside the monastery is prohibited. It was in a way a blessing.  At night, some devotees even slept in the same sitting posture by keeping their head on the mat under a mosquito net. On some days at night, we got the opportunity to listen to the Dhamma recordings by the chief monk in English. We had discussions individually with the monk In-charge of the monastery on the following day. He enlightened us on how to tread on the correct path with right thinking. Also he taught us to concentrate on every step of breathing as we Inhaled and Exhaled air.  On the fifth and final day,  all of us attended a group discussion. It helped us to calm our minds. We returned to our Mother Land after visiting several other historical places in Myanmar.

That five day retreat enriched  my life in many ways. By giving me strength to face challenges, improved the concentration and control of my emotions at difficult situations.

We learnt an invaluable lesson; if we frequently practice concentration with presence of mind, it will help us to focus on our goals precisely and achieve them in our lives.