Trip to Ajahn Suk Meditation Centre, Kampung Pong, Grik

Ajahn speaks in Bahasa
http://tripatlas.com/videoplay/G5n4vQlwYdE

Purposefully & Permanently Meditating

Today marks the last day of the 11-day Vipassana Meditation Retreat in BMBMC under the guidance of Venerable Sayadaw U Ukkhamsa. In tonight parting Dhamma talk, Ven. Sayadaw advised the yogis to meditate always. Sayadaw said that there are purposefully and permanently meditating; purposefully meditating is when a yogi comes to retreat and meditates for the whole duration of the retreat. Permanently meditating is better in that a yogi after retreat will still continued to meditate in his daily life. This is what Ven Sayadaw wishes every yogi will continue doing after the retreat.
In praising the donors and helpers, Ven. Sayadaw mentioned the three characteristics required of the donor and similarly the three characteristics required of the recipients so that maximum benefit can befall the donor. In retreat, the yogis do have the necessary three characteristics of the recipient to benefit the donor.

Six Animals Tied to A Pole

Tonight Dhamma talk by Sayadaw U Ukkhamsa is about how one can guard the six senses. This talk is based on Ayatana Sutta (further detail please see ayatana) mentioned by the Buddha. Sayadaw described the six senses in ourselves as likened to six animals, namely the snake, the crocodile, bird, dog, fox and monkey.
Our eyes are like the snake always try to get to its mount where lots of complicated things can be seen. The crocodile is our ears, wanting to submerge in the sound like the croc in the pond.
Our nose is the bird that want to fly to the air, wanting to smell the things in the air. The dog and the fox are our tongue and body respectively. The dog likes to go to the kitchen in for nice food just like our tongue and the fox to the cemetery to eat and to lie down just like our body that want to feel good things and later take a rest.
The monkey is the best representation of our mind - always jumping from one thing to another.
These animals are tied together in a knot of ignorance and when they do, each one of them will try to go to their respective goal, thus pulling the other five along. Usually the one that is most powerful at that moment will overpowered the rest and pull the others along. But the six of them will always compete with one another.
Only through Vipassana meditation that one can controlled these six animals. A yogi in meditation will tied these six animals to a pole thus quietened them by observing each one of them. Sayadaw advised the yogi to try to do this so that during the retreat, the six senses of ours will be controlled and noted. This will helped a yogi to progress further in his meditation.
Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu

One Day Retreat at BMBMC

Just complete my first one-day retreat from 6 June at BMBMC with Amy. We signed in on the 5th and ends on the morning 7th of June. BMBMC conducted a 10-day retreat under the auspicious guidance of Sayadaw U Ukkhamsa.
Since it is our first time going to retreat, we are very. enthusiatic with it. Happy and hoping to do a lot on the first day.
But alas, the mind is wonderful. What you want you do not necessarily get. So, what can I say, the retreat is suffering to me. Due to the huge amount of energy, I did not get enough sleep. This brought to a dull mind. So every time I try to do sitting meditation, what I get is dream. Yes dream is like watching tv in front of you. Pictures of dramatic scenario played in front of you before you know it.
Pain, whoa, teribble. It comes and it never goes away. With a dull mind, what can one observe but only to endure it. That too is too much for me. For a usual period of 30 to an hour sitting, I can only sit for not more than 15 minutes.
Good thing about this is that I learn something in walking mediation. I find that walking mediation to be interesting. Now I learn how to do walking meditation, at least the three stages one. It is by doing walking meditation that keep me going in this retreat.
Amy also find that sleepiness affected her meditation. Both of us are tired, fatigue and a lot of aching all over the body.
Sleep for almost 7 hours today, only to wake up to eat lunch. For a day of just sitting and walking, it looks like we had gone hiking for days. So who says meditating is easy. It never will but it is the way is we as Buddhists need to do.
Want to try again? Amy says she will think about it. Any way sadhu to both of us, now we had the experience of going to retreat. Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu