in 2005, while trying to mend a broken heart a friend of mine suggested I read, “The Art of Happiness” by the Dalai Lama. (Click the link to d/l your free PDF version of the book) It was my first exposure to Buddhism psychology and it immediately resonated. I couldn’t believe how simple and clear it was. It’s a science of the mind, with nothing to believe and only everything to discover. I became so obsessed that even my mother would always buy me Buddha statues and trinkets. I would go on to read countless self helps and Eastern religion books which all mentioned meditation and mindfulness; but I didn’t quite pick it up for almost another decade. I was familiar and loved the “living in the now” concept, thanks to Ekhart Tolle, but I don’t think I had a clear sense of true presence and definitely no meditation practice. With so much passion for the values and beliefs, it was only a matter of time before it caught up with me.

In May 2014, while traveling around Vietnam, my belongings (including my wallet) was stolen right underneath my nose on a beach in Nha Trang. I remember the woman who was running the hostel I stayed in said it was a “big blessing” but I could not see it at the time. Nothing that bad could possibly happen without something really great happening she said. In hindsight, I do believe that was a moment of grace in my life and it was one of the best things that could of happened to me. With two months of travel left and flights already booked all around SouthEast Asia, there was no way to get new cards or cash wired and going home early was not an option in my eyes. My decision was to cut costs even though I was already living on $5-10 US / day. I looked up anything “volunteer/ free/ donation based” according to the locations I would be at and somehow along the way I came across a seven day silent meditation retreat called Dipabhāvan Meditation Center in Ko Samui Thailand (just in time to catch the infamous full moon party on my way out). It was donation based, which essentially meant I had free accommodation and food for seven days. Admittedly, I was only able to donate $10 USD at the time but I hope to one day go back and donate much much more.

My daily schedule:
4:30 – Wake up
5:00 – Morning Reading
5:15 –  Sitting Meditation
5:45 – Yoga/ Exercise
7:00 – Sitting Meditation
7:30 – Breakfast & Chores
9:30 – Dhamma talk
10:30 – Walking or standing meditation
11:00 – Sitting meditation
11:30 – Lunch & chores
14:00 – Meditation instruction & Sitting meditation
15:00 – Walking or standing meditation
16:00 – Walking or standing meditation
16:30 – Chanting & Loving Kindness meditation
17:30 – Tea
19:30 – Sitting meditation
20:00 – Group walking meditation
20:30 – Sitting meditation
21:00 – Bedtime
21:30 – LIGHTS OUT

Some people might have had trouble with waking up at 4:30 am, keeping silent, eating only two bland vegetarian meals a day before noon, the cold showers, or sleeping on a sheet of plywood + a wooden pillow; (first time I’d ever seen a wooden pillow and surprisingly it was comfortable) but this was more than enough for me. I enjoyed myself fully, maybe a little too much. Simple yet profound. On the last day when talking was re-permitted, I realized how little I wanted to speak and how little I spoke throughout my entire S.EA travels- being solo, introverted and not drinking at the time, who was I really talking to anyway?

This was my first real experience with “mindfulness/ meditation” and just like all the books I had read, it immediately resonated with my soul. I took from there, one of my favorite quotes to date -“Thoughts are like birds, you can’t keep them from flying around your head, but you can keep them from building a nest inside your hair.” Besides the mental and emotional shifts, I experienced a dramatic physical change as well. Let’s just say I had some healthy movement for the first time since traveling. I couldn’t believe that the mind affected the gut so much.

So after that life changing experience I was hooked and searched for more that I could do before heading back home. Next retreat (if you like to call it that), was an official “Vipassana” S.N. Goenka G. center in Malaysia. This is where the magic happened, this is the place where “I found God” whatever that means. I do remember having a “Come to Jesus” moment  while watching the movie “Noah” on the plane back home to the states where I finally understood the story and all the bible stories for that matter that I had been told. To me, all the characters were an incarnation of a specific quality/ feeling/ emotion – which sounds so simple but it had never clicked like that before. It was as if I started to make sense of EVERYTHING around me. A big LIGHT bulb had gone off in my head!

Since the first retreat, I have kept a steady daily meditation practice. I have my good days and bad days. Of course, I’ve slip and miss a day here or there, or in times of stress (when I need it the most) I might go a few days without- but I try not to get down on myself for it and jump back on the wagon. Life is all about riding the waves and what meditation teaches you is that whatever wave comes up (good or bad) it will, without fail, no doubt… go away. This too shall pass. Everything is in constant change and nothing stays the same. Impermanence (Anitya). The arising and passing of everything. You get the point? It’s the ONLY point to get. Sometimes I wish I found it sooner (oh how many problems I would of solved so much quicker) but maybe it wouldn’t of stuck, who knows? Meditation is a great reminder that it isn’t about changing anything, it’s about radical acceptance. It helps you to listen to all the monkey mind chatter while realizing what TV or radio station you keep tuning into. Then helps you to change the channel if you don’t like it, instead of staying stuck. The word FREEDOM comes to my mind.

Vipassana is not for everybody but it is the ultimate truth for me. It is what the Buddha did himself under that famous Bodhi tree. I still mix with other “types” of meditations but Vipassana is my home base. The centers themselves, run completely on donations from only those who have completed a 10 day sitting, even the volunteers must of completed a 10 day sitting.  You either “sit” or “serve” and donate whatever (if any) you wish.  I highly recommend to anyone and everyone, but don’t worry if 10+ hours a day of sitting silent meditation isn’t your thing, I feel ya! Thankfully we live in a modern world with many other options out there. What I strongly suggest though is that you pick up SOME sort of meditation practice, because we live in this modern world with an overload of mental stimulation, meditation can help ease the chaos. Find something that you can realistically stick to, that’s the most important part! Surfs up dude!