Everyday Dhamma: A Call to Action at Wat Asokaram

Wat Asokaram.

Not exactly built on solid ground.

I didn't want to go anywhere. I woke up with

that feeling that I'd rather just stay at home than bother with packing my bag to head out to the monastery for the night. But, if I've done anything with my practice, I've developed a bit of a drive that can keep me going when I'd just rather give up. It's like that feeling that if I don't take advantage of the opportunities to practice, I'll be disappointed in myself, and that will be just another thing to bury under the layers of stored emotions and consciousness

A monks living quarter, or kuti.

So I pulled myself out of bed and hopped in a van to head down to the neighboring province of Samut Prakan, to visit Wat Asokaram. The temple, which I had previously visited nearly a year ago, is famous because it was founded by Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo, who was a disciple of the great Ajahn Mun. Coming from Ubon Ratchathani in NE Thailand, Ajahn Lee was trained in the strict Thai Forest Tradition. Although it's not purely a forest monastery, given it's close proximity to Bangkok and it's location in a marshland, they still follow the one meal a day rule and wear the brownish robes.

I swear, I didn't pick this room. Or did I?

That being said, the atmosphere is quite relaxed and I wasn't ever asked to go anywhere or do anything. It's interesting to be in a position like that. It stirs up all sorts of things in the mind, because here you've come all the way from your cozy little apartment, to be put into a much smaller room, given a thin mat to sleep with on the floor, and then left to do whatever. It makes you wonder, why didn't you just stay home and practice?

Security guard...

At some point, that might be a better idea.
Why spend the time and energy (and money) to go somewhere to practice when you can just practice wherever you are with whatever you have? Granted, it only took a couple hours door to door and only cost a couple dollars in bus fares, but upon arriving, you set your bag down, and then what? Isn't it the same?

As for now, I'll still choose to get out and connect with Thai Buddhism every chance I get, just to be filled up with the Dhamma, just to have the short conversations and the few words of encouragement from passerbyers. On this occasion, I was barely met with the temptation to practice laziness over meditation. I felt very peaceful in this place, like I was coming home. Although it's not the perfect monastery for me, it was nice to be given my own room and have the freedom to practice as I choose.

The main sala.

In the main jedi, there are life-like statues of the great masters of this lineage. Seeing them in meditation posture, I felt a strong sense of my purpose in this life. When you have so many great individuals to look-up to, you feel compelled to follow in their footsteps. Especially with a message so clear, could they have been wrong? Or is it not for everyone?

In my opinion, it's obvious that it's not for everyone. So how to determine whether or not it's for you?

When I have been able to quiet the mind, I feel like I am being called into action. Have you ever had that feeling? It's the feeling that there is more to life than this game of worldly pursuits. There is a higher purpose, and that is to wake up from the dream. It's not common to walk this path, even over here where Buddhism is strong. Most people, monks included, aren't really concerned with waking up, they are just getting by.

And therein lies a great reminder. There is nothing that is supposed to be happening. We aren't supposed to wake up, it's only optional. But what I want to remind myself is that if the phone is ringing, pick it up. If you are receiving a message, as I am, that is telling you to take a closer look, that there's something to this idea of waking up, I urge you as I am urging myself to follow that lead to see where it goes.

Walking meditation.

If the courage and the curiosity can come together to allow us to follow this path, I'm sure that the fruits will be better than our limited perspectives can even imagine. Part of that comes from this faith that I have been developing. Not a blind faith, but a trusting of sorts, that lets me take the words of wisdom as passed down by the Buddha and other enlightened teachers as being valid. It is truly a hopeless generation that can no longer accept the wisdom of its elders.

So it is to this generation that I am writing this to, not to instill some idea that age denotes wisdom, that is ridiculous. There are plenty of people who grow old and die and haven't learned a damn thing along the way. Very few are the ones who figure out what life is about, and fewer still are those who are able to put that into practice before breathing their last breath. It becomes our challenge, as the youth, to seek out those who have gone before us that really became the change they wished to see in the world, especially those whose ideas of change are aligned with our own. What are we willing to fight for? Are we willing to fight the darkest army in the history of humanity, our own inclination towards greed, hatred, and delusion?

If you are feeling like you need a little help, you aren't alone. Pull yourself off the couch, or out of bed, and connect with whatever resource is around you. If nothing else, utilize the internet as a resource, to find free information, e-books, audio tracks, and videos that are freely available to help spread the teachings that lead to liberation from identification with a false sense of self. And when you do, and you become infected with the power of truth, as seen and understood by your own ability to see and know, please, by all means, share it with anyone who is willing to listen!