This past week we headed north for a Buddhist retreat at the Pleekwiwek Dhamma center. We had no idea what a treat this would be! It was a week packed with activities, most of which involved hanging out with the novice monks. At the center, there were about 15 novice monks aged 11 to 18; they were some of the best kids we’ve worked with. Every morning we tried our best to join them, rolling out of bed for a 5:30am chant. Following the chant, the oldest monk would teach us the art of walking meditation. We then would eat some good breakfast of traditional toast and jam! The activities during the week included: harvesting potatoes, dry rice and paddy rice. All with the novice monks who we found out were much better than us! One of our greatest resources at the Dhamma center was our contact, Lorri. Lorri has been living in Thailand for over 45 years and has spent his livelihood involved with Buddhism and HIV awareness. He lead us in discussions about Buddhism and taught us much about the Thai culture. For two days we spent half of the day in silence. Some of us found this very difficult! We used our newly taught meditation practices to self-reflect. All together, everyone in the group would agree that it was one of the best weeks from what we learned, the relaxation, and the fun we had at the Dhamma retreat!
Love y’all,
Jake
S/O to my favorite parents, Frank and Suzanne
S/O to Cathleen
S/O no more plastic water bottles
S/O to SMILLERRR