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Showing posts with the label meditation

Reader's Experience at a Temple Meditation Retreat (Based on a True Story, Sort of)

Silence, Sweat, and Mosquitoes: My Peaceful Meltdown at a Thai Temple Retreat I decided to go on a meditation retreat at a Thai temple because I thought it would be relaxing. I had visions of sitting under a Bodhi tree, levitating slightly, maybe glowing faintly with inner peace. Instead, I got 4 a.m. wake-up gongs, 10 hours of sitting with my own thoughts (terrifying), and a diet consisting mostly of boiled vegetables and spiritual humility. The retreat was held in a forest monastery, a beautiful, serene place filled with chirping birds, slow-moving monks, and the constant soundtrack of someone’s knees cracking during walking meditation. Upon arrival, they took my phone (fair), my snacks (expected), and my will to speak (rude, but okay). Silence began immediately. No talking, no texting, no eye contact. Just me, my breath, and the occasional gecko scream in the night. Every day started at 4 a.m. with a gong loud enough to wake the ancestors. We shuffled to the meditation hall like zom...