Working the system at Wat Ram Poeng

September 29th, 2003 at 12:00am

Day 13. I’m starting to know what it feels like to be a prisoner, and it’s taken me 13 days now to begin to work the ‘system.’ 2 days ago one of the monks asked me to speak to a girl who wanted to start a meditation today and had some questions. I spoke with her, and then realized that she was going back to Chiang Mai town until today. So I asked her to buy me some supplies that I needed. Today the items were sitting at my doorstep with a receipt of what I owed. Brilliant!

Then, yesterday during a walking meditation, I suddenly remembered that my niece Morgan’s birthday will pass on October 10th, and if I stay the full 26 days, I will have missed being able to send her a card on time. Luckily I had already purchased a card in Australia (because they don’t have Barbie cards in Thailand), but I needed to figure out a way to get the card ‘outside.’ Then it hit me, ask one of the yogis who is leaving! There was one guy yesterday in his normal clothes sitting outside of the office, a sure sign of imminent departure, so I approached him and explained the situation, and asked him if I could give him money and the card to post for me. He said sure, not a problem, and off my card went without me ever leaving the monastery.

Today I had an even better discovery. On the far side of the monastery, there is a gate to another road, and just outside the gate there is a shop that sells the Bangkok Post! Now surely I would not be so bold as to buy a copy and carry it back through to my room, but I can definitely work into my schedule a daily ‘stroll’ where I can thereby fit in a quick glance at the headlines and at least know what is happening in the world. This is so exciting. I love finding ways to work the system! I can now understand how things manage to get done from the inside of a prison. Of course I have the free will to leave whenever I want, but during meditation you are not supposed to leave at all, and anyway it’s more fun this way.

I should be purely focused on my practice and not even thinking about such things, but I must admit that I am starting to get bored and not trying as hard anymore. I swear that this afternoon I am going to force myself back into focus. But it’s been a nice little break of diversions!

Cats get roof rights at Wat Ram Poeng

Entry Filed under: Chiang Mai,North,Thailand