John describes in a humorous and vivid way his experiences during a retreat at the Suan Mokkh International Dhamma Hermitage.
" [...] Some experiences amaze, some stun, some fascinate… and, every once in a very long time, leave you
knowing and unknowing, seeing and unseeing as you struggle to come to terms with changes they bring about in yourself.
This experience, for me, was the 10-day silent meditation retreat at the International Dhamma Hermitage at Suan Mokkh, one of the most famous meditation temples in Thailand, in the south where the border of Burma is closest to the Gulf of Thailand. [...]
The 90 or so men and women taking part in the retreat were aged from 16 to over 60 and arrived
from countries as diverse as Australia and Germany, Israel and Canada, China and Switzerland.
On the last day of the month, we were ferried the kilometre or two from the public area to the very private, and usually very quiet, international hermitage. [...] "