Seven-Day Meditation Retreat held north of Bangkok, Thailand

Seven-Day Meditation Retreat held north of Bangkok, Thailand

One attendee wrote: “Our 2015 retreat in Thailand was in a very special setting on the banks of the Chao Phraya River north of Bangkok. How wonderful it was to practice and listen to the dharma in this place of abundance and jewel-like beauty. Birds, fish, butterflies, lotus ponds and green woods of coconut, banana and bamboo lent an air of ease and serenity to our dharma practice, while the river almost literally carried away the worries and pressures of hectic modern life. A holy and virtuous master, Zhaxi Zhuoma Rinpoche’s presence and transmission of dharma always inspires true sincerity in the practitioners who meet with her.”

This intimate multilingual seven-day meditation retreat started December 2, 2015 at 7:00 pm with an introductory session by Zhaxi Zhuoma Rinpoche outlining the rules and protocols to be observed during the retreat and a talk of how the rinpoche found Buddhism and H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and why she knows He is a Buddha. Certain esoteric dharma was transmitted that night and early the next morning to enable disciples to spend the entire week developing their meditation practice. Each day the morning chanting began at 6:00 am followed by a practice/meditation period. Buddhist from both Theravada and various Mahayana traditions attended. After breakfast the Rinpoche read a preliminary English translation of one of the discourses given by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III on the Trip to the East Coast (USA) that was more or less simultaneously translated into Thai. At the same time, Chinese disciples retired to another area to listen to the same discourse in Chinese given by the Buddha Master. This was followed by a discussion period and another short meditation session or interviews and more Dharma transmission. After lunch There were two more periods of sitting and walking meditation followed by a light snack, chanting, another class like the morning one, and, if any time remained after the discussion period another session of meditation with lights out at ten. Staff members and local disciples of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III sometimes joined the evening class. The rinpoche continued to hold individual and group interviews with her students from China, Thailand, and the USA and transmit dharma to them and new students as well. This part of the trip ended after morning service and breakfast on December 9 when the entire retreat and staff boarded busses for a fish release ceremony that was held at Buddhamonthon.

View of Salathum, the retreat center where the retreat was held. The beautiful four-story octagon structure was designed and built by the owner, a civil engineer, and his wife. Even though it is quite far from the ocean, the tides are still quite strong with the water flowing in both directions.
The river seemed to wrap around the Meditation Hall.
Gesang Suolang Rinpoche leads the group in walking meditation.
Groups of disciples came to Zhaxi Zhuoma
A pair of nagas guarded the center.
After an early morning shower, a double rainbow appeared in the river. In fact you can also see traces of a third rainbow on the left.

The river was magical at dawn. Note the two balls of light in the lower left. Many types of beings lived near the center. Light beings very much like these have also appeared and been photographed at the Holy Vajrasana Temple.

Click for more photos of Thailand events.

8
DEC
2015
0