I’ve been meditating for a while now, but not following any sort of official practice. I was so excited to find the Meditation and Mindfulness program that SAS was holding in Myanmar. I wanted to learn more specific techniques in the heart of an area whose people are avid practitioners.
I found it harder, however, than I expected to focus on meditation. At one point on our second day of the retreat, I opened my eyes to see the monk who was leading us was scrolling on his iPhone instead of observing or meditating as well. I was very thrown off by the caliber in which technology has been integrated into Buddhist places and symbology. I know it is probably naïve to not have expected that. Obviously everywhere in the world is becoming more consumed with phones and internet and bright lights and flashing signs, but somehow, I just really didn’t think I would encounter it there.
I am obviously a huge believer that there is a crazy amount of perspectives to be had of one thing, if you haven’t caught on to me saying that in a bunch of these posts. I think it is such an interesting thing to compare our preconceptions with what actually is. I pictured being in some old stone monastery in the mountains, probably more akin to what I have seen of Chinese Daoist temples honestly, and ended up in a room with flashing LED lights and cell phones. It is important to consider the differences in what we expect and how those expectations either fall short or are bettered because it allows us to be aware that we have no true idea about something until we ourselves are experiencing it firsthand.
I also cannot stop thinking about how lucky I am to have had the chance to visit the country. There is so much joy and love there that it was almost tangible in some places. When I first heard we were going to Myanmar, I didn’t really know where it was or what to expect. I recognized the former name of Burma, but still had no context of the place. Upon looking into field programs a long time ago, I saw the stunning pagodas and balloons and picturesque experiences I could have.
After that, I heard about it next in my religion class. I learned about the Rohingya crisis, wherein a genocide is taking place against the Muslim population. The situation is absolutely horrible, and I was honestly a little worried about coming to country after hearing about all the raids and land mines that are around. Instead of some hostile, divided environment, I was lucky enough to sail into a place that was one of the most amazing things I have seen.
I know that I cannot speak to much of the true nature of what is going on in the country, neither from the perspective of a foreigner nor from being in areas that were more predominately Buddhist. I can however say that I learned another important lesson from what I saw during my time in Myanmar.
- A place is not made up of its tragedy or wrongs,it is made up of people who are, for the most part, doing their best to live their lives with joy.
- You never know what is going on behind the scenes, where one person sees joy another might be fighting for their beliefs, or even their life.
- There are good people everywhere doing their best to fight against injustice, but there is always more to be done.
It is an amazing thing to be able to see your life literally transforming before your eyes. I wrote in my notes on my phone while I was on the retreat, ‘I can feel myself fundamentally changing because of this trip and I’m so happy with that’. I want to be able to take the things I have learned and allow them to influence my life as much as it can. Because once you know something, it is nearly impossible to go back to viewing the world as you did before, and I wouldn’t want to. Seeing other people’s trials and triumphs makes me infinitely more appreciative of my own. This life is such a gift and I don’t want to waste any part of it.
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