Back in Thailand, we headed straight to Bangkok. This time bangkok didn't hit us as hard as the first time with all its busyness all it's tourist madness because we knew what to expect and where to go. Shortly after we arrived we met Dennis and Sarah which is the most random thing ever, because we met them first in Australia on the barry way in the victorian alps which is in the middle of nowhere exactly on the day George's tyre was cut open on the side and we had to fill it with bark to continue and we ran out of food...older blog entry...anyway they passed us on this gravel road and George recognized their faces again on Khao San road even though we just saw them for half a minute in winter hats. So we had a really nice time with them before we went to the meditation course with the public bus north to Phitsanulok. Up in the mountains is this beautiful Vipassana meditation center completely run by volunteers. Everybody got shown the own little room just with a bed and a cupboard men and women in separated dormitory blocks and the noble silence began which means no eye contact, no talk or gestures. The meditation form was invented by Buddha itself and it basically is designed to break the habit pattern of the body to get rid of all the cravings and aversions and, in the end become enlightened. The day started with a bell at 4 in the morning and ended after about 10 to 12 hours of meditation in the lotus position with breaks and really good vegan food 3 times a day. It also brings up all the old sankaras which are the cravings and addictions emotionally or physically and we both had hard time between crying and pain on one hand and 1 hour orgasmic feelings on the other hand. It was a really amazing and revealing experience but basically it is the start of live of meditation with the goal to become the master of your mind, live in the present moment and understand on the experiencing level that everything in the universe is coming and going and there is nothing which is permanent... we can't describe it but it definitely changed our lives and opened up a whole new world for us...try it out!
Now we are back in Bangkok and about to make further plans for Christmas... update coming soon! Hard to decide which direction to go but we don't want to spend it in bangkok!
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYBODY FROM THE PUMPKINS!!!!
Have fun in the cold weather, we will be thinking of you, ha ha!
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