Retreating to advance

The English language can be confusing. Take the word ‘retreat’, for example. While the basic meaning is to go backwards—a negative concept—it is also used to escape the hectic pace of life, as in a wellness or meditation retreat—a positive concept. So, in a sense it is true that we have to retreat to advance or enhance our spiritual condition.
I recently spent a few days at such a wellness retreat—the Aleenta Resort, following a course called “monk-level” Vipassana (insight) meditation. After a wellness consultation to identify my physical and spiritual abilities and aspirations, I was given a schedule of activities I had never tried before.

During my stay, I participated in sound healing, qigong, yoga, spa treatments and bamboo exercise, which involved using a bamboo pole to improve posture and flexibility. I found all of them useful to focus my mind on the present moment, which made it easier when it came to sitting and walking meditation under the guidance of a monk.
The monk, Phra Tawatchai, lived at Wat Umong, a forest monastery near the resort, and he guided my breathing as I sat or walked beside him. After a few days, I could detach myself for brief periods from the thoughts and emotions that constantly rushed through me, which was a liberating sensation.
However, when Phra Tawatchai told me about Phra Thera Chan, a monk who lived here in the 14th century, I realised that my meditative achievements were insignificant. Phra Thera Chan was an advisor to King Kuena, but he would often disappear into the forest for days or weeks on end, meditating so deeply that he lost all sense of time and could not be found when his king needed his advice.
As a result, the king had meditation tunnels built and decorated with jungle motifs, and forbade his advisor from wandering off again. These tunnels (‘umong’ in Thai) gave the temple its name, and since this is the only Thai temple with such a feature, hundreds of tourists now arrive daily to explore the tunnels with their serene Buddha images.
Though most visitors explore no further, the ‘talking trees’ (trees tagged with wise sayings) and Spiritual Theatre at Wat Umong also provide plenty of food for thought for hungry minds looking for inspiration.