Dedicated to all the volunteers I worked with this spring.
Great work everybody! Happy travels to you all XO
Everybody Seems To Be Moving In One Direction
Along my travels, I met some guys from France,
they told me about this DJ, Wax Tailor.
I couldnt get this song out of my head for the longest time.
Vounteering on a Thai Farm: Projects!
Cook! Using all fresh and organic and even wild plants! Our staple ingredients are things like ginger, chilies, soy sauce, mustard flowers, wild sweet potatoes, papaya, and mizuna!
Build!
Waterproofing the roof.
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| My partners in crime and me in the kitchen- Cookin up a meal for up to 20 people at time!   |
Waterproofing the roof.
Making finishing touches.
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Making more mud bricks!
|
Gardening; Planting, Fertilizing, Weeding, Harvesting
Volunteering on a Thai Farm: Breakfast & The 5 Contemplations
When I was in Canada looking for an opportunity to do something meaningful in Thailand, I naturally started to pursue agriculturally-driven projects. But I didn't want to go to just any farm- I wanted to learn as much as possible- about farming, meditation, how to build a mud-house. I had a bucket-list going on. I started looking for farming opportunities where I could build a mudhouse, and within a community living in a meditation sangha-style. 
Eventually, when I found this farm, which is organic and is a place of meditation. I wrote an email immediately and received a response within a few days telling me that there was an opportunity to learn about earthen building and the offer was there. They said to come out to and work on the farm in exchange for learning about building earthern homes, meditation, and Thai cooking, so I did. Something I really like is that each morning the volunteers and the farmer all gather outside after walking meditation, for a modest but fulfilling breakfast, sitting at a few makeshift tables among the bales of straw and bamboo. He reads "The Five Contemplations" every morning before eating. 1.This food is a gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings and much hard work.
2. May we eat with mindfulness & gratitude so as to be worthy to receive it.
3. May we encourage & transform our unwholesome mental formations,especially our greed and learn to eat with moderation.
4. May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that we reduce the suffering of living beings, preserve our planet & reverse the process of global warming.
5. We accept this food, so that we may nurture our sisterhood & brotherhood, strengthen our sangha and nourish our ideal of serving all beings.
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| Pumpkin Soup |
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| Our Thai Porridge; Rice with coconut milk, honey, banana and papaya |
ISNT THAT YOD YIAM?!
(awesome)
This is Pang Term, Thailand
frommynotebook;
"I look at the travel alarm clock and see that it is Thursday.
It is 3:58 p.m, the temperature is 30.5 degrees Celcius.
I am laying in my tent, under a large jungle hut made of clay and straw.
The roof is made from bamboo and large dried leaves.
A large red and black ant crawls across my screen door.
Beyond it I can see a mountain, and beyond that only a
forest of tropical greenery. Out the door of the tent,
and a few steps away is a path lined with well-spaced mudhuts.
The path leads down to the meditation platform overlooking the valley.
A few steps later are the squat toilets, then the outdoor
kitchen and dining area, and then the farm fields, which stretch down
towards the river. This is where I am organically farming.
After you cross this river you will find the small village of Pang Term.~
I look up. I see the leaf roof that towers above me- it has seen better days.
The clear blazing blue sky is peaking through,
but I am mostly sheltered in the shade.
I am listening to Silver Jet by The Tragically Hip.
It is pulsing from my laptop, which I have used today for the first time in
awhile, since there is little to no internet access here.
A laptop sometimes feels like an old friend here.
It can bring all sorts of comforting luxuries, like music,
or reminders of home but its deemed quite useless here most of the time
in the rural mountains of Thailand. Still I am grateful to have it now
so that I canlisten to Canadian music- its been so long!~
From time to time I hear thrashing in the forest,
and sometimes mysterious footstep sounds. I hear it now.
I try not to think about it too much, I will admit I am nervous
to think about what this creature could be. Ignorance is bliss.
I also hear an array of birds which I am beginning to recognize since
they have replaced my conventional wake-up alarm.
One of the birds sounds like it is constantly saying "Pa-pa, Pa-pa".~
I feel the warm wind shift , flowing over my tent
and causing my misquito net to ripple in the breeze.
I feel at home here.~
I smell only nature around me and the Thai short-bread
that I am eating. A new volunteer has brought some from
the nearest village, Samoeng.~
I taste sweetness and black sesame seeds! Yum..
Now some cool ginger water to wash it all down.
This is Pang Term, Thailand. "
"I look at the travel alarm clock and see that it is Thursday.
It is 3:58 p.m, the temperature is 30.5 degrees Celcius.
I am laying in my tent, under a large jungle hut made of clay and straw.
The roof is made from bamboo and large dried leaves.
A large red and black ant crawls across my screen door.
Beyond it I can see a mountain, and beyond that only a
forest of tropical greenery. Out the door of the tent,
and a few steps away is a path lined with well-spaced mudhuts.
The path leads down to the meditation platform overlooking the valley.
A few steps later are the squat toilets, then the outdoor
kitchen and dining area, and then the farm fields, which stretch down
towards the river. This is where I am organically farming.
After you cross this river you will find the small village of Pang Term.~
I look up. I see the leaf roof that towers above me- it has seen better days.
The clear blazing blue sky is peaking through,
but I am mostly sheltered in the shade.
I am listening to Silver Jet by The Tragically Hip.
It is pulsing from my laptop, which I have used today for the first time in
awhile, since there is little to no internet access here.
A laptop sometimes feels like an old friend here.
It can bring all sorts of comforting luxuries, like music,
or reminders of home but its deemed quite useless here most of the time
in the rural mountains of Thailand. Still I am grateful to have it now
so that I canlisten to Canadian music- its been so long!~
From time to time I hear thrashing in the forest,
and sometimes mysterious footstep sounds. I hear it now.
I try not to think about it too much, I will admit I am nervous
to think about what this creature could be. Ignorance is bliss.
I also hear an array of birds which I am beginning to recognize since
they have replaced my conventional wake-up alarm.
One of the birds sounds like it is constantly saying "Pa-pa, Pa-pa".~
I feel the warm wind shift , flowing over my tent
and causing my misquito net to ripple in the breeze.
I feel at home here.~
I smell only nature around me and the Thai short-bread
that I am eating. A new volunteer has brought some from
the nearest village, Samoeng.~
I taste sweetness and black sesame seeds! Yum..
Now some cool ginger water to wash it all down.
This is Pang Term, Thailand. "
Volunteering on a Thai Farm
 |
| Representin the Graviti |
 |
| Wakin up! Layered like no tomorrow, it gets cold in the mountains at night!
The farm is 100% organic.
The farm produces lettuces, mizuna, mustard, onions, tomatoes, kale, coriander, sweet potatoes, bananas, cabbage, peanuts and more. The irrigation water is supplied from a well with a pump and is hooked up to manual sprinklers. The rest of the crops are hand-watered with well-water and a mixture of liquid compost made from cabbage, water and sugar. Thai-whisky diluted with water is the farmers #1 organic pesticide option. He suggests that 1 cup whisky, 20 Liters of water will do the trick.
|
 |
| Scott in front of the (outdoor) kitchen
After pouring ourselves some fresh ginger tea into our bamboo cups, we all walk down the dirt road towards a hill facing the sunrise. We practice walking meditation, and sometimes meditate on the hill. When we return back to the farm we make breakfast together before starting work. Then we split up into different jobs, like building mud bricks, cooking, building bamboo huts, farming, hunting for food, etc.
|
 |
| Walking Meditation and Stretches |
 |
| Sitting around the table @ Breakfast, under the PawPaw tree! From left to right: Me (Canada), Natalie (Germany), Daniello (Holland), Jim (Sweden) |
Edible Weeds for Dinner
frommynotebook:
"Today we put our shoes on and went searching for an unmarked yellow Song teaw in a sea of unmarked yellow Song teaws in China Town of Chiang Mai city. Somehow amidst the chaos, we found our way and began our 3 hour-drive wayyyy up into the mountains of Chiang Mai, past Samoeng to a village called Pang Term. (Pronounced Pong-term)
It is very rural here.
We are at a farm (organic) with lots of mudhuts! We ate an edible weed called 'Nok-sai' for dinner, among other things. Guided by the Thai farmer, we picked the entire plant with the root, and cooked the upper portion by leaving out the roots and cotyledons and soaking the rest of the plant in boiled water. Afterwards we drained it, and then stirfyed it with soy sauce, and peanuts ground in a mortar and pestle. It was pretty delicious! We also had some wild sweet potatoes freshly pulled up from the ground. They are purple on the outside and white on the inside and and incredibly sweet like candy. There is a girl here from Switzerland and she made a ginger glaze for them. O ya! Made my day after a long trip!"
"Today we put our shoes on and went searching for an unmarked yellow Song teaw in a sea of unmarked yellow Song teaws in China Town of Chiang Mai city. Somehow amidst the chaos, we found our way and began our 3 hour-drive wayyyy up into the mountains of Chiang Mai, past Samoeng to a village called Pang Term. (Pronounced Pong-term)
 |
| On the ride up into the mountains |
It is very rural here.
We are at a farm (organic) with lots of mudhuts! We ate an edible weed called 'Nok-sai' for dinner, among other things. Guided by the Thai farmer, we picked the entire plant with the root, and cooked the upper portion by leaving out the roots and cotyledons and soaking the rest of the plant in boiled water. Afterwards we drained it, and then stirfyed it with soy sauce, and peanuts ground in a mortar and pestle. It was pretty delicious! We also had some wild sweet potatoes freshly pulled up from the ground. They are purple on the outside and white on the inside and and incredibly sweet like candy. There is a girl here from Switzerland and she made a ginger glaze for them. O ya! Made my day after a long trip!"
 |
| Arriving at the farm in Pang Term |
 |
| Using the clay oven |
 |
| Nok-sai |
Bhavatu Sabba Mangalam
 |
| AFTER the 10-day Vipassana Course! " No sensation can measure your progress in Vipassana, the only yardstick is your equanimity."- Goenka |
Dear blog and blog readers, it is next to prettinear impossible to tell you what happened to me at this intense VIPASSANA course! It was both the most cleansing, perception shattering, rejuvenating and most difficult thing that I have ever tried to undertake. If you are thinking of doing it, absolutely do not wait. Unless you need to, then mai pen rai. But I say, absolutely DO IT, I feel like its never to early to understand life on a deeper level. Theres really no way to prepare yourself for this either, just throw yourself into it, thats all I can say.(Just kidding- cause I have SO MUCH to say!!) ..Of course something of this magnitude, or this subject could never be experienced, unless experienced, but I will try to share what I can explain. The rest I encourage you to find out on your own.
I will start by saying that I have meditated before, but never like this. 10 days of complete renunciation, (minus shaving my head), noble silence and 12 hours of meditation a day. But YES, we DID IT! Scott and I studied (separately) the Vipassana meditation technique at the Dhamma Simanta Center, under our teacher Robyn Russ, guided by S.N. Goenka. Basically what we did at the center was gave up all material things for 10 days and followed strict guidelines and lessons. We learned a series of breathing and awareness techniques along with activities that solidify the connection of your conscious mind--> to your "un" conscious mind (which is actually conscious). This is what we spent day in and day out doing, connecting with our unconscious mind and gross and subtle body sensations. By simply recognizing that thoughts can alter your breath, and cause physiological changes in the body, before emotions are created, you can identify these moments of change within your breathing patterns and in your bodys cells and use it as a tool. This is meant to allow you to recognize and understand the root of your thoughts and choose a reaction free from craving and aversion which are the causes of misery and suffering.
The course progresses a little each day, adding more to the breathing techniques, challenging the mind and body more every day, and different subjects of "enlightenment" are discussed in the evening discourses.
Some big topics at Dhamma Simanta Vipassana Center:
Anicce (Impermanence)
This is one of the biggest points in Vipassana.
Since our minds will always have thoughts (which generate emotions), it is normal to feel all ranges of emotions, they are destined to occur at one time or another. So if we know this is true, why must we suffer from them always? All things are "Anicce", all things are in constant change. All things, you, me.. we too will rise and then pass away. Impermanence infact it is the only certain thing in our existence, so we must be mindful of this and all things in our life. The Vipassana technique of meditation teaches people how to live a life free from emotions that bind us. How? Well, by using the techniques we were taught, with time and effort, you can get to the root of your emotional complexes through awareness and mindful living to purify your mind and to be free from all pain and suffering.
Ten Parami, (The 10 Virtues) These include;
- Nekkhamma(Renunciation);The act or an instance of renouncing: the renunciation of all earthly pleasures-This meant no cell phones, no bodily decorations, no music, no books, nothing!
- Sila (Morality); The quality of being in accord with standards of right or good conduct. -This includes the 5 precepts, such as refraining from taking what is not given, not speaking lies, refraining from sexual misconduct, refraining from killing any living creature and not taking any intoxicants including smoking cigarettes.
- Panna(Wisdom); The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight.-Wisdom is supported by Sila.
"Importance must be given to morality.
Which is good for everyone."
- Adhittana (Strong Determination)- As the course progressed we were asked to endure "Sittings of Strong Determination" where, for 1 or 2 hours you were to do sitting mediation without moving at all, even to scratch your nose! If you were experiencing extreme pain, you were allowed to move freely, but for the meditations sake you were encouraged to reduce your movement a little more each session. For example if you moved your posture 3 times during the last sitting, try to only move twice the next time. Eventually, when pain arises you will easily be able to perceive it as "Anicce"(impermanent) and to let it go easier, choosing neither a reaction of aversion or pleasure, and reducing your suffering. After several sittings of Strong Determination I was able to recognize the temperature difference between the air entering my nostrils and exiting, every tingling itch on my nose or my neck, every vibration withing my skill, the air around my eyes, the cloth on my skin. I could feel my heart beating in my wrists, my neck, my legs, I was able to recognize gross senstations of pain, and subtle sensations of cells vibrating. The sittings are meant to train your mind to Anicce, and to teach that we are not our egos, we are simply a band of vibrations like everything else in the galaxies and that we are impermanent.
- Upekkha (Equanimity); The quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure.- Vipassana teaches to accept all emotions, good or bad, without reacting in aversion or pleasure. React in equanimity and reduce your suffering. Once you are completely equanimous and there is no suffering being created anymore, the Songkharas (sufferings from your reactions in the past) will be alleviated.
- Metta (Loving Kindness); Practicing Metta is encouraged at the end of each meditators session. This is the time where the student takes a few minutes to wish happiness to all beings, to wish happiness to all those who have hurt them, and to all who they have hurt. This is designed to create good will, healing and compassion.
- Viriya (Effort)
- Khanti (Patience, Tolerance)
- Sacca (Truth)
- Dana (Generosity)(1)
Bhavatu Sabba Mangalam ! May All Beings Be Happy! :) Thnx for reading!!
Check out my other blogs about Vipassana:
Challenging Myself to 10 days of Vipassana
A Forgotten Post: Self Transformation Through Self-Observation
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