The Island Of Peace

The Island of Peace

By Eva Ježovičová, Slovakia

If you haven´t heard it yet – impossible is nothing

“Thailand was the only country where people find it funny to have soldiers in their homeland during the protests. They gave them flowers and took pictures with them. One man wrote on Twitter – The soldiers are so cuuute," told us LP Pasura, the teaching monk, and smiled. I laughed, remembering how people around me went crazy before I went to Thailand: "There is a martial law. You must be total fool going there!"

There is piece of peace everywhere

You can find peaceful land everywhere. Your private island in the middle of outer mess. This is what Peace revolution has been teaching us for weeks during the Self-development program. The June fellowship in Koh Yao Noi was just another confirmation of this fact.

To get to this island of peace you need few things: Will to do something. Courage to change something. Self-discipline to finish what you´ve started and trust that it´ll make sense after all. If you´ve finished 42 days self-development program, made the special op and passed the interview, it´s higly probable that you have it all. With little luck you can be one of the participants from all over the world who attend meditation retreat. Exactly as it has happened to me

Patience is what tropics teach you

On 1st June I am sitting in a plane to Bangkok. The landing gear of the Aeroflot´s aircraft is slowly letting go the connection with ground, iron bird is shaking upon whole body. On the small screens we´re watching the real scene. From zero speed to faster and faster, reaching the starting point. I smiled to the narrow take-off ahead of me. Sitting in my seat deeply and safely. Giving trust toward everything and everyone what comes. Giving hope. And patience.

On 2nd June I´m there. Breathing hot and humid air of the tropic Thai climate. Hard to breathe there but amazingly exciting to be there. Later on boat that´s taking us somewhere we don´t know yet, I´m sensing fresh breeze on my face.

“Remember it takes more time to adjust to the different climate. The air, the food, the time zone, everything is different. Your body and mind needs time, but after three days it will get better,“ the teaching monks keep telling us. Trusting them is the only thing we can do. Fact is that my meditation is worse than whenever before. I could be disappointed, but I´m not. No expectations is the golden rule and you will hear it million times again and again. I´m here and everything what will happen is a lesson I need to take - I said to myself.

So I close my eyes and breathe. Sometimes deep meditation is replaced with shallow sleep, but nevermind. “There are two ways you can figth with sleep. If you´re falling asleep, open you eyes, drink water, go for a walk, then come back and try again. If nothing works, then enjoy your sleep,“ LP John tells us. We laugh and give it a try. Over and over, four times a day. Thanks God we always get a new chance to try again.

True is that after a week, everything gets better. Maybe I´m not sweating less, but either way I don´t fall asleep so often anymore, finally I got used to this time zone. I can climb to the scenic viewpoint faster than before and the pain in my legs takes now more time to come. I am so thankful for that. Also, it rains less, but either way, island is beautiful especially in rain when greenery goes crazy. I watch the jungle from the windows of a meditation room and sometimes I can´t believe it´s real. After a week I have few very good meditations. Even with closed eyes I can see the light. Answers to unquestioned are coming and I just listen to the silence that speaks.

This is not a sect. Even if we wear just white

There are critics for everything. Especially critics appear when they discover something unknown. That´s why there are still so many people criticizing meditation - cos they don´t know! “Fear is ignorance,“ said LP Pasura to us. How smart is that! That´s why there are so many people also asking me if Peace revolution is a sect. We wear white and eat just two meals a day, that´s right, but everyone looks pretty normal here. Sometimes we joke, we like to talk and share and we have the same problems like everyone at the same age. I can understand that imagine a situation when someone puts so much effort just to please you and give you a space to grow, is nowadays hard, but this is exactly what Peace revolution and Dhammakaya foundation do. You just have to knock their door and they open it for you. Not only that, they invite you to the full table to share the best dishes with them and they don´t ask anything. This is how it works. Maybe you should start believing that world is better place as you actually think.

Therefore, if you believe and know about that small island of peace within yourself, you should also believe there are lot of such islands everywhere. Koh Yao Noi is just one of the examples. Going there and seeing “black, white, yellow and red“ people of any origin, religious or nationality sitting together at one table talking normal issues, having fun and doing the same thing we believe in – meditation and peace - can be shocking, but it will definitely change the way you look onto world.

Anyway, the most important part still starts after you come home - keeping this island within yourself and sharing it with others is yet not easy, but also not impossible. Cos if you haven´t heard it yet - impossible is nothing.