Suan Rot Fai (Railroad Park)

Shamefully close to our apartment is a beautiful park known as Suan Rot Fai. We had heard about it, but finally made it out there a couple weeks ago. It is built on the grounds of a former golf course and an adjacent railroad yard. Countless Thais were enjoying the park and exercising.
A couple posing on one of the defunct trains. There were many glamour shots being taken all of the park.

Bike riding!

Just biking by a monitor lizard.

Presence and meditation

I slept in this morning, and as I was headed out the door to 7-11 to pick up some milk, Maki reminded me that a farang (white/foreigner) monk was giving a talk at the wellness center across the street from our apartment. I quickly switched gears, and ended up listening to him speak for about an hour. He didn't illuminate anything revelatory about meditation or Buddhist practice, but it did remind me that I live in a country (and region) where the vast majority of people practice Buddhism.
Living in Thailand for seven months without learning too much about meditation does not strike me as unusual, because spirituality has never been a significant dimension of my life. The only time I've only felt any sort of mild spiritual presence was around "Mama Africa" when I was abroad in college. Within black South African communities the notion of "ubuntu" abounds. Ubuntu roughly means "people are people through people." I found this idea quite transcendent, while also having practical implications for daily life. When contemplating meditation, the contrast with ubuntu struck me in that meditation is seemingly inward-facing. From my admittedly ignorant understanding, meditation focuses on solitude and withdrawal from the world. Why not celebrate and enhance the lives of those around you? Nonetheless, the lecture catalyzed me to once again explore meditation more deeply.
The facet of meditation that most appeals to me is presence. Meditation is supposed to correct the way that most of us are constantly all over the place - everywhere and subsequently nowhere - within our minds. By centering our thoughts on being present, we can...be present. Hmm, must be a better way to explain that. I attended a meditation practice last month at Wat Mahatat, and the monk instructed us to focus on awareness of breathe, thoughts and movement. I actually felt successful for about ten-fifteen minutes before the usual deluge of "what should I have for my next meal" and "remember that episode of Full House where they locked themselves out of the car" came back. One recurring argument for meditation is that it brings a more sustainable and deep, but low-key satisfaction. This seems like a healthy route, especially as I acknowledge that my life (along with many others) in the modern world sometimes consists of a constant search for the next fix of stimulation, excitement, recognition or achievement. (This Onion article rang all too true.)
I have several friends who meditate regularly. They attest that with practice and duration, it does have noticeable effects on presence and being. I am also encouraged by this NYTimes article touting the measure benefits of meditation.
So, to get to the point, I am going to try and meditate a little bit every day for thirty days. I have no idea how this will work out, but I will certainly update the blog with the results, good or bad. Most will probably come from podcast led sessions. I have also heard that yoga and reading are forms of meditation too, so I will try to diversify the methods a little.
Look for updates soon, and please comment if you have any insight!