Ahymsin Newsletter: Yoga is Samadhi
 

AHYMSIN
Association of Himalayan Yoga Meditation Societies International

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  AHYMSIN newsletter, Issue - February 2012  
 
   
 
   

A Spiritual Retreat in Thailand

“Feel the Love and Wisdom of Himalayan Masters”

by Stoma Parker

During the weekend of February 3-5, 2012, Swami Veda conducted a seminar entitled "Feel the Love and Wisdom of the Himalayan Masters" at the beautiful Rose Garden Riverside retreat and hotel complex on the banks of the Chao Phraya on the outskirts of Bangkok,Thailand.  He was joined by Stoma and Ashutosh Sharma as well as by local teachers including Sopa Tamachotipong, Kay Rosukon, Lek Ekachai, and Dr. Kampanart Buahombura.

The Himalayan Yoga and Meditation (Thailand) was pleased to bring this special event to the people of Thailand and other countries in Asia.   How does one adequately praise Thaniya Kevalee, center leader, and his team, who worked hard to organize and support this seminar and also to make it as affordable as possible for people after the devastating floods that many people experienced last autumn?

Thaniya introduced us to Kay Rosukon, Lek Ekachai, and Dr. Kampanart Buahombura.  
Dr. Kampanart Buahombura is a master of Crystal Singing Bowl, the art and science of sound therapy and healing; as a president of Ban Thor Phan (house of weaving dreams), he has also devoted his life to helping the orphans and underprivileged children. Ekachai Staporntonapat (Teacher Lek) is a young yoga teacher and healer, specializing in helping people with serious illness through a combination of various eastern medical approaches and yoga practices; he can lead devotional singing sessions (Kirtan), a natural extension of yoga practice. Rosukon San Juan (Teacher Kay) is one of a very few specialists in yoga for kids and family and is a true believer that yoga can help young kids to develop high quality emotions, attitudes and relationship with the society. Each added further dimension and richness to this event.

In addition, Kawee Kongpakdipongse, a leading yoga teacher of Thailand, though not an initiate in the Himalayan tradition, has helped enormously in past years, has brought people to Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama, has always helped Thaniya, and has always done the Thai translations when svb is lecturing.

Swami Veda lectured on the connections between yoga and the Theravada teachings of Buddha to address questions in people's minds about whether the two paths are compatible.

"The last teacher Siddhartha had before he sat down [under the Bodhi tree] was Alada Kalama, a master of Sankhya-Yoga philosophy. . . He then sat down and realized the teachings in his own experience in meditation. They became his own. After his enlightenment, when he begins to teach the same things, are they Buddhist teachings or Yoga teachings?" This is the way of yoga, the teachings are given as hypotheses and then they are realized in the experience of the student all the way up to enlightenment.

Swamiji gave copious quotations from Pali scriptures and teachings of the Buddha to show where the yoga teachings and the Theravada Buddhist teachings coincide.  He also made repeated references to the continued Thai tradition of reverence to the Rishis and also spoke of Buddha's previous lives in the form of Vedic Rishis that the Buddha has referred to. This short series of lectures could be treated as a classic for showing this relationship.   

 “Before I arrived in Bangkok, I had been receiving questions that people were directing to Thaniya Kevalee.  These questions relate to the relationship of yoga to Buddhism as it is taught and practiced in Thailand.  Where does our practice of yoga together with this version of the Buddhist teaching?” Swamiji comments “Many times people from other contexts ask: I practice Buddhist meditation, where does yoga fit in with that? Well actually, the relationship of Tibetan yoga with the rest of the Himalayan Yoga tradition is well known.  Not so well known is the relationship between Theravada Buddhist practices (as practiced in Thailand) and Himalayan Yoga Meditation.” Swami Veda has highlighted these in his lectures here.

Thailand has a sizeable Christian population and svb, as usual, spoke jointly to both the Buddhist and the Christian sub-groups of his audience.

Their concerns were pacified to the extent that people sought mantra initiation after the seminar.

Ashutosh gave a talk on the nature of asana and led beautiful sessions on diaphragmatic breathing and sitting posture as well as morning practice of joints and glands, asana, relaxation and meditation. Stoma gave talks on the philosophy of hatha yoga as well as a session on mantra meditation and the sacred guru-disciple relationship. Sopa Tamachotipong assisted with morning classes and led sessions on digestive breathing. Dr. Kampanart Buahombura conducted two crystal singing bowl healing sessions. Lek Ekachai led a session of kirtana. Kay Rosukon led a yoga session for families. Since there were few children, she asked everyone in the audience to become a child for this class and everyone played with delight.

In between sessions we enjoyed the resort’s cultural programs and took our meals in beautiful and peaceful spaces on the banks of the river, watching shoals of water hyacinth glide by like clouds.

 

 

 

 

 


Editor's Note:

Himalayan Yoga-Jhana-Kendra is an AHYMSIN affiliated center in Bangkok, Thailand. Thaniya Kevalee is the center leader. Sopa Thomchotiponse, Thanawalai, Jaroenjandang, and Sumet Tatiyanupanvong are co-leaders. The secretary is Udomporn Prabharatana. For more information, send an email to: ahymsinthailand@gmail.com

 

 

   
       
ommm