24th Episode of Bangkok Days and Nights

In the evening Sheila did some more work on the ‘Bangkok Guide’, Rosalind prepared a feast including some filet steaks, which were so tender they melted in the mouth, from some New Zealand beef that she had bought. The accompanying salad was excellent. The only downside was that we had complimented Khun Noy on her salad dressing the night before and Khun Noy took this compliment as carte blanche with regard to the amount of chilli oil to be added to the salad dressing. A tad too much would be a polite observation, but the rest was great.
I watched the ‘Capote’ film and must own up to the fact that I thought it was going to be rubbish based on the ‘shorts’ I had seen. My opinion was changed very quickly and I now believe it to be an excellent film and well deserved of all its plaudits.
Friday 11th August 2006
Adam still in Vietnam I am still feeling like a casualty, but hold onto the belief that it will last two weeks with medication and a fortnight without.
Sheila arose early and contacted her optometrist in Bathurst and they e-mailed through her prescription so that she could order her prescription sunglasses. Rosalind went with Sheila as Rosalind is picking up her prescription sunglasses today. I expect that they will also force themselves to do some window shopping.
I did some work on the interpreting of the Thai book and providing a couple of suggestions myself for the author to consider adapting to the Buddhist context and maybe translating into Thai. For me an enjoyable intellectual exercise I have included it as follows:
Dear Chai Na Pol,
Last night I found it difficult to sleep as your writing has caused me to think about the concepts that you teach.
It has occurred to me that in the same way that your thoughts have stimulated mine if I shared with you my musing that you might consider interpreting them into the Buddhist context and perhaps translating them and if any were worthy that you might use them in any way you thought appropriate.

A winning philosophy includes saying only good things about other people, listening to only good things about other people, seeing only good things in other people and feeling only good towards other people.

A losing philosophy includes saying only bad things about other people, listening to only bad things about other people, seeing only bad things in other people, and feeling only bad towards other people.

A Liberated Man

I see the sunlight, but claim no ownership of the sun,
I breathe but I claim no ownership of the air,
I walk on the by-ways but I claim no ownership of the earth,
I eat the food I am given but claim no ownership of the crop
I drink from stream but I claim no ownership of the river,
I exist therefore I am a happy man.

With ownership come obligations for maintenance and security,
When I own nothing then I have no obligations,
Except to achieve wisdom and peace of mind,
Then I am truly a happy man

I have also attempted to translate a couple of pages from 'A Constitution for Living'

THE ATTAINMENT OF THE DHAMMA (PEACE OF MIND)

A liberated one

Just as a drop of water does not stick to the lotus leaf or the lotus flower a sage does not hold on to what they see, hear or feel.

Achievers of a peaceful mind (Dhamma) do not hunger for the past nor dream about things in the future.
They focus on the present the things that they are able to influence; thus they are at peace.
Those who lack wisdom spend their days dreaming about the future and regretting the past,
So they become dried up and withered souls
One who is not concerned with the concept of ownership does not feel they lack anything,
They have no desire to own anything so feel at peace with owning nothing,
Since they are at peace their insight is clear,
And they are free from all types of ambition,
They have abandoned discontent,
And feel at peace with the world

Those who are peace with themselves,
And extinguished all passions and desires are always at peace,
They who are not driven by any passion or desire,
Are relaxed and peaceful,
And there is no opportunity for them to become agitated

When all attachments are severed,
All anxiety driven from the mind,
The heart is at rest,
Peace and happiness are attained.

True happiness is not needing to look for it

Question from an acolyte, "Don't you have any suffering, don't you have any fun, and aren’t you bored sitting by yourself?"

Answer from the monk, "I do not have any suffering and neither do I have any fun, even though I sit by myself I am not bored."

Question from an acolyte, "How is it that you do not have any suffering, how is it that you don’t have any fun is, and how is it that you are not bored sitting on your own?"

Answer from the monk, "Only those that suffer also have fun, and only those that have fun also suffer, the sage is free of both fun and suffering, that is the way of wisdom."

Irritation does not exist in the person who has a peaceful mind; one who has no concern about their existence is free of fear and sorrow, having only happiness.

The person who has peace of mind has no ambition as their life's goal has been accomplished. As long as a person has no peace of mind they feel driven by ambitions, but when they find peace of mind they can cease striving because they are where they need to be.

While alive the sage is untroubled, and when they die they are not sorrowful, a sage who has achieved peace of mind lives happily even in an unhappy world.

Wherever a sage goes they are unafraid, wherever a sage sleeps they are not alarmed. The passage of the days and nights is of no importance; they see nothing in this world that they worry about losing; therefore their mind and heart are at peace as they fall to sleep.

I don’t think I have gone ‘troppo’ but then again the catch twenty two is that the mad man claims he is sane and the sane man claims to be mad.

Well as a bit of light relief I read the Bangkok Post that I bought, along with some small grocery items on a sojourn down Suanplu at lunch time.

For dinner we had salt crusted salmon steaks with various anonymous green things.
Adam had a few problems getting a flight back from Vietnam but managed to get a seat in ‘business class’ on an Air France flight. Adam got home about 2300, exhausted but pleased with his visit to Hanoi; he was particularly pleased with his stay at the ‘Metropole’ hotel, at which Sheila, Rosalind and I had stayed at a few years ago.

Saturday 12th August 2006
Adam and I went to the gym; Adam for a session with his personal trainer and me for my seventy six laps. I was able to do my laps without any distress, which was pleasing seeing as how I have not been able to go for a while after fracturing my toe and then getting a chest infection. My swim was completed without distress but not without one concern. A strong gust of wind whipped up a few waves that when straight up my nose, but what got ‘up my nose’ more was when I saw my towels and ‘polo’ dumped into the pool. Getting fresh towels was not a problem but while Adam showered and went for a haircut I used the hairdryer to get most of the moisture out of my ‘water-polo’ top.
Rosalind and Sheila had gone shopping, I think on another sunglasses jaunt. That part of their shopping was not successful that day, I think, but they returned with a large bunch of white roses that are made of plastic, but are so well made it is very difficult to distinguish between them and real flowers. They have ‘thorns’ as well as a very natural feel to the stems.
I was so impressed that I have included a couple of photos of them on the next page.
When Adam and I got back from the gym I walked to Suanplu and the video rental shop to hire a copy of ‘The Producers’, but all their copies were already out on rental so I followed a suggestion from Adam and hired the ‘Gladiator’.
Dinner was some very large home made beef burgers accompanied by ratatouille and served with some excellent French wine.
After dinner we watched ‘Gladiator’ which Sheila and I thought was a reasonable movie, but we are remaining unimpressed with either Russell Crowe or Joachin Phoenix.
Sheila had a very restless night, playing solitaire on the computer and then reading the ‘Sunday papers’ from Australia on-line and then coming to bed to up-date me and discuss the news of the day I guess about 0300-0400.