I just came back from my first meditation retreat in Chiang Rai with my family. I felt that the trip was a great success. Before the trip, I created a mindmap which showed the goals and aspirations of each and every one of my family members who were attending the retreat. This was just like a checklist, where we wrote down what we wanted to achieve from the meditation retreat. When we reached home, we would see if we really achieved our goals. 

Well, the results were very good. I managed to gain further insights on Buddhism, enlighten myself, try new experiences, learnt to meditate etc, just like what I wanted to accomplish! I had so much fun! I took part in some other enjoyable activities, such as the elephant ride  , the trips downtown to the night market, and much more!! Not only that, my family members also managed to succeed in achieving their goals during this trip. 

I certainly enjoyed going for the dharma talks, as they were not only very inspiring but also quite educational. Ajahn Brahm  was also very funny and I enjoyed his teachings and sense of humour very much! I attained an invaluable amount of knowledge on Buddhism through this experience. I learnt how to forgive and let go, how to clear the thoughts in my mind and how to make peace with everything. I also made a number of new friends during this trip. My take away from this trip is that Buddhism can actually be fun!! 

It was really an eye-opener and I want to express my gratitude to my parents for organizing this trip for us. I have really come back as a better person and I am really looking forward to the next retreat next year!

I am grateful that I had the opportunity to participate in this retreat and I don’t regret attending it at all!!

SADHU, SADHU, SADHU!!! :D

Anonymous young retreatant