I am like a typical Thai family, assumed to be Buddhist since birth and simply following my parents’ religion.
My life has always been involved with Buddhism, especially since my house was right next to a Buddhist temple. When I was 9 years old, I even spent one summer as a novice monk during a short ordination course. That was my first real contact with temple life and monkhood, though at the time I was too young to fully appreciate it.
In Thailand, it’s quite common for schools to be connected with temples. My secondary school was right next to a temple, so Buddhist life was naturally part of my daily routine. Students like us were often called ‘Dek Wat,’ a slang term meaning temple kids.
Life, Love, and Turning to Dhamma
Still, there wasn’t much real application of Dhamma in my daily life. Like most people, I spent my early adulthood caught up in the race—studying hard, building a career in IT software engineering, securing jobs at well-known companies, and trying to settle down with a house and relationships. Much of my youth was absorbed in chasing love, and success, while religion was largely set aside.
Then, around 2013–2014, I broke up with my first girlfriend. In that moment of loss, my mind turned toward the Dhamma, especially the Buddha’s teaching on impermanence—that everything in this universe, including relationships, arises and inevitably passes away. Remembering this truth eased my pain, and I didn’t feel as sad as I expected. Still, at that time, I treated the Dhamma like medicine taken only when sick—I used it to soothe my heart, but once I felt better, I went right back to chasing after love again.
Then I entered a new relationship, but this time things were too intense. We argued often, and it felt like playing with fire. I grew tired of the chaos and began searching for peace—that was when I turned back to the Dhamma again. I began listening to Ajahn Chah. Many of his teachings about letting go, about uncertainty/impermanence, and about the peace and happiness that can come from simply staying with the breath really touched me. I then started listening to Buddhadasa Bhikkhu and learning more of the Buddha’s teachings, such as the Five Aggregates, paṭiccasamuppāda (Dependent Origination), etc. I became so interested that I drew out the cycle of the 12 links of dependent origination and made some notes.
Discovering Thai Forest Teachings
After 2015, when I broke up with my foreign girlfriend, I switched my job from being an office worker 9–5 to working from home. My favorite thing to listen to while I was coding (I’m a programmer) was Dhamma talks and Dhamma tales. One of the teachers I enjoyed most was Ajahn Yod. He is an old man, very good at storytelling, with many stories about the cycle of kamma. He introduced me to many Thai Forest monks and their biographies, such as Ajahn Mun, Ajahn Maha Bua, Ajahn Chah, Luang Pu Dune, and others.
Life in Canada and Continuing the Journey
Then I met my Canadian wife, and we moved to Canada in 2017. We settled down with work, then had our first and second kids. I still kept the same habit of listening to Dhamma tales and kamma stories. But none of them were really about practicing Samatha–Vipassana meditation. I had no interest in meditation and rarely practiced myself. My mind was too wandering, and it was hard to even do five minutes.
The Search for Meditation and Inner Peace
Then, in 2022–2023, our family went to visit my family in Thailand, and that was when I prayed at a few places I visited that I would meet my kammatthana teacher. Why did I want to start meditation? Maybe I just wanted to be a better person. As we know, meditation helps us deal with problems better and be more efficient at work, etc.
Especially as Thai people, we always hear stories about famous monks who have six-sense skills. We often hear news or tales about people who, through reaching jhāna—especially the fourth jhāna—can read people’s minds, foresee the future, know past lives and future lives, see ghosts or angels, even communicate with them, and travel to heaven or hell.
This benefit is one of the reasons why many people, including myself, become interested in meditation and wish to develop such skills. But beyond that, there is also the deeper truth: Samatha–Vipassana meditation helps to purify the mind and is a way toward purity and Nibbāna.