By SANJI DEI
Bangkokpost : 31 Jul 2004
The benefits of meditation and the mental obstacles that can obstruct the meditator's path are explored in a thoughtful new introduction to Buddhism and psychology by psychiatric nurse and former monk Frits Koster. Here he talks to Sanji Dei.
You have written an introductory book about Buddhism, meditation and psychology for Westerners. Why do you think Buddhism is proving so interesting to people in the West?
The West is quite developed economically. Westerners tend to work hard, and efficiently. But in the West, we often forget to take care of ourselves. We work and work, but we don't take rest. Many people suffer from stress and fatigue. Buddhism with its many meditation techniques can help us to rest in the moment and to be at ease with ourselves the way we are.
Many Westerners are interested in the psychological aspects of Buddhism, that is, in the techniques it teaches for the mind, and for better living rather than in the religious aspect. Is this a good thing for Buddhism itself? (For example, many Westerners don't 'buy in' to key aspects of Buddhist thinking, such as reincarnation, or even the idea of the non-self.)
I think it is a good thing. Religion can easily turn into dogmatism, with fixed rules and regulations. The Western psychological approach to Buddhism can provide a refreshing new dimension, helping against any tendency towards dogmatism.
The Dalai Lama has given support to studies by scientists seeking to find out whether meditation has specific effects on the brain. The results so far seem to indicate that it does have real effects.What is your opinion of the 'marriage' between Western science and ancient Buddhism?
To my understanding it is a good marriage. Not particularly in relation to myself, because I have had faith and confidence in the healing aspects of Buddhist meditation since I started to meditate. But many Westerners have a sort of belief that everything has to be proved scientifically. If something has no scientific grounding it is not real to them. For such people the scientific research on the effects of meditation can be inspiring. It can help to overcome scepticism and make people start to investigate their own life and mind.
Why is meditation often so difficult for beginners and even, differently, for long-term practitioners? To put it another way why is sitting alone with one's own thoughts so difficult?
To me, it can be difficult because ignorance is such a strong force. Even when we sit down fully intending to observe everything that is happening, from moment to moment, we still experience gaps in awareness. We can be unaware for quite some time before we 'wake up again' and recognise ourselves being caught up in dreams and judgements. This shows the strength of ignorance. It overwhelms us even when we fully intend not to be overwhelmed by it. Because of ignorance we become blind and afraid, or we try to ignore things that are actually good for us. Whether we are just beginning to practise, or have a lot of prior experience, ignorance can always overwhelm and blind us. It causes fear and resistance and makes it difficult to observe pain and suffering.
Is part of why, say, insight meditation, is so difficult is the fact that we don't like what we see when the contents of our mind are paraded in front of us? Our surface mind turns out to be filled with chatter. Beneath that, we find murky conflicts and fears. Meditation is not for the faint-hearted, is it?
Indeed, it requires courage to observe our own mind. I must say that I've been quite faint-hearted myself. During my first retreat in Holland under the guidance of the Venerable P.K.K. Mettavihari from Thailand I almost ran away three times. I was 21 years old and afraid to observe the inner chaos I was experiencing. And during my first long-term retreat in Thailand at the age of 25 I stopped for some time because I was afraid to go on. An Indian monk in Wat Mahadhatu with a lot of meditation experience helped me to overcome the fear and continue the practice. So the faint-hearted can practise, but we all need some guidance and support. It is not easy to understand and observe the weaknesses and dark forces in the mind. It requires courage and patience.
At one point in your book you describe people who have achieved a sort of mental purification, a "great spaciousness", that "creates room for wholesome forces to flourish, such as compassion, unconditional love and wisdom". You describe such people as "a shining light in a neurotic society". How many such people do you personally know in real life?
I know at least a hundred people who have achieved deeper wisdom. It's not necessarily that they are perfect and fully enlightened, but I know many long-term meditators who in a very direct way show wisdom, compassion and a type of ease in the way they live.
How many of those people are not monks?
I would say 50 percent of them. It is my understanding that it can be meaningful to ordain as a Buddhist monk or nun for some time, but it is not necessary. It depends on the person. Some very well-known meditation teachers and friends have never ordained but have integrated the Dhamma deeply in their life.
You describe some of the barriers a typical meditator may find on a retreat in Thailand, apart from the chatter in their own head. These include: a) Coconuts falling with a terrible bang on the corrugated iron roof of the meditation hut; b) Pigeons clattering on the same roof all day, sounding like chalk on a blackboard; c) the meditation teacher going on holiday. How important is humour to meditation?
I think it is very important. It allows a person to look at a situation without identification, without attachment. Humour creates a healthy type of relativity and shows the broad-mindedness of a person. This is something quite remarkable: Most of the well-known Buddhist meditation teachers are not depressed. They live with a lot of humour. My Burmese teacher in Thailand Acharn Asabha would always be joking but at the same time would teach the Dhamma in a very profound way.
To where would you recommend beginning Western meditators go in Thailand?
There are a few places I can recommend:
- Wat Bhaddanta Asabharam, 118/1 Moo 1, Ban Nong Pru, Nong Phai Kaeo, Ban Bueng, Chon Buri 20220. Telephone: 038-292-361. URL: www.bhaddanta.com
- Wat Vivek Asom, Soi Prachanukul 7, Banbung Road, Muang district, Chon Buri 20000. Telephone: 038-283-766.
- Wat Sorn Thawee, Sametnua, Bangkla, Chachoengsao 24110. Telephone: 038-541-405.
- Wat Mahadhatu (section 5), 3 Maharaj Road, Bangkok 10200. Telephone: 02-222-6011.
In your book you talk about the difference between detachment and non-attachment. Can you explain the difference?
There is a subtle difference. When we think about aiming for detachment, we can easily interpret that in such a way as to develop a negative attitude towards thoughts, feelings, emotions and so on. Our experiences can easily be interpreted as bad.
But mindfulness doesn't judge [things] as good or bad; it just acceptingly recog-nises and notes whatever is predominant at the moment.
In order not to create a negative approach towards what is being observed, I believe it is helpful to think in terms of non-attachment rather than detachment. The state of non-attachment is present in every moment of mindfulness. It helps us not to be imprisoned by thoughts, feelings and emotions, and at the same time not to automatically fall into reactive emotions like greed or aversion. It creates coolness in the heat of ordinary life and broadens the mind by supervising experiences we are usually involved in.
You discuss how the awareness that accompanies insight meditation can reduce stress. Can you give some concrete examples of how this awareness has worked for people?
I have observed many people who work hard and don't rest enough. Some experience difficulties in their private life. They carry on and on, unaware of their fatigue until they burn out. Awareness can work as a guardian angel. It can help us to recognise fatigue and other difficulties much more quickly. Awareness creates a space in which we can choose to change patterns and to take care of our health more wisely. In this way awareness can prevent stress-related health problems.
How or why did you start meditating yourself? Where did you mainly learn and where do you mainly practise now?
I started to meditate when I was 21. I was very restless and unhappy with my life. I was at a point where I could have started university, but I didn't know what to study. So I just travelled around Europe, earning money at seasonal work. To calm down, I started doing yoga and reading about India. I read the romantic life story of the Buddha by Hermann Hesse, the famous German author. This was the first thing to have inspired me in quite a few years.
Not long after, I met a Thai monk and meditation teacher, the Venerable. P.K.K.Mettavihari, in Groningen, a large city in the north of Holland. I immediately felt that meditation would be something of real value in my life even though I was initially very restless and uncomfortable doing it. I persisted and meditation became an important part of my life.
After a few years I travelled to Asia. I visited pilgrim sites in India and then entered a meditation centre in Thailand, with a recommendation letter from my Thai teacher in Holland. Just when I planned to return to Holland, I got the opportunity to ordain at Wat Mahadhatu in Bangkok, first as a novice and a year later as a monk. I practised as a monk in Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka, with different teachers.
In 1988 I returned to Holland and started to teach. But I then fell in love and decided to disrobe. Now I work on a part-time basis in a psychiatric hospital and in my free time I practise and teach meditation. I still come to Asia almost every year; to meditate intensively for about six to seven weeks. Meditation has become an important part and guide in my life; it helps me to understand myself and others, and to make wiser choices. I can say that mindfulness has become a guardian angel for me.
- Liberating Insight: Introduction to Buddhist Psychology and Insight Meditation by Frits Koster is published by Silkworm Books at 495 baht.
Bangkokpost : 31 Jul 2004
The benefits of meditation and the mental obstacles that can obstruct the meditator's path are explored in a thoughtful new introduction to Buddhism and psychology by psychiatric nurse and former monk Frits Koster. Here he talks to Sanji Dei.
You have written an introductory book about Buddhism, meditation and psychology for Westerners. Why do you think Buddhism is proving so interesting to people in the West?
The West is quite developed economically. Westerners tend to work hard, and efficiently. But in the West, we often forget to take care of ourselves. We work and work, but we don't take rest. Many people suffer from stress and fatigue. Buddhism with its many meditation techniques can help us to rest in the moment and to be at ease with ourselves the way we are.
Many Westerners are interested in the psychological aspects of Buddhism, that is, in the techniques it teaches for the mind, and for better living rather than in the religious aspect. Is this a good thing for Buddhism itself? (For example, many Westerners don't 'buy in' to key aspects of Buddhist thinking, such as reincarnation, or even the idea of the non-self.)
I think it is a good thing. Religion can easily turn into dogmatism, with fixed rules and regulations. The Western psychological approach to Buddhism can provide a refreshing new dimension, helping against any tendency towards dogmatism.
The Dalai Lama has given support to studies by scientists seeking to find out whether meditation has specific effects on the brain. The results so far seem to indicate that it does have real effects.What is your opinion of the 'marriage' between Western science and ancient Buddhism?
To my understanding it is a good marriage. Not particularly in relation to myself, because I have had faith and confidence in the healing aspects of Buddhist meditation since I started to meditate. But many Westerners have a sort of belief that everything has to be proved scientifically. If something has no scientific grounding it is not real to them. For such people the scientific research on the effects of meditation can be inspiring. It can help to overcome scepticism and make people start to investigate their own life and mind.
Why is meditation often so difficult for beginners and even, differently, for long-term practitioners? To put it another way why is sitting alone with one's own thoughts so difficult?
To me, it can be difficult because ignorance is such a strong force. Even when we sit down fully intending to observe everything that is happening, from moment to moment, we still experience gaps in awareness. We can be unaware for quite some time before we 'wake up again' and recognise ourselves being caught up in dreams and judgements. This shows the strength of ignorance. It overwhelms us even when we fully intend not to be overwhelmed by it. Because of ignorance we become blind and afraid, or we try to ignore things that are actually good for us. Whether we are just beginning to practise, or have a lot of prior experience, ignorance can always overwhelm and blind us. It causes fear and resistance and makes it difficult to observe pain and suffering.
Is part of why, say, insight meditation, is so difficult is the fact that we don't like what we see when the contents of our mind are paraded in front of us? Our surface mind turns out to be filled with chatter. Beneath that, we find murky conflicts and fears. Meditation is not for the faint-hearted, is it?
Indeed, it requires courage to observe our own mind. I must say that I've been quite faint-hearted myself. During my first retreat in Holland under the guidance of the Venerable P.K.K. Mettavihari from Thailand I almost ran away three times. I was 21 years old and afraid to observe the inner chaos I was experiencing. And during my first long-term retreat in Thailand at the age of 25 I stopped for some time because I was afraid to go on. An Indian monk in Wat Mahadhatu with a lot of meditation experience helped me to overcome the fear and continue the practice. So the faint-hearted can practise, but we all need some guidance and support. It is not easy to understand and observe the weaknesses and dark forces in the mind. It requires courage and patience.
At one point in your book you describe people who have achieved a sort of mental purification, a "great spaciousness", that "creates room for wholesome forces to flourish, such as compassion, unconditional love and wisdom". You describe such people as "a shining light in a neurotic society". How many such people do you personally know in real life?
I know at least a hundred people who have achieved deeper wisdom. It's not necessarily that they are perfect and fully enlightened, but I know many long-term meditators who in a very direct way show wisdom, compassion and a type of ease in the way they live.
How many of those people are not monks?
I would say 50 percent of them. It is my understanding that it can be meaningful to ordain as a Buddhist monk or nun for some time, but it is not necessary. It depends on the person. Some very well-known meditation teachers and friends have never ordained but have integrated the Dhamma deeply in their life.
You describe some of the barriers a typical meditator may find on a retreat in Thailand, apart from the chatter in their own head. These include: a) Coconuts falling with a terrible bang on the corrugated iron roof of the meditation hut; b) Pigeons clattering on the same roof all day, sounding like chalk on a blackboard; c) the meditation teacher going on holiday. How important is humour to meditation?
I think it is very important. It allows a person to look at a situation without identification, without attachment. Humour creates a healthy type of relativity and shows the broad-mindedness of a person. This is something quite remarkable: Most of the well-known Buddhist meditation teachers are not depressed. They live with a lot of humour. My Burmese teacher in Thailand Acharn Asabha would always be joking but at the same time would teach the Dhamma in a very profound way.
To where would you recommend beginning Western meditators go in Thailand?
There are a few places I can recommend:
- Wat Bhaddanta Asabharam, 118/1 Moo 1, Ban Nong Pru, Nong Phai Kaeo, Ban Bueng, Chon Buri 20220. Telephone: 038-292-361. URL: www.bhaddanta.com
- Wat Vivek Asom, Soi Prachanukul 7, Banbung Road, Muang district, Chon Buri 20000. Telephone: 038-283-766.
- Wat Sorn Thawee, Sametnua, Bangkla, Chachoengsao 24110. Telephone: 038-541-405.
- Wat Mahadhatu (section 5), 3 Maharaj Road, Bangkok 10200. Telephone: 02-222-6011.
In your book you talk about the difference between detachment and non-attachment. Can you explain the difference?
There is a subtle difference. When we think about aiming for detachment, we can easily interpret that in such a way as to develop a negative attitude towards thoughts, feelings, emotions and so on. Our experiences can easily be interpreted as bad.
But mindfulness doesn't judge [things] as good or bad; it just acceptingly recog-nises and notes whatever is predominant at the moment.
In order not to create a negative approach towards what is being observed, I believe it is helpful to think in terms of non-attachment rather than detachment. The state of non-attachment is present in every moment of mindfulness. It helps us not to be imprisoned by thoughts, feelings and emotions, and at the same time not to automatically fall into reactive emotions like greed or aversion. It creates coolness in the heat of ordinary life and broadens the mind by supervising experiences we are usually involved in.
You discuss how the awareness that accompanies insight meditation can reduce stress. Can you give some concrete examples of how this awareness has worked for people?
I have observed many people who work hard and don't rest enough. Some experience difficulties in their private life. They carry on and on, unaware of their fatigue until they burn out. Awareness can work as a guardian angel. It can help us to recognise fatigue and other difficulties much more quickly. Awareness creates a space in which we can choose to change patterns and to take care of our health more wisely. In this way awareness can prevent stress-related health problems.
How or why did you start meditating yourself? Where did you mainly learn and where do you mainly practise now?
I started to meditate when I was 21. I was very restless and unhappy with my life. I was at a point where I could have started university, but I didn't know what to study. So I just travelled around Europe, earning money at seasonal work. To calm down, I started doing yoga and reading about India. I read the romantic life story of the Buddha by Hermann Hesse, the famous German author. This was the first thing to have inspired me in quite a few years.
Not long after, I met a Thai monk and meditation teacher, the Venerable. P.K.K.Mettavihari, in Groningen, a large city in the north of Holland. I immediately felt that meditation would be something of real value in my life even though I was initially very restless and uncomfortable doing it. I persisted and meditation became an important part of my life.
After a few years I travelled to Asia. I visited pilgrim sites in India and then entered a meditation centre in Thailand, with a recommendation letter from my Thai teacher in Holland. Just when I planned to return to Holland, I got the opportunity to ordain at Wat Mahadhatu in Bangkok, first as a novice and a year later as a monk. I practised as a monk in Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka, with different teachers.
In 1988 I returned to Holland and started to teach. But I then fell in love and decided to disrobe. Now I work on a part-time basis in a psychiatric hospital and in my free time I practise and teach meditation. I still come to Asia almost every year; to meditate intensively for about six to seven weeks. Meditation has become an important part and guide in my life; it helps me to understand myself and others, and to make wiser choices. I can say that mindfulness has become a guardian angel for me.- Liberating Insight: Introduction to Buddhist Psychology and Insight Meditation by Frits Koster is published by Silkworm Books at 495 baht.
