So those twelve Thai soccer boys and their coach in the cave, right? I have a couple of questions.
Paul told me about this amazing story just now in the kitchen that he read about the Wild Boars soccer team. That the coach taught the boys to meditate while they were in that cave and that's basically how they survived for nine days before being found by the British divers. They went on to stay in the cave for another week or so while the rest of the world figured out how to get them out of there. Can you imagine? Holy shit! And then I remembered reading a BBC story (because thanks to my day job I'm picky about news I consume) about how they were going to spend some time in a monastery soon and become temporary ordained Buddhist monks. It's a common practice for boys who have "experienced misfortune". And I know from experience that it's true (but probably not the full extent of it). I remember now that when my son and I traveled last summer in nearby Myanmar that a ton of kids at varying ages (many as early as five or six) go live as a monk or nun for a period of time. Our local guide Lae shared with us that she shaved her head at 17 and did it for a couple of weeks herself, complete with her parents blessing. She wore the robes, learned to meditate, studied scripture and everything - literally living the life of a full-on nun. That it wasn't just a retreat and it's commonly encouraged to try the lifestyle out and embody the full time spiritual life. My boy and I saw evidence of it everywhere and we were amazed at how commonplace and normal it is to learn how to meditate. Many even adopt the life and become full time monastics. And yes, while there are a number of orphans in the system, they seem to be spiritual free agents, not merely depending on the infrastructure for survival. That was our sense of it anyway. Such is the case with the 25 year old Wild Boars coach, Ekapol. The Vox article talks about how he was an orphan who studied to be a monk for ten years during his teens. He left the monastery life a couple of years ago to go care for his sick grandmother and was soon hired to be the local soccer coach. For a team called the Wild Boars. Who all end up meditating in a cave for a few weeks. In almost complete darkness, literally on death's door. Underground. Before finally being guided out by Navy Seals. One at a time over the course of three days. Twelve of them plus their Coach, emerging out of the earth's womb. And now they're all off to be ordained Buddhist monks for awhile? They symbolism of it all is astonishing, right? I know people who would pay good money for an experience like this. I know of others who probably should have an experience like this in order to wake the fuck up. These thirteen seem like they might be the wisest people on earth right now, what, with their recent and profound rebirth experience all over international headlines. Perhaps after their looming monastery experience they could answer a couple of questions I have, please: 1. For real fellas, why have we created such shit show on our planet right now? 2. Is peace, clarity and kindness really the way through this too? I pray for the widespread inspiration of their courage to help us all to remember and to believe. I am grateful for the (dare I say it?) gladness in my heart. May it be so.
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DescriptionPeriodic updates from Aurah in the Field. Adept Archives
June 2020
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