The Context of This Autobiography
I have been compiling this book at a challenging time in human history. Since 2019, we have faced many new global challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, global economic recession, wars, and increasing natural disasters. Life is always difficult, but recently, more people have been able to relate to uncertainty. During this time, many people lost some family members and friends due to the pandemic. The work environment for many industries has changed. We are learning how to get things done virtually. A lot of businesses were closed because of on and off lockdowns. Many aspects of our daily lives have been moved online, so some jobs have become obsolete. When many countries began to live with COVID-19, a war broke out between Ukraine and Russia and then Israel and Palestine. Amid all that, is happiness still possible for humanity in this imperfect world? Is it possible for us to find peace when facing these challenges?
This autobiography aims to show that a lay practitioner can experience various benefits from practicing mindfulness in daily life. I have been looking for answers to the above questions throughout my life. I have been critically reflecting on what I have learned from my lived experiences and using these insights in teaching and researching mindfulness. I want to use what I have learned from the Buddhist masters’ and Western mindfulness instructors to help others improve their well-being. I am collaborating with the people around me, including some of my family members, students, colleagues, administrators, and science educators, to find creative solutions through the lenses of mindfulness and science. We explored various important issues in our lives, including holistic education, parenting, stress management, sustainable consumption, grieving for the deaths of loved ones, and more. Our goal is to help each other become more conscious, resilient, and compassionate in challenging times.
I believe mindfulness is an essential quality of the human mind that educators can teach others of all ages to develop, especially when our society is changing rapidly now and in the future. In the context of this autobiography, I adopt the definition of mindfulness in Buddhism. In the Satipatthana Sutta of Tipitaka, the Buddhist Pali canon, Sati Sampajanna (i.e., later, Western scholars use the word ‘mindfulness’ to represent this state) means recollection and
People often consider mindfulness practice as a tool to cultivate calmness and concentration. However, these are just the by-products of mindfulness practice and not the ultimate goals of the practice intended by the Buddha. Mindfulness in Buddhism differs from concentration, although concentration is present at the moment of mindfulness. Having stable and impartial mindfulness can help us understand the non-self, unsatisfactory, and impermanent nature of physicality and mentality. It helps us cultivate an accepting and nonjudgmental attitude to relate to physical and emotional pain so that we become more resilient toward the challenges in the world.
In this autobiography, I describe and interpret the roadblocks that I, as a lay practitioner, a teacher, a parent, and a researcher, have experienced and how the Buddhist masters have guided me to overcome difficulties through the insights of mindfulness practice. It includes the narratives of several Dhamma teachers’ life stories, Dhamma discussions, and the meditation phenomena that I and other practitioners experienced. It also describes the practices I introduced to other teachers and parents who wish to connect with children from a healthier, more conscious, compassionate emotional space. These practices have been implemented and evaluated in several communities over a decade of research. If you have the courage to look within, I invite you to join this exciting journey of self-inquiry.
The Purpose of Inquiry
This book is a historically constituted autobiography about my lived experiences from 2011 until now. The first version of this autobiography was written in 2012, documenting my engagement with the Plum Village monastics, my first two Vipassanā retreats at Chom Tong Temple in Chiangmai, and my experiences in introducing mindfulness to other students, teachers, and parents. I wrote it as a tribute to the teachings of my teacher, Venerable Suksan, and his translator, Nun Joy Wu. This version was never published. Since the beginning of my doctoral study, I have been updating the first autography and adding some new learning experiences from 2012 to 2024 with a few other important teachers, including Jess Peter Koffman, Luangpu Pramote Pamojjo, Venerable Krit Nimmalo, Ajahn Prasan Buddhakulsomsiri, and Ajahn Malee Palawongse.
- –What is mindfulness and its purpose?
- –What are the differences between calmness meditation and mindfulness practice?
- –Why is mindfulness essential in education?
- –How can teachers help children cultivate mindfulness at school?
- –How can parents nurture mindfulness in a family?
- –How can lay people practice mindfulness in daily life?
- –How can we relate to stress and adversity more healthily?
- –What is the relationship between mindfulness and well-being?
- –How can school administrators nurture an ethical, mindful, compassionate new generation?
Theoretical Framework
I adopted Paul Ricoeur’s (Petrovicci, 2012) hermeneutic phenomenological approach to describe and interpret my lived experiences in various wisdom traditions and how I applied what I have learned from others in my teaching practices. Ricoeur postulated that there is a dialectical engagement between the self and others, and we understand ourselves by understanding everything outside of the self. For Ricoeur, a hermeneutic task aims to uncover the meaning of existence through interpreting phenomena in a world of culture. The hermeneutic process’s outcome is understanding and discovering insights about the self.
The overarching framework of my research work is authentic inquiry, meaning that the inquiry is emergent and contingent. Authentic inquiry as a multilogical methodological framework focuses on the meaning-making process in research. Tobin (2015) explained that authentic inquiry aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice, in which researchers apply what they have learned from their lived experiences to improve their daily practice. Learning mindfulness practice is an emergent process because it is iterative, ongoing, and constantly developing. The meditation experiences described in this book are transient and situational. There are many ways that people will perceive the nature of mindfulness and experience its characteristics in their interactions with self and others. Hence, I am not assuming you will have the same experiences as I did if you try the mindfulness practices mentioned in the
The inquiry is contingent, highlighting the dialectal relationship between the students and the teachers and between the researcher and the researched participants. It is hard to differentiate between a teacher and a learner. Every interaction I experienced gave me insight and influenced my learning, teaching, and living. Thus, authentic inquiry embraces multiple worldviews and ways of thinking. I do not argue that a certain way of interpreting or practicing mindfulness is the only truth. Although I have chosen a certain path, it does not mean that other paths are wrong. I am aware that I am limited by my worldview and perception.
My understanding of the human mind comes from various knowledge systems, including Zen Buddhism, the Mahasi Sayadaw tradition, the Thai forest wisdom tradition, the secular mindfulness field, and contemporary psychology. Each lineage uses slightly different terminologies to explain the concepts. However, I do not intend to compare the philosophies and practices of different lineages because I am neither an expert in Buddhist studies nor a Dhamma teacher. I am dedicated to preserving the genuine essence of the Buddhist master’s teachings by utilizing their original words as much as possible. This autobiography is not intended to be an analysis of Buddhist scriptures. My interpretation of the Buddha’s teachings is incomplete, and I still have much more to learn. I continue to look for a more mindful and kinder way to relate to myself, others, and nature. I am simply sharing my experiences in experimenting with an alternative way of living through the lens of Buddhist mindfulness, which is quite often contrary to the contemporary attainment-driven and materialistic modern lifestyle. Finally, I’d like to invite you to join this awakening journey.
DISCLAIMER: I do not wish to represent or misrepresent any tradition, teacher, or organization. This story represents my non-linear journey in learning and researching mindfulness practice and is sometimes different from the many people and traditions that appear in this book and from whom I have learned so much.
References
Bhikkhu Sujato. (2018). Mahāsatipaṭṭhānasutta—The Great Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness (MN 10). SuttaCentral. https://suttacentral.net/mn10/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=plain&reference=none¬es=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin
Petrovicci, I. (2012). Philosophy as hermeneutics: the world of text concept in Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutics. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 71, 21 – 27.
Tobin, K. (2015). Connecting science education to a world in crisis. Asia-Pacific Science Education, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41029-015-0003-z