Buddhist Sacred cotton rope (Sai Sin) tying

Visiting Thailand you cannot miss people - from Thai origin but also from all different countries, cultures and religions - walking around with thin white cotton ropes around there wrists. Some call them bracelets. Actually it are ropes, blessed by a Buddhist monk, you get after or during a ceremony or blessing. The call them “Sai Sin”. Everybody, independent religion, can and is allowed to wear the Sai Sin. Why? Because Buddhism is no religion (there is no God involved). It’s a way of living life in which the Buddha is the honoured and high respected teacher.

A lot of guests, I worked with already, are very impressed by the use of ‘blessed rope’ in all kind of Buddhist ceremonies. In short I will try to give a little explanation of the use. My information I have out of working with the Buddhist University (Wat Suan Dok) in Chiang Mai, and my own impressions in the North part of Thailand, Chiang Mai countryside. So I will not suggest everywhere in Buddhism it has the same meaning and understanding.

The spiritual meaning of Sai Sin is one of connection, protection, good, health, bliss, prosperity, show merit and finally also of being aware of the art of letting go.

Most of the used sacred thread has the colour white. This colour represents purity. Especially here where I live, the North of Thailand, for the personal bracelets monks also use different colours such as orange, yellow or even red. In combination with a small piece of gold coloured metal it is also connected with the sun and with action.

Birthday Sai Sin (good health, happiness and protection):

People, men, women and children, early in the morning visit the temple to visit a monk and do so called ‘Tak Bat’ (early food offering) or offer a closed envelop with money. On the envelop they write down their name and their personal wishes, gratefulness and thankfulness for the coming year. During a prayer or chant of the monk the person who has its birthday gently pours water into a small jar. The meaning is that you let go of so called bad karma (action) during the praying.

After the prayer they get their blessing of the monk with holy water. As a remembering they get the Sai Sin. The monk does not touch a lady or girl when he ties the sacred rope. Some people also honour especially their ‘day of birth’ Buddha, After three days (three connected with the so called Triple Gem (Buddha, Dhama (teaching of the Buddha) and Sangha (group of followers)) they untie the rope (or cut it) and sometimes put it for a couple of other days under their pillow. Some people keep the bracelet because it shows that everything changes, gets older and finally drops / returns to nature again. An expression of letting go without any effort.

(Picture attached is showing a just five year old girl with her mother - their Sai Sins tied around their wrists - after the young girl got her birthday blessing.)

Car or scooter blessing (Safety and protection):

When Thai got their new car or motorbike they, most of the time their first trip with their means of transportation, also go to the temple. Much more is done by the monk. Not only a blessing with water but also Buddhist signs with sacred chalk are made and again sacred ropes are tied around the steer wheel of the car of bike. Especially asking for protection and safety. This ropes will stay till they, once the time is there, fall off.

Yearly Buddhist celebrations:

During several Buddhist national celebrations, starting at and connected with the Buddha’s hand of the main Buddha statue in the village temple, the sacred cotton rope is connected with grid-lines above the sacred centre place in the temple. Lots of times you also can see the white cotton lines through all the streets in the village. The villagers connect their ‘house Buddha’ with rope to this long lines so all the Buddha’s in the village are connected with the main village Buddha in the temple.

When people come to pray, chant or meditate in the temple they connect with a peace of rope to the grid-network above their head. Sometimes they connect with their hands (in wai position) or fingers, sometimes they loop it around their head. This last connection is even stronger because the circle is involved remembering on the ongoing flow of passing away and rebirth. To reach a state of again being for the soul to grow.

During the chanting ceremonies the monks, sitting close to the Buddha statue, first hold the sacred lines. After that everybody is connected what is the main idea of this connection. To be one altogether.

During weddings:

A Buddhist wedding really is a very special ceremony. The Sai Sin play a crucial role because bride and groom are connected by the sacred ropes looped around their head. Family members tie the bracelets around the wrists of the new married couple for luck, long life, happiness etc..

Cremation ceremony:
At the place where I live during the cremation not only has the meaning of protection and good luck during the journey of the soul to a next life. It also has a meaning of letting go.

In Western tradition a lot of times family members and friends are not able to let go of the connection. So in Buddhist tradition actually they do not grant the soul of the passed away person to be ‘free’ for the next step to again being. Monks and family members literally drop the rope connected with the deceased after praying and chanting and leave the open air cremation area just after the coffin and body set on fire.

Frans Captijn
Host / Catalyst / Talenteer at Captijn Insight

Captijn Insight: “Catalyst in your process to new sustainable flow. Whether you are an individual, couple, team or an organization.” 

www.captijninsight.com

captijninsight@gmail.com

Woolly? Come on. What meditation can be for you.

From one of my former guests from Australia, I am still having contact with her, I got the question this week about ‘What meditation means?’

She asked me if I already wrote a blog about this and actually, so far, I did not. There is a lot to find on internet about it but, working and experiencing it here in Thailand, a Buddhist country, I will try to explain in my own words and in my own way. The way I often tell and explain in my daily morning meditation classes I guide in Thailand.

In my opinion meditation means ‘being there’, ‘being available’. First of all it is the art of stopping. Not trying to stop thinking, this is not possible and there is no switch. Stopping in relation to meditation means to grand yourself “I-time”. A gift to yourself. Not an egoistic thing. After all, when you do not give attention to yourself first to feel good, you cannot be there for the world around you to share the best of your unique talents and gifts in an optimal way.

So actually when you do not find (better to say do not take) the time for meditation, you skip a present for yourself. Meditation does not ‘take time’. After a while of practicing you will find that at the end of the day this ‘spoiled time’ brought you more revenue than you ever could think about.

Meditation does not mean you have to sit, stand, walk or lie down to do it. And yes these are the main ways you can practice meditation. Gardening or washing the dishes you can see as meditation as well when you are aware of it. Reading or watching television or a movie is not because it helps the mind to ‘run away’ even when you think it calms you, physically and mentally, down. Meditation means coming and feeling home. Home into yourself. For a lot of people, at first, this does not feel comfortable and sometimes is even confronting. Because a lot of times we have a war within. We want to run away... 

Meditation is giving attention to the mind. One of the things in the practice of a holistic health approach. You can see it as ‘medication’ for the mind. Treatment to create space, to organize and to clean. To be aware of or guard what you want to come into your mind. You can see your mind as a garden but, most of the time, it is a terrible mess in your garden. A dump of all things from the past, sorrows for the future, desires and suffering. It’s not at all organized. You take care of your physical body but how much time do you really give car of your mind. Remember, your mind is the engine. So cleaning the outside of your car maybe looks great but does not serve the car going from A to B in top condition. The mind first of all needs regular and sustainable maintenance, the battery time to recharge. Meditation helps you to clean, to organize, to create space. See meditation as a caring gardener and guard.

Meditation means disconnect to connect. ‘Being there’, ‘being available’ in two ways.

It helps you to connect with and be fully aware of the so called present moment. Take your time to calm down and relax. The first step in stopping practice. Breathing- and relaxation exercises can help you with this. They are to prepare yourself to start meditating out of the intention that you are the centre and you connect with the world around you. You make use of the five main senses and in a later state also your sixth sense (energy connection / aether). You practice for instance the art of listening with the ears of a musician, watching with the eyes of an artist / painter, smelling with the nose of a cook, etc.. It’s the art of observing (without judging) and total connection with the outside world in the present moment.

Be aware you have an appointment with life. The only moment you can touch life is now, in the present moment. So when you are not aware of the present moment, you miss your appointment with life. Because so many people are not aware, without even knowing they practice the art of running. They live as if they will never going to die and die as if they have never lived… not practicing the art of celebrating the successes they already have now. Always running to a future where they think happiness is waiting for them. Not aware that they are already standing on top of it now… It is already available in the here an now. The only thing you have to do is to stop and be aware of it.

The other way of being available, being there is being available for yourself. We call it inside / insight meditation. So you concentrate on yourself and practice the art of being aware of breathing and connecting with yourself. You leave the surrounding and sometimes disturbing world to be aware of your inner sensations. To connect deeper and deeper with your inner voice. Some call it intuition, some insight, some inner wisdom, most connecting with your inner voice.

And when you take a little bit time, you recognize your inner voice. The nice thing in this all is that this voice is not YOUR inner voice. It are the voices of your parents, ancestors, relationships, masters in your life who, out of their best intentions, told you in your life what is the best way to live. But, who are they? You have to make your own choices, you have to share all your unique set of (latent) talents and gifts with the world to fulfil your mission in life.

So the meaning of this inside / insight meditation is to connect with your inner source. You can see it as a well or a spring. When you take water out of this spring, more water (more answers) will come. This inner source is called ‘silence’. And silence is not the absence of something but the presence of everything.

Meditation is taking the time to understand the uniqueness of yourself and open up for all the life answers who are already available in yourself to fulfil your mission, serve, and to stay connected with the only goal in life called LIVING.  

Lots of people who still know me from my former job as a CEO think, living here, I am totally lost. Actually for me I feel more connected than ever before. An experience nobody ever can take away.

Want to know more? Feel free to ask or join one of our stunning playful programs in the Northern part of Thailand. 

Frans Captijn
Host / Catalyst / Talenteer at Captijn Insight

Captijn Insight: “Catalyst in your process to new sustainable flow. Whether you are an individual, couple, team or an organization.” 

www.captijninsight.com

captijninsight@gmail.com

Feel much healthier. Give yourself a sustainable free energy boost.

Marketing and "social" media gradually inundate us with products we really need to buy and use to feel better. To feel much healthier. Healthier with this… and healthier with that... Mostly connected with our physical body. And OK, you pay a nice price for it and it will help you temporarily. If it is all really needed, and also helps you in the long run, is questionable. And do not believe the quote ‘Stay young forever’. Even a human body has it’s seasons. Enjoy the beautiful season you are in just now…

We look for it in the world around us and barely do not notice that we are actually standing on top of (also) other but different solutions and suggestions. They do not only help you to feel healthier but also much more happier. They work better and they are always and on a daily basis free available. You hear or see very little about them because the world cannot make money with them because they are free. You do not even have to go to a store or to an on-line shop.... You only have to connect with them, being aware of your own possibilities.

The quality of your life for a very large part is determined by your thoughts, intentions and the impact on you of sound, colours and aromas. And when you look deeper you find out these have everything to do with the way you deal with the involved freely available energy (frequencies) within you and surrounding you. Energy that, brought up by your consciousness, affect your feelings of wellbeing and healthiness. Having this insight, you only have to adjust your behaviour to upgrade your base level of having a good feeling.

Below a picture of the energy / frequency levels associated with a state of being;

  

Research has shown that the average frequency / energy level of a person in our world, is between 200 to 250 on the scale shown in the picture above.

During a lecture I visited it was stated that it is actually quite easy to get your frequency, thus influencing yourself to feel and be healthier and happier, higher.

Besides being more aware of the impact on you - you can opt for a large part yourself (like sound / music, colour and fragrance) - it primarily has everything to do with your ‘lifestyle’. In relation to this topic your basic attitude. And within that attitude, there are two "buttons" that you yourself can very easily switch on to come in a much more positive mood.

The first one is "Stop judging". Every person has opinions. They are based on personal backgrounds such as youth, education, religion and culture. Your opinion however does not mean that that is thé (ore the only) truth. It is a notable truth, your truth. Respect somebody else in his or her opinion on the same subject, contemplate, show and connect with interest in it, just makes you mild and mature. It extracts the natural fight reaction to convince your 'right' or to emit negative frequencies of anger, fear, hatred, jealousy, etc. (which especially 'pollutes' yourself) to a lower plan. Your opinion thereby thus still will be there and the opinion of the other remains not to be better or worse. It is only an attitude of perceiving without coming to an approval or disapproval. You accept ‘that what is there’ and it does not make the other opinion better or worse. It’s an observing without judging. You're going to fight to convince your right to not accept the other. Doing this directly the energy level in your body increases. Energy is not fading away. Even more ‘win’ can be you find out there are more possibilities to solve the situations you are dealing with by allowing new in-sights to raise. And yes, that will initially require some practice but even in the relatively short term, you will see that you are different, freer and feeling happier as a connected person in the world. The law of the strongest or best - in word, deed, thoughts or intentions – automatically turns to a lower level.

The other one is ‘Fun & Joy’. That means choosing a lifestyle where you permit your ‘inner child’ much more freedom. To listen and follow the playful exploring always available child in yourself. Bringing you more laughter, having fun, and play. I wrote about this three weeks ago already. Free that inner child in you. Bring color and happy sounds in your life. Do the things you do in a playful way (and with much more ease and engagement). You create a situation where making mistakes is just learning. A situation inviting you to do a lot more discoveries than you ever thought would be possible. Your approach to things literally is lighter and your involvement will change. You will be much more interested and inspired. Much less a cramped posture, an inviting attitude for creative things to occur.

Allow yourself a sustainable energy boost by structurally bring in higher frequencies in your life and leave negativity for what it is. For sure within two weeks, without spending a single penny, you will feel much better. Healthier and happier.

Frans Captijn
Host / Catalyst / Talenteer at Captijn Insight

Captijn Insight: “Catalyst in your process to new sustainable flow. Whether you are an individual, couple, team or an organization.” 

www.captijninsight.com

captijninsight@gmail.com

About the general excuses NOT to live your dreams

Last week, I do not know if it was by coincidence, in an unexpected way with a couple of individual guests conversations plopped up about the excuses for not to follow your dreams. People from Ireland, The Netherlands, Brazil and France.

First of all we discovered that living your dream actually has a lot or maybe everything to do with giving room to your mission in life and making full use of your personal mastery. Actually you give maximum space to your unique contribution to the world around. Sharing your whole and exclusive set of talents and gifts with people who are waiting for them. You contribute yourself with positive inner energy and, without even knowing yourself, you show and share this energy or frequency with your environment.

In life it takes some time to reach a state that you ask yourself the questions: ‘What is my life all about?’, ‘Isn’t there anything more for me in life?’, ‘Is this it?”, “What to do with the rest of my life?’, etc..

The world around us tells that we have to work longer and many people, who do not really like what they are doing any more, think they get the possibility to live the way they want again when they reach retirement. And yes, that is a possible option but be aware you are also older and it is a decision to ‘start living again’ in the autumn or maybe even winter of your physical life…

Easy talk…, hard to do… or…???

The system we are in, our background, voices in our head, the advices and judgments (out of their best intentions) from family members and friends, fear, guilt, shame, etc.. All negative things who support us going on doing things we do not like doing any more in order to go on with a life in fact we do not want any longer. A life that is not serving us in the best way to grow and flourish again.  

And going on in this way we do not share the very best of ourselves with our environment. Maybe you can see this as even more a shame.

We keep ourselves trapped in our, by our thoughts, inner believe, ideologies and judgements created  own build-up prison. We created a personal reality that blocks us from the understanding we are always free to make a choice and be aware of possibilities. Inner and outer judgments limit the ability to reach something new.

When you want to jump into your dream and hear yourself talking about the ‘be-causes’ why you think you cannot do it, you exactly know the causes of blockages. The ‘be-causes’ give you a justification to go on thinking as you always thought and keeps you trapped in a vicious circle.

Be creative, think out of joy, think out of the box, change your matter. Ask yourself if it is really true what you think. Ask yourself in a different way what it would take for you to be able to afford the way of living your dream. Think about the new possibilities it will give you - and your surroundings - in life. Clear your judgments and try not to be involved in listening to what other people and your environment try to ‘sell’ you. Judge your dream into your life instead of judging your general excuses out of your life. Be aware at the end you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the things you did. 

Every day you wait with making the decision to start living your dream you have a day less to enjoy the life you actually really want (and you help yourself step by step to get sick). Be sure that living your dream will offer you a longer life expectancy than going on doing things you do not like doing any longer. 

Liberate yourself from your cross of general excuses. It's not a running away from, but rather an admission of your personal responsibility. 

Frans Captijn
Host / Catalyst / Talenteer at Captijn Insight

Captijn Insight: “Catalyst in your process to new sustainable flow. Whether you are an individual, couple, team or an organization.” 

www.captijninsight.com

captijninsight@gmail.com

Worrying… Useless. Free your puppy...

Did you ever give attention to this word itself? For me this happened last Tuesday during the morning meditation on the beautiful hill where I live in Thailand. A kind of call to pay attention to it.

At home I started thinking about, well actually I was sitting behind my laptop and my fingers wandered away. Read the results below.

The word itself already gives understanding when you look deeply. Worrying is a verb. You always take the action to worry. The worries were not there before. You create them yourself in your head. And when you stand still and if you look back from the place in your life where you are now, you will experience that all the worries you ever had did not really offered something for you. They only took and consumed energy. Bringing you nothing and nowhere. They kept you in a kind of personal created prison.

Worrying is giving way to anxiety or unease. To allow your mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles.

There are different meanings of the word ‘worry’. For example; torture, harass, bother, obsess, tease, etc..

Worrying is working. You do the work to get care for upsetting yourself. In a strange way you inspire yourself in fear and anxiety. Torturing yourself.

And you go beyond worries on your head only. You're going to be concerned and thereby take the worries created by yourself on your shoulders and puts them in your head. You walk around with them, you walk away with them, robbing yourself of energy, get yourself out of creativity, balance and resilience and 'infect' with your fear and anxiety also your surroundings. You do not only torture yourself but also bother quite a few people around you.

At the Buddhist University again I got a great guide and in-sight during a lesson. The monk said to us: 

"You are always worrying. You forget to surrender to the adventurous child in you, part of your soul, your inner playful puppy. This one does not worry about the past or about the future. This child discovers the now in the now.

You get so excited about everything. Trying to arrange everything the best for you. Realize that you just temporary take a tiny little space on this planet among millions of other planets. Why are you so busy worrying or anxious? It's useless. Be more a puppy and accept what life brings. Apparently you already know you understand the art to fix things in your life, otherwise you would not be here. You worries did not really support you with that. Fear and anxiety are usually bad counselors. Leave your worries behind. Even better, stop making them.” 

How?

First of all, by getting the insight that worries do not solve any problem. They are only devouring energy. You can use your energy better. Then to allow the art of standing still and connect with inner silence more. Be sure all the necessary answers you need are already in yourself. You only have to listen and open up to connect with your source. You do not even have to ask. The answers will come at their own right time. Be aware that your life can not go wrong. Think less far ahead. You can be sure that you reach a destination tomorrow again. The future always is different than you can imagine now. It is a waste of effort and time to even think worrying will help you to create the future you want. Free your inner puppy. Use the example of a puppy. Explore, enjoy now, play and do what you are supposed to do here, called living and sharing your unique gifts with the world around. Give less attention to what (only you) think the world around you thinks of you. Live life – it’s coming to you and inviting you every day again - and perform in your natural way as it unfolds to you. Be sure you will succeed. No worries needed about that.

Frans Captijn
Host / Catalyst / Talenteer at Captijn Insight

Captijn Insight: “Catalyst in your process to new sustainable flow. Whether you are an individual, couple, team or an organization.” 

www.captijninsight.com

captijninsight@gmail.com

The feeling of coming home...

The last period of time a lot is going on with me. A feeling I already expected for a long time but it did not come. Slowly something begins to break free but still it is not bright. A kind of excitement in resignation. And just last Friday morning, on the birthday of my mother, a part of my furniture out of The Netherlands arrived here with a truck. This arrival opened the resignation and caused a sense of surrender. For me it has to do with a feeling of coming home.

June 2010 my (Dutch) book; "Search for personal mastery" appeared. For a time I doubted if I would also take in an attachment in it. This annex is about the search in and of my life until the time when the book arrived. I choose to keep it private and not to add the annex. Because it is in Dutch, I sometimes send it to clients out of The Netherlands if they are interested. Just a piece of background about me when they submit their brief autobiography to me.

The week before the arrival of my household I searched for this document because I remembered I wrote something in it about this coming home. Happily I found it in my dropbox. When I started reading I felt all kind of emotions. A good sign because for me it means real connection. I quote here some text about that feeling of coming home that I experienced in the year 2000 in an fantastic way. It offered me insight in that what’s going on with me now

"Asia is, without any previously conscious awareness,  in a lethal way always was already part in my blood. When I'm in Hua hin, in Viet Nam walking through the streets as a bare giant, suddenly someone called me into her house. I do not speak, write or understand Vietnamese language. For the first time I deeply experience that communication has much more to do with connection than with talk. It was not necessary for me to speak at all. Maybe not talking made the connection with the people around me even much closer.  

I had to bow down to enter a small door that gave space to a room. A dark space but, after a little while because of some natural light that enters through a gap in the roof, it’s also bright and light. Several black & white family portraits hanging on the wall, against the edge of the roof.

I was invited to sit down on the ground between the family members of the house. An old woman, I presume the Lady of the House, next to me. I am HOME.

I know all this family members and I recognize all the people on the pictures. An amazing experience. I feel a giant stream of warm sincere and blissful energy. It ís family. I am very emotional, there is an atmosphere that it is accepted and totally natural. I don't have to be ashamed of it. It creates a bond.

I drink a cup of tea and walk through the house to the back yard. A balcony above a small brook passing a little bit deeper underneath. My playpen has been there, I know it for sure. It feels simply all perfect.

It took me the whole afternoon, staying and sitting in the next door temple to deal with this feeling. The feeling of coming home.

Not so much associated only with that specific house, so I discovered. The culture, the environment, the atmosphere, the air, the smile of people, sincerity, being yourself.  An at the same time at home within yourself. Feeling warm, opening up, and automatically in a position of  sharing.

The year 2000 is the trigger for me to South Asia. A trigger, again and again, periodically reminds me of the real feeling for me of feeling home. Perhaps maybe ever forever ... "

And there you are. Now already for three years. Never thought about the idea that actually pretty shortly after my book came out that signal, my traffic accident because of a blackout driving in the Westerschelde tunnel, brought me finally back home.

The household / goodies from the truck even more gave me back my real feeling of being home. It gave me insight in that what's going on with and in me. An discovery journey in deeper and deeper coming home into myself. 

An experience. 



Frans Captijn
Host / Catalyst / Talenteer at Captijn Insight

Captijn Insight: “Catalyst in your process to new sustainable flow. Whether you are an individual, couple, team or an organization.” 

www.captijninsight.com

captijninsight@gmail.com