Dhamma: Unexpected but Welcome

        In September, a Fulbright colleague emailed me a notice about a series of Buddhist Dhamma talks being conducted in English. Since I greatly respect the undertones of Buddhism that play into Thai day-to-day life, I was intrigued enough to attend the first talk. Naturally, most Dharma teachings occur in Thai so this was a unique opportunity to get English insight on a classically Thai subject. 
Most of you know that while I did experience a Lutheran baptism and catechism as a pre-teen, I now identify as “agnostic” at best. From my stand-point religion, dogma, and those-of-the-faith seem to cause far more problems in the world than they solve. If one looks beyond the root dogma of most monotheistic religions, that the actual practice is rife with hypocrisy, greed, and deceit. No, thanks. I think that morality, compassion, kindness, altruism, and love can exist outside of the realm of dogma and aspiring towards these comprises my only “spiritual” practice. 
Needless to say, I was relieved to find no expectation of ritualistic or dogmatic knowledge and a monk, Phra Pandit, who delivered the talks in realistic, genuine, and humorous terms. I liked the first lecture enough to continue with the series. So, for the last 6 weeks or so, I have walked away with both simple and profound revelations. I extended my interest to a meditation workshop at the Young Buddhist Association of Thailand and have been trying to keep up with other Dhamma events. I was even fortunate enough to attend a lecture by Ajahn Jayasaro, one of the most respected teachers of Dhamma in Thailand. 
While I still shy away from the dogma, I find the mindful and self-sovereign practice of Buddhism quite intriguing. Both are things that I have been trying to incorporate into my daily practice and I find myself a more patient, kind and compassionate individual as a result. 
If you are interested in reading Phra Pandit’s notes from these lectures (I encourage you to do so if you have the time... ) I have compiled them, compliments of his blog www.littlebang.org into an easy to download PDF document. If interested, click  HERE .