Meditation in Koh Kong

Teachers open the door but you must enter yourself ~Chinese Proverb

Meditation
Reflections of how two strangers from different worlds came together as one.

The sun hot, the air still, and every corridor of the hospital is a sea of noise.  Sweating bodies young and old stand in long lines waiting to be seen by American doctors in Koh Kong Feb 2, 2012.  Volunteer voices call loudly encouraging order, waving their arms and using vibrant American humor.  Babies cry in fear for attention.  Middle-aged women cackle remarks in Khmer amongst each other and men become disgruntled with the wait. Those extremely ill are eerily quiet.  Hundreds of people flock from miles around.  They are treated promptly or referred to ICU if in need of major surgery.  Many surround the perimeter shaded by big hats sipping fresh iced sugar cane juice seeking relief from the scorching heat. 

Water which is too pure has no fish ~ Ts'ai Ken Ta'ian

By some universal force my eyes meet with an elderly man sitting at the roots of a tree in front of the hospital.  With open palms he reveals bags of “miracle medicine” and signals for me to sit down.  He is smiling with one tooth remaining and says to me “81” as he points to his heart.  I am intrigued but I don’t speak Khmer or French and he speaks very little English so we are silent, smiling at each other on the grass.  He taps my knee and shows me, a yoga teacher, how to get into half lotus.  He seems impressed by my ability and I feel nurtured.   We close our eyes and become very silent.  I battle for a moment with my nerves wanting so bad to hear his story while he curiously peeks at me through one eye.   Finally I am there, the orbiting noise of the clinic and all the people become distant as we meditate together for a timeless moment.  We find peace within ourselves and together we are one.  

By Chelsea DeVere

The quieter you become the more you are able to hear ~Lao Tzu