Shanuntorn Khongsereedamrong (Praew) shares his experience of last month's 'Art of Power' retreat in Thailand 

This is my very first time I joined this kind of camp and, to be very honest, it turned out to be something very different from what I have first pictured in and imagined about.

However, right now, I can say that I do not regret attending the camp with my dad these past days.

      I personally hardly talk and interact with my dad due to various reasons. We hardly have time for each other and sometimes we end up having disputes which are mainly due to generation gap, thus, making us not so close to each other.

      Unexpectedly, this camp allows me to have full day time with my dad, while at the same time, this camp helped me become more open-hearted- to be able to listen mindfully. Amazingly, I found myself become a lot less hot tempered within these 2 days in camp which probably due to the camp activity of trying to control our breathing. This helped me to have a better relationship with my dad, while at the same time, I felt that I could somehow take control of myself as well as my very own temper.

      I also earned a lot from this camp by listening to adults sharing their experiences in various prospectives. I now understand more of the business world including how religion plays a role in people’s life as a way to seek happiness of living in the present. I admired some people that somehow very brave to make decisions in their lives to follow Plum Village. I can say that I really benefitted a lot from these 3 days in Nakornnayok.

      Lastly, I would want to thank everyone for making this camp a very beautiful yet full of knowledge for me. I really hope that there will be more of these kinds of camps and I can proudly say that I am happy that I joined this camp. It is really worth coming in every respect after all.