Sofa Enlightenment
by Robert Broughton
#9 – Back to Burmese Solitude
The more modern spiritual organization of Bagwhan having failed him, the narrator decides once again to return to Burma and become a traditional monk. This time he goes to a branch monastery in the countryside where monks practice in strict solitude. He spends a couple of months in a cave during the rain season, doing yoga and meditating. Amongst a lot of boredom he now and again experiences strong feelings of ecstasy, bliss and peace. He increasingly feels that he may be able to accept the lifestyle of a monk who has "nowhere to go and nothing to do." But he is also restless. His urge is to leave, and after a time he says goodbye to the monastery.