Vanerath Sornprasit

Thailand

Vanerath Sornprasit comes from southern Thailand. Her father was the village headman all of his life and her mother looked after the rubber plantation. Vanerath studied engineering earning a B.A. in Thailand and then an M.A. in Australia. She later taught at Prince of Songkla University. Subsequently, she led the family commercial ice business. She has one daughter who is now married.

She writes, “When I was young I was full of doubts and wonders about the world around me and inside me. Why was I born? What is the purpose of life? What is the best life to lead? Why do we have emotions, like fear or anger? Why do we suffer? Where the universe ends?”

“When I grew up, I saw suffering and sorrow everywhere: why beggars, why prostitutes, why are we highly educated yet there are wars, poverty, selfishness. I saw everyone including myself escaping from deep loneliness through entertainment, religious beliefs, national identification and good work and in the process creating havoc in the world.”

Vanerath became a Buddhist nun and sought spiritual teachers. Then she discovered the teachings of Krishnamurti and came back to face life as an ordinary woman. Krishnamurti pointed out that there can only be lasting peace within oneself and society-at-large when there is an understanding of the nature of the consciousness by pure observation which has nothing to do with thought and further knowledge.

“I have devoted my life to understanding of the self through the mirror of relationship with every aspect of life: work, ideas, people, things and nature in order to end separation at every level of one’s being, to live with total freedom. Therefore, I work to disseminate Krishnamurti’s teachings believing when one understands oneself; there will be peace on earth.”

Fifteen years ago, she started The Anveekshana Foundation, a registered charitable organization. There are 30 rai of Stream Garden Retreat in forested land to allow the mind to slow its thoughts and heal body and mind. There is a library, a meditation room atop a hill, cottages, 90 rai of virgin forest for animal and bird habitat. There is one area for private retreats and one area for group activities.

793 persons came and shared and learned at the Stream Garden Retreat in 2009 including 187 individual seekers, Thai and international and 53 group activities. There is an International Annual Gathering, a five- day program for up to 65 people to have the opportunity to explore their consciousness. There is also the Art Village School. Many of the parents engage in gambling and drinking and neglect their children and deprive them of love and affection. In an informal setting, she has interesting activities for children to develop the art of looking at things around them and themselves. Anveeksana.org