Mindfulness from the Ashes

Episode #280: Matthew Schojan started abusing drugs at the tender age of 11, in response to some very challenging family dysfunction. One could then scarcely expect that he would later develop into a serious meditation and yoga practitioner one day. In an interview recorded before the pandemic and the military coup, Matthew goes into detail about his spiritual journey, and how it ultimately led him to Myanmar. He eventually got his life on track when he was 20, and made the commitment to become sober while living in New York. It was a terrifying experience, as he was beset by anxiety and other emotions that the intoxicants had long suppressed. He eventually took up yoga, later finding refuge at the local Zen center in Brooklyn. Then September 11th happened, which recreated the anxiety and fear, and amid all the destruction, he was initially unable to reach out to friends or family for support. Matthew gave in and had a cigarette, his first in three years. That cigarette evolved into a relapse of hard partying and drug use, which he soon found troubling and empty. This time, however, he found more stable salvation in the form of Dharma Punx, led by Noah Levine, and its more mindful community; it was there that he eventually met the woman who would become his wife. From there, he decided to take a full spiritual plunge. Matthew studied under Ajahn Tong Sirimangalo, Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Jack Kornfield, Martine Batchelor, and S.N. Goenka among others, studying Zen, Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. “There was definitely a lot to learn,” he says. “Each time you go down one path, other things open up, and you start to learn more…” To Matthew, the key point is that different teachings have clear, practical applications. Matthew’s journey to the Golden Land took shape over many years. He and his wife eventually arrived there after eight years living and working in Thailand.  When they finally moved to Myanmar, Matthew was surprised at the many differences between the two countries and their Buddhist culture and practice, in spite of their geographic proximity. Matthew closes by discussing the connection between mental health and meditation. Ironically, Matthew’s comments are even more relevant today than in 2020 when the talk was recorded. At that time, Matthew noted the challenges for mental health sector in wider Myanmar, referencing government data that 95% of people needing treatment couldn’t find any support. Yet now, so many Burmese are facing traumatic circumstances with the fallout from the military coup that mental health issues are being discussed openly in Myanmar more than ever before.