ALL THE WAY FORWARD,
ALL THE WAY INWARD.
Chatwalai Phairojwithayaporn
Executive Director of Kawai Music School Thailand
For most people, a schedule packed with management duties, business expansion, international travel, and a team to look after would be more than enough reason to want to hit pause. But not for Chatwalai Phairojwithayaporn, Executive Director of Kawai Music School Thailand, whose lifelong motto has always been: make the most of it.
Since her school days, she was the go-to activity student; a spirited volunteer who never missed a chance to join school and campus events, pouring her heart fully into everything she did. Even when she traveled or partied, her personal rule remained unchanged: stay until the lights go out. It was simply who she was — a full-on, detail-driven perfectionist in every sense.
As she stepped into the working world, whether as an employee or an entrepreneur, her approach stayed the same, as she tried to make every day count. But as responsibilities grew, pressure mounted, and stress intensified, she made a surprising choice. She stepped back and began doing what appeared to be “nothing at all”: sitting quietly with her eyes closed for at least one hour every morning to practice Vipassana meditation.
The deeper reasons behind that choice – and what she discovered through meditation – form a story of inner transformation that completely reshaped her understanding of happiness, success, and what it truly means to live a meaningful life.
How did your interest in Dhamma and Vipassana meditation begin?
I actually grew up in a family that was already interested in Dhamma. I learned to meditate when I was very young, but as school became more demanding and work life took over, I drifted away from it. One day, when I was feeling overwhelmed with stress, I began looking for a solution. I came across a book about someone’s Vipassana experience. Reading it made me think, Is it really like this? That curiosity made me want to try it myself and see whether meditation could truly soften the negative emotions I had accumulated. How intense was your work stress at the time?
Quite intense. My music school had been running for three or four years and was in the process of expanding. At the same time, my full-time job required constant travel. Committing to a seven-day retreat felt impossible, so I started with a one-day course instead. Surprisingly, it helped. My mind genuinely calmed down.
How did you feel after completing that one-day course?
I was filled with questions. Why focus on this exact point when breathing? Why not just breathe naturally? Wasn’t this forcing the mind? The method I learned as a child was simply to observe whatever arose, which felt light and effortless. This practice felt more difficult, and my mind kept asking questions.
Tell us about your first seven-day Vipassana retreat. How was it different from meditating on your own?
Very different. At home, meditation often felt peaceful from the beginning. On retreat, you move through discomfort first before reaching a deeper calm. One important lesson I learned was to follow the teacher’s instructions wholeheartedly. When the mind is open and ready to learn, progress comes quickly.
Before attending, I researched everything about the teachers, the technique , and the retreat center. I knew that if my mind didn’t trust the process, it would hold back.
But doubt isn’t necessarily a problem if the mind stays open, right?
Exactly. Even if you have experience with other methods, it helps to set those aside and follow this one from start to finish. Meditating daily beforehand and keeping the precepts as well as you can also makes a big difference. You gain much more during the retreat.
What was it like spending seven days in silence?
For me, the most valuable thing was learning about myself. Vipassana takes you inward and reveals how your mind actually works. Teachings such as saṅkhāra and the nature of phenomena stop being abstract concepts and become direct experience. Questions I always had, like why I preferred one thing over another or why I had certain personality traits, became clear. These insights are personal and experiential. No book can replace that.
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