Retreat Eggs

I have spent most of the time since early autumn living, serving and meditating in a Buddhist retreat centre, much of it in silence. I have been here all in all for 3,5 months. As my time at the centre comes to an end, several people have asked me about my experience. Hence I will share some of my musings which arose during my time here. First and foremost, they are reminders to myself, for the times in my life when I will feel stuck. Maybe some of the points on this list might spark a helpful reflection for some of you.

• How a day starts does not determine how it continues. Each day offers countless opportunities to start afresh. Stay receptive to the unexpected.
• It matters a great deal what we feed our senses with. We are sensitive beings, after all.
• Digital devices have a massive impact on the state of mind, impacting on calm and clarity. Reducing the use of such devices has a very noticeable, positive effect.
• We need to look very honestly at what is present in order to change it.
• Watch the tendency of the mind to wanting ‘cement’ things. Or as Ajahn Chah puts it: “Whenever you think you like something, say to yourself ‘This isn’t for sure.’ Whenever you think you dislike something, say to yourself ‘This isn’t for sure’.
• Restlessness is an expression of discontent, as it always ‘wants something’: the next thing, something better, something different…What can I be content with, no matter the situation I am in? Can I practice a certain degree of contentment with what I don’t like, too, remembering there might be a valuable lesson in it…?How can I make THIS my practice, whether I like it or not?
• Practice off the cushion matters as much – if not more – as practice on the cushion.
• Silence is a precious gift. Be mindful of how much time a day you spent in conversation, with whom and what you talk about. Is it true, helpful and necessary…?
• There’s physical challenges. And there’s life outside of physical challenges.
• Fear is always a sign of delusion. It is often a direct consequence of lack of mindfulness, not noticing how a sense contact leads to a chain of fearful thoughts. Slowing down can be a good antidote, as it creates the space to notice. Never make decisions when the voice of fear is loud.
• There is no obligation to believe my thoughts. Especially not those I know a little too well by now. What would be a fresh way of looking at this?
• Don’t try to conserve happiness. Or as William Blake put it: He who binds to himself a joy/Does the winged life destroy/He who kisses the joy as it flies/Lives in eternity’s sunrise
• The arising of craving in the mind is not a problem. Believing that craving is a good advisor for action is.
• If the mind is running around like a headless chicken, don’t make a big deal out of it. See it and wait until it has settled down on its nest. Then go and collect the eggs.