The importance of regular retreats.

A retreat forms an integral part of the cycle of a practitioner's life. To retreat means to step out of the deep ruts of our normal daily life and encounter the world anew. Imagine skiing in the mountains after a fresh snowfall, where we are no longer conditioned by the well worn tracks of the inner landscape of our mind. We see the opportunity available to us in new ways and in a new light.

A retreat is not something new but forms part of an old tradition of reconnecting with what is most sacred in life. What we now think of as 'holidays' were holy days, during which we devoted time and energy to the sacred. The modern day idea of vacation means to leave behind or vacate, again the idea of stepping outside of our normal routine and daily habits.

There is something deep in our psyche which longs for renewal and rejuvenation. Many people all over the world embark on pilgrimages to seek out and reconnect with this sacred way of being. That renewal happens when the unseen becomes seen, when that which has gone unrecognized becomes apparent.

The point of that journey isn't to have some great experience, but to rediscover the very ground of our being and to arrive at the center of which that very journey unfolds. Often we find ourselves reminiscing about the good ole days, but what we truly long for is a genuine path that leads to pure presence, in which we can tap into the wellspring of our own renewal and reconnect with the openness, generosity, and kindness that give our life purpose and meaning.

Rest, newly found.

We all need a break. We all appreciate downtime and a chance to unplug and relax. The constancy of our lives can be exhausting. We are all weary travelers in search of a place to rest and refresh.

Normally, we conceive of rest as going on a vacation, enjoying a free weekend, maybe a nice mountain cottage or beach getaway. Rest is often sought outside of us.

When we talk about bringing the mind to rest, we are learning to rest in a new way. In meditation we are learning to rest in our own nature, the nature of our mind and the nature of reality. This type of rest definitely involves turning inwards, but it also involves opening up. Resting in this way, we first appreciate the natural peace, joy and fullness of our own nature. Gradually, layer after layer of our own projection and protection start unfold and release, revealing more openness, contentment and well-being. 

This type of rest is entirely remote to us, yet is always accessible. We don't need to travel to far off or exotic regions, we don't need to plan for an extensive leave or gather all kinds of right circumstances. We simply need to sit.

A day off.

Taking a day off doesn't make much sense to the practitioner who carries everything onto the path.  It's not that you don't have days that are more of a struggle than others, you do.  You have good days and rough days, days that are long and days that are pure joy. 

But you never have a day off, what would you choose to exclude?

Watch your negative emotions.  Be cautious with your judgement and perception.  Don't hold onto anything too tight.  Be grateful that you have this opportunity.

Need a Vacation?

 
How does a spa weekend sound?
Soaking in the hot pools of samsara
Will improve the circulation of thoughts and emotions. 
Afterwards relax into the natural state,
Lay out naked and unadorned on the groundless massage table,
Expose all of your tension and knots.
Let the essence of the teachings work out the kinks,
The pith instructions apply deep pressure to those stubborn knots.
You may need the discipline of a manicure and pedicure to refine away rough edges.
Finally, conclude with a exfoliating facial to remove the extremes of
Permanence and impermanence regarding the single true face of reality. 
This is how to seek release from samsara. 

How does a trip to wine country sound?
It is important to understand the different varietals of spiritual teachings,
To fully appreciate their lineage, view, path and result.
Taste is paramount in determining the quality,
Fame, wealth and reputation mean nothing if it leaves a bad taste.
Spend some time appreciating how the different varietals come together,
Their distinctive features and qualities.
Blending can at times enhance the experience, at other times create distortion.
Certain vineyards have distinct qualities that cannot be replicated,
No amount of blending or aging can draw out a similar taste,
If you find this extraordinary lot you should seek its full measure.
This is how to understand the vehicle to awakening.

How about traveling to a foreign land?
You have heard of these places and always wanted to go,
Read the history and are fascinated by the culture,
How these people live their lives, the food they eat,
Oh, to sit in their plazas and behold their art.
We must ourselves cross to the other side,
It is not enough to read or study,
We must gain our own experience firsthand.
No longer will I be a parrot of other's experience,
No longer will I share their insights, 
From this day forth I seek the authentic experience of direct knowing.
This is how to gain your own experience in setting forth to the other side.  

How about going to a cabin?
Enter into a serene, peaceful environment.
Slow down.  Touch the earth.  Feel the breeze.
Wrap yourself up in the warm blanket of the teachings,
Feel the warmth of the fire of your own experience.
Cuddle up with a good dharma book to open new worlds of experience.
Enjoying this comfort and peace you might sleep in,
Perhaps your meditation is drowsy because of this clinging.
In the evenings you may reach for a bottle of wine,
Feel free to enjoy it but don't grasp at the experience.
This is how to enter into experience.

Do you want to go home?
Go back to the natural state,
Rest in that original condition,
It is always timeless, unchanging.
All the experiences you have in life,
The high and lows, good and bad,
You can always come back to this.
This place of full acceptance, contentment and peace.  
This is discovering your own ground.

Maybe you want a respite from work?
Get away from the never ending goals and deadlines,
The need to accomplish and assert oneself.
What need is their for competition, coercion.  
You have already discovered your fulfillment,
What more are you trying to do?
Just rest as you are, there is nothing more to become.
Recognize as it is, there is fulfillment in that.
Go from not having enough time to the present being unceasing. 
This is how to gain conviction.

How about a beautiful beach vacation?
Relax into the vast ocean of meditative equipoise,
Waves of thoughts rising and falling,
Appearing clearly within the ocean but never parting.
The morning fog naturally evaporates,
Revealing the sun of true seeing in the spacious sky free of reference.
A gentle cool breeze of compassion stirs,
Whisking away the sweat of others turmoil.
How joyful, yourself and others are completely refreshed!
This is how to develop experience.

How about a holy pilgrimage?
Pay reverence to the site of awakening, your own meditation seat,
Make prostrations to Vajra Seat (Bodh Gaya),
Where the Lord Buddha himself gained awakening.
Make offerings of your body, speech and mind to the Three Jewels through all your deeds.
Circumambulate the great stupa of bodhicitta
By having all your activities revolve around this intent.
Step through the heart into an immaculate, vast temple,
All sights and sounds the infinite play of deity and mantra.
Hang prayer flags throughout the world by dedicating your merit,
Your smile is like a thousand offering lamps that illuminate the darkness.
This is how you bring all experiences onto the path.  

How about a big city shopping spree?
A completely dazzling endless variety of sights, sounds and appearances,
Everything you could want is here.
The subtlety and refinement of experience is beyond comparison.
It is fascinating how something so simple could be
Presented and appreciated in this way.
To use ordinary and simple things in this new design,
This excellence in simplicity, this mastery of the trade, is amazing.
We used to think complex and ostentatious were the trend,  
But to use the familiar in such a unique way is mind blowing. 
This is how mahasiddhas refine away experience. 

How about sailing?
Effortlessly ride the winds of karma,
Skillfully manipulate gusts of emotions,
Complete your journey regardless of high or low tides.
When the winds scream, you move along faster.
When the winds die, you abide in the pristine expanse, the ocean of awakened mind.
Your vessel moves unhindered through this spacious expanse,
Sending out a ripple in the vast ocean,
Yet vanishing without a trace.   
This is how everything accelerates the path. 

How about a mountain trek?
Start off your journey through dense forests,
You will enjoy many vistas along the way,
Pass by alpine lakes so clear you can see the bottom,
All phenomena will play like animals in mountain meadows.
Scampering through the world of appearances and possibility,
You suddenly breakthrough to the summit,
An astounding, vast panorama.
Down below you can see all the places
Yourself and others have gotten caught up,
The simple solutions to their current situation.  
Resting in unmoving meditative equipoise,
The mind completely stark and barren of all distortion,
You have nothing more to gain.

Maybe you should help that guy trying to cross the river, 
Or that girl fighting herself in that thicket of stinging nettles.

Maybe you should get back to work.