Be quiet.

Be quiet. 

Find acquaintance with silence. 

Go inside, delve into your heart. 

Take a day off from the clamor.

(Rumi)

Source: https://twitter.com/RumiQuotes 

A retreat at the Samye Ling monastery

I've just came back from an individual retreat at the magnificent Tibetan monastery Samye Ling.
This is a gift I offered to myself, as I've just turned 43, and also because it made a while I wanted to make a solitary retreat. It was a beautiful opportunity to come back to what is essential (in my life), and to switch off from my doctoral research, which demands so much from my mind.

The Samye Ling monastery is the oldest Tibetan monastery in Europe, and probably one of the biggest as well. Located in the South of Scotland, isolated in the middle of nature, this famous place has been visited by quite a few celebrities, such as David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, and of course, the Dalai Lama (if celeb' is a convenient attribute). Several monks and an Abbot live there, as well as some other residents who are all volunteers, taking care of the place, and welcoming thousands of visitors per year.

This mixture of Tibetan and Scottish cultures is quite fascinating, so much the monastery has been built in respect of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions. I've particularly enjoyed the beautiful stupa, surrounded by the famous prayer wheels. But nothing has pleased me as much as the gorgeous sculpture of Nagarjuna,

as it reminded me so many beautiful souvenirs from my stay in India, more than twenty years ago. Not only because of the snake (powerful symbol in both Hinduism and Buddhism) but also because I felt that I could finally sit down in a contemplative state, and meditate at the moonlight. And in fact,  I've been lucky enough to enjoy the rise of the full moon on the 22nd of April. I don't have enough words to describe the joy I felt by witnessing such a divine show taking place right in front of me, as I was sitting alone on a bench, so grateful to be alive.

One of the reasons I wanted to make a retreat, was of course to dedicate more time to meditation. There is a regular program of spiritual practices and activities running daily, within which anyone is invited to take part. Among these, are the silent meditations happening twice a day, lasting one hour each. Silent sitting, whether you call it Zazen, or Vipassana, is the most simple, yet most challenging meditation that exists. It is also the most powerful (to my taste), and the one that can bring relatively rapidly positive changes (in terms of mind and body health). These were held in the temple:

I haven't missed one. Sitting in silence is as precious as necessary, but when it is done in the presence of others, it enhances so greatly the experience, deepening the silence in which we dive in. And of course, to meditate in such a wonderful and inspiring place certainly helps with the process. There was a group of 'meditation for beginners' happening at the same time, and the group leader wisely suggested the participants not to attend these silent meditations, knowing perfectly well what it implies... Indeed, one needs to have some experience of meditation before daring to face...the void. It can be delightful, but also painful at times, depending on how we feel and what is happening in our lives. The very fact to sit down in silence was sufficient for me to remember how much I enjoy it, and how much I need it in my daily life.

The green Tara, goddess of compassion.

The goal of this personal retreat, was to dedicate some time to what is essential in my life, and I'm really thankful I have been able to do so at the Samye Ling monastery. It remains a religious place though, with all its rituals and dogmatic teachings. For that reason, I couldn't resonate with it entirely, since I (sort of) belong to the Advaita philosophy. Regarding the experiences I've been through in my spiritual life, it is impossible for me anyway to fit in any religions, as I consider them to be too... limited to address the Unlimited. But it does not matter. These three days allowed me to go back to the silence of the heart, and be fully and consciously connected to the Divine again.

Once again, the Grace was present.


OM SHANTI SHANTI OM

Before / After

Before my retreat:

When I try to adapt to the world, I'm always lost.

When I try to adapt to the divine, I'm always home.

After my retreat:

I'm always home.

 

Welcome home

How to cut down the violence we're doing to ourselves? Jeff Foster shows us one way, in such a  beautiful and touching manner.

Heart opening.

The right question.

Based on the work of Byron Katie.
Thank you Martine for the sharing :)