What is 'Retreat'?
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What is 'Retreat'?
In Buddhist tradition, dating back to the time of the Buddha, practitioners have undertaken periods of solitude and reflection as integral to their practice.
SILENCE AND ALONESS
An obvious detail in solitary retreat is the fact that one spends a great deal of time alone and in silence. This is so useful, for quietening, for settling, for becoming clear and self-aware.
What happens when little action occurs, are all the little things we don't usually notice about our minds. Anxiety is quickly exposed... but that's just a superficial issue.
If one can sit with anxiety, and then STAY with it, and then wait even longer WITH it, and watch it, listen to it, and slowly see it dissolve... one can then go even deeper into the roots and causes of anxiety (our distracted, insecure, untrusting egoic minds). this is much more complex and difficult work, the sort of labour all experienced meditators will know about.
It's the true recognition of one's own madness that leads one to freedom... for once the madness is seen in all its forms, one can see through it. In the end, all these states are merely transitory and unreal, no matter how habitual they may have become. This is the path to self-discovery, to the liberation that is beyond our self-absorption.
Personally I love being quiet, not talking, not needing to say or do anything, such that I can sit with all the drama that exists even in a simple moment... and locate the inner peacefulness that lies somewhere near my inner anxieties. Non-action is a fundamental source for awareness.
Gradually one begins to see the nature of energy in consciousness... one's own thoughts, feelings, delusions, imaginations... and more importantly, the flowing symbols around one's mind (the world itself).
Such meditations take time and experience to comprehend... but their innate quietness and clarity are precisely the instruments for the peace most humans seek.
Although meditation or contemplative retreats can differ widely, entering into solitary retreat involves ‘retreating’ from normal, daily activities, comforts, hobbies, routines and attachments so that one is free to look deeply within.
Engaging in solitary meditation retreat requires preparation on both a mental and physical level.
It’s not a good idea, for example, to enter into retreat whilst experiencing a personal trauma, or as a means to escape from one’s life. It’s important to ensure that personal affairs are in order and that there is the mental and physical space in life to commit completely to the experience of retreat.