“The only Zen you find on tops of mountains is the Zen you bring there” — Robert M. Pirsig
This weekend, I am going on my first Buddhist retreat. I’ve been looking forward to this for quite a while since I first heard that it was being planned. This particular retreat will be held in the mountains on the Maine/New Hampshire border and will consist of a lot of time in walking meditation as we hike around the mountains. The rest of the time will be spent in sitting meditation or silent meal times. I can’t wait to be able to experience the beauty of the wilderness and the peacefulness of the day. I’ll also probably go into Zen overload but I think that’ll be a good thing in the end.
There is a part of me that can’t help but wonder why in the world I’d sign up to spend the night in a yurt on a mountain in Maine during late October but that’s just the rational part of my mind and I’m trying to limit its access to my decision-making for the time being. When one goes on a Zen retreat, the only companion you have with you is your mind. Learning to deal with the way your mind attempts to control your actions every second of every day is an important lesson in Zen. Quieting the mind and allowing it to be still is a critical skill that one must be comfortable with in order to practice Zen. There are a number of ways that Zen teaches this and going on a retreat is one of those ways. This is just a two-day retreat but there are many week-long retreats and even a 100 day retreat one could sign up for. I don’t foresee myself spending 100 days in a retreat but I can easily do a weekend every so often. I also think that having my first Zen retreat as a camping/hiking experience will kind of ease me into the experience instead of going to a Zen center and spending a serious amount of time just sitting in meditation. I’ll be offline for a few days but I’m sure I’ll have a lot to share when I get back on Sunday evening. Until then, I’ve got my extra warm sleeping bag, my hiking boots and other important outdoor gear all ready to go. Thank goodness for the LL Bean store being so close to my home. I was able to find everything I needed and get a pretty good deal on some of the stuff because they’re having a nice sale right now. I guess they’re trying to get rid of leftover inventory from the summer. After all, who’d be crazy enough to go camping in Maine in October?
AWESOME! That sounds like it will be REALLY cool. Good luck.
BTW, I love the Pirsig quote! His books had a massive influence on my life. Thanks for the props too! I can’t wait to hear how this weekend goes. Take lots of Zen!