Gifts
I've been away on silent meditation retreat for 7 days. It's a lovely way to start the new year-- with reflection on the past combined with wise intentions for the future. This is a season of giving, well-wishing, and rest; it's important not to forget that amidst the occasional chaos and overindulgence.
There have been many wonderful gifts. Here are two. First, my parents donated a goat in my name through an organization called Heifer International. Heifer helps familes all over the world overcome poverty through community-building programs and donations of livestock. One of the best parts of the approach is that offspring of those livestock are passed on to other needy families so that those who have been helped have the opportunity to help others directly themselves. This may be my favorite Christmas gift ever.
Second, I was the "work retreatant" at the retreat I went on, which means I did several hours of work in the kitchen each day as part of the retreat experience, in lieu of the registration fee. In a way, this is a gift from the retreat center to allow people to attend if they cannot afford to otherwise. My finances are somewhat tight right now so this made sense financially, but in the process I discovered that work retreat is much more than that. It was also a way for me to give service to the other retreatants and the teachers. And it enhanced my meditation in very meaningful ways.
It's also just an amazing experience to work in a large-scale kitchen. We were cooking for a bit more than 100 people, three meals a day! The processes in place for making all of that happen smoothly are a business school student's dream, and are actually fun to participate in. It's a big dance. The goal is to watch your own feet, fall into the flow, and smile at your partners. Then the food, utensils, dishes, clean-up, and everything else happens on its own. Voila!
One teacher pointed out to me that this is actually much closer to the true monastic experience. Sitting all the time isn't terribly natural, except perhaps during Rains Retreat. Mostly monks and nuns are working to keep the monastery functioning-- cooking, cleaning, mending, building, gardening, setting things up, talking to visitors, etc. Of course they meditate a lot too, but it's still living life, not sitting around like a chicken. I was pleased to get a taste of it.
May this new year bring good health, good friends, and good living. What are your intentions at this time?
There have been many wonderful gifts. Here are two. First, my parents donated a goat in my name through an organization called Heifer International. Heifer helps familes all over the world overcome poverty through community-building programs and donations of livestock. One of the best parts of the approach is that offspring of those livestock are passed on to other needy families so that those who have been helped have the opportunity to help others directly themselves. This may be my favorite Christmas gift ever.
Second, I was the "work retreatant" at the retreat I went on, which means I did several hours of work in the kitchen each day as part of the retreat experience, in lieu of the registration fee. In a way, this is a gift from the retreat center to allow people to attend if they cannot afford to otherwise. My finances are somewhat tight right now so this made sense financially, but in the process I discovered that work retreat is much more than that. It was also a way for me to give service to the other retreatants and the teachers. And it enhanced my meditation in very meaningful ways.
It's also just an amazing experience to work in a large-scale kitchen. We were cooking for a bit more than 100 people, three meals a day! The processes in place for making all of that happen smoothly are a business school student's dream, and are actually fun to participate in. It's a big dance. The goal is to watch your own feet, fall into the flow, and smile at your partners. Then the food, utensils, dishes, clean-up, and everything else happens on its own. Voila!
One teacher pointed out to me that this is actually much closer to the true monastic experience. Sitting all the time isn't terribly natural, except perhaps during Rains Retreat. Mostly monks and nuns are working to keep the monastery functioning-- cooking, cleaning, mending, building, gardening, setting things up, talking to visitors, etc. Of course they meditate a lot too, but it's still living life, not sitting around like a chicken. I was pleased to get a taste of it.
May this new year bring good health, good friends, and good living. What are your intentions at this time?
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