Any of you ever done a silent retreat?

[Winston]

Check this out. It sounds interesting. Any of you try it before? I wonder if I could get through such a thing, as my mind is way overactive.

That Misery Called Meditation
What seven days of silence did to my head.
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/obse ... ation.html

[Devil Dog]

I did a 10 day Vipassana retreat in April. The Vipassana retreat involves 10 days of Noble Silence, recorded instruction each evening from the late S N Goenke, and many hours of meditation. It is not a cult like thing. It is simply an immersion in training on how to meditate. I found the experience interesting and helpful, as did the other students who I talked to after the course. They recommend that you attend a retreat every year, and I plan to do so.

I don't know anything about the retreat that you linked, but the writer gives enough details to tell me that it is completely different from a Vipassana retreat. His does not sound like a silent retreat. He comes across as a guy who went on a lark so he could overdramatize his wacky experiences.

[Winston]

What do you do all during a silent retreat? Is there a specific schedule of things you do? Or do you just do sitting meditation and walking meditation?

What does the silent retreatant hope to accomplish during a silent retreat? And why is it silent?

I'm at a Buddhist center now near Prescott, AZ called the Garchen Institute.
Their website is: http://www.garchen.net

But they are more the Tibetan type of Buddhism. I'll ask how their retreats work. But I think I could only handle that kind of thing for one week. My mind is way too overactive.

Jackal, have you ever done a silent retreat before?

[MrPeabody]

I did the 10 day Goenka Vipassana retreat. They don't charge anything, but they accept any donations at the end - no pressure. The facilities were beautiful and the vegetarian food was good. I went to the California facility in the desert. It was scenic and had a desert garden where you could walk during the breaks.

[Devil Dog]

Winston, google "Vipassana". Here are a few FAQ's from the site.

Why is the course ten days long?

Actually, the ten-day course is the minimum; it provides an essential introduction and foundation to the technique. To develop in the practice is a lifetime job. Experience over generations has shown that if Vipassana is taught in periods of less than ten days, the student does not get a sufficient experiential grasp of the technique. Traditionally, Vipassana was taught in retreats lasting seven weeks. With the dawning of the 20th century, the teachers of this tradition began to experiment with shorter times to suit the quickening pace of life. They tried thirty days, two weeks, ten days, down to seven days--and they found that less than ten days is not enough time for the mind to settle down and work deeply with the mind-body phenomenon.

How many hours a day will I be meditating?

The day begins at 4:00 a.m. with a wakeup bell and continues until 9:00 p.m. There are about ten hours of meditation throughout the day, interspersed with regular breaks and rest periods. Every evening at 7:00 p.m. there is a videotaped lecture by the Teacher, S.N. Goenka, which provides a context for meditators to understand their experience of the day. This schedule has proved workable and beneficial for hundreds of thousands of people for decades.

Why is a course conducted in silence?

All students attending the course observe "noble silence" — that is, silence of body, speech and mind. They agree to refrain from communicating with their co-meditators. However, students are free to contact the management about their material needs, and to speak with the instructor. Silence is observed for the first nine full days. On the tenth day, speech is resumed as a way of re-establishing the normal pattern of daily life. Continuity of practice is the secret of success in this course; silence is an essential component in maintaining this continuity.

[Winston]

I did the 10 day Goenka Vipassana retreat. They don't charge anything, but they accept any donations at the end - no pressure. The facilities were beautiful and the vegetarian food was good. I went to the California facility in the desert. It was scenic and had a desert garden where you could walk during the breaks.

That's interesting. Do they have a website with more info? What did you gain from it? Did everyone stay the course of the 10 days? What do you do each day during the retreat?

You got free food during the retreat? Wow they must have faith that people will make good donations.

Also, I was wondering, why can't you just do a silent retreat in your own house by turning off your TV, computer and phone for a few days?

[Billy]

Winston, I don´t know much about the fulltime retreat but I think it´s like sports you have to do it regularly and implement it into your everyday life. I have successfully integrated meditation and it works quite well. For me best is to do it right after waking up and before going to bed. - Besides there are other things which might be helpfull like reading some fiction and doing some sports and karaoke. Just my two cents.

[MrPeabody]

I did the 10 day Goenka Vipassana retreat. They don't charge anything, but they accept any donations at the end - no pressure. The facilities were beautiful and the vegetarian food was good. I went to the California facility in the desert. It was scenic and had a desert garden where you could walk during the breaks.

That's interesting. Do they have a website with more info? What did you gain from it? Did everyone stay the course of the 10 days? What do you do each day during the retreat?

You got free food during the retreat? Wow they must have faith that people will make good donations.

Also, I was wondering, why can't you just do a silent retreat in your own house by turning off your TV, computer and phone for a few days?

Here is the website with all the information and the locations.

http://www.dhamma.org/

[tamdrin12]

Funny its a small world.. you went to the Garchen Institute... I lived there for nearly a year... The Lama.. Garchen Rinpoche who founded the center is absolutely amazing. He is the most loving and compassionate human being you could meet!

[MrPeabody]

That's the whole point of meditation is to keep your body in one place and take away all distractions to settle down your mind. Most people's minds are constantly active jumping from one thought to another without a break. There is a constant need for stimulation. It is hard for most people to not think of anything for even 10 seconds. At the 10 day retreat I was at, I noticed this one guy walking around with a shell shocked look on his face looking like he was about to go crazy and the next day he was gone. It's amazing that silence can actually drive some people crazy. It is useful to find that out. If you persist with doing nothing, eventually the thoughts leave and you can have great peace. But meditation is not any easy thing and is difficult for everyone. It also takes a long time, so you have to pretty much commit to it for a lifetime for it to do any good.

[Winston]

Funny its a small world.. you went to the Garchen Institute... I lived there for nearly a year... The Lama.. Garchen Rinpoche who founded the center is absolutely amazing. He is the most loving and compassionate human being you could meet!

Really No way. When were you there? Who was managing the office when you were there?

Were you on a silent retreat? How did you endure that for nearly a year? I read the details about doing that and it seems very depriving. Most people could only do it for a few days or less. How did you manage?

What did you do everyday during the retreat? Chant rituals? I don't see the point in that. It seems mindless and tedious, like following a script that you didn't create.

Yes I met that Lama before too, back in 2006. He had a very loving energy about him. I asked him a few questions and an Austrian girl translated for me.

[tamdrin12]

I was there in 2005-2006... The manager of the office at that time was Bernie.. a german guy who ran things rather loosely.. Things have tightened up now I believe Trischa is running the office. Or she was last time I checked...

I was doing meditation... First not on retreat but in the Stupa there and in a tent. Then I did do a retreat... for 100 days. I was not mindlessly chanting rituals but I was meditating on specific topics.

They are traditionally called the 4 thoughts to turn your mind to the dharma.. and include.. The precious human birth (how rare it is to be born as a human being as opposed to in one of the other realms such as animals)... 2)the law of karma.. good actions create happiness.. bad actions suffering 3)the impermanence.. we are all going to die.. but we don't know when. The time of death is uncertain. and 4) The dukha.. or suffering.. or dissatisfactory nature of samsara.. How no matter what we get well in samsara it is always dissatisfactory... I was not encouraged to accept these out of faith or blind belief.. rather they are analytical meditations that one contemplates deeply and considers if they are accurate descriptions of ones experience in the world..

I also did some calm abiding meditation. Which is where you try and focus your attention one pointedly on some object such as the inhalation and exhalation of breath.. This is a means to calm the neurotic/obsessive/and compulsive tendency humans have to be caught up in conceptual thought. It is highly beneficial although difficult at first as we begin to realize how many thoughts we actually have... The benefits are once the mind calms down one feels a natural sense of peace and bliss without need of stimulation from external objects

Yes I know that Austrian girl. Her name is Ina... She is married to a Tibetan.

Currently I am studying Tibetan in Nepal.

[Winston]

I was there in 2005-2006... The manager of the office at that time was Bernie.. a german guy who ran things rather loosely.. Things have tightened up now I believe Trischa is running the office. Or she was last time I checked...

I was doing meditation... First not on retreat but in the Stupa there and in a tent. Then I did do a retreat... for 100 days. I was not mindlessly chanting rituals but I was meditating on specific topics.

They are traditionally called the 4 thoughts to turn your mind to the dharma.. and include.. The precious human birth (how rare it is to be born as a human being as opposed to in one of the other realms such as animals)... 2)the law of karma.. good actions create happiness.. bad actions suffering 3)the impermanence.. we are all going to die.. but we don't know when. The time of death is uncertain. and 4) The dukha.. or suffering.. or dissatisfactory nature of samsara.. How no matter what we get well in samsara it is always dissatisfactory... I was not encouraged to accept these out of faith or blind belief.. rather they are analytical meditations that one contemplates deeply and considers if they are accurate descriptions of ones experience in the world..

I also did some calm abiding meditation. Which is where you try and focus your attention one pointedly on some object such as the inhalation and exhalation of breath.. This is a means to calm the neurotic/obsessive/and compulsive tendency humans have to be caught up in conceptual thought. It is highly beneficial although difficult at first as we begin to realize how many thoughts we actually have... The benefits are once the mind calms down one feels a natural sense of peace and bliss without need of stimulation from external objects

Yes I know that Austrian girl. Her name is Ina... She is married to a Tibetan.

Currently I am studying Tibetan in Nepal.

Oh wow. I must have first went there after you left. Yes Trisha is managing the center now. The rules are strict there, but she runs it well and efficiently. But she is leaving next year so she can go into silent retreat.

What did you think of the energy there when you first came? Didn't it feel very sacred and peaceful? It must be from all the rituals and mantras done there.

How did you endure being there for so long? Did you stay in one of the huts there? The view from the dining area is very nice.

I'm not sure I could do that though. People with ADD may have a hard time concentrating during meditation. Also, if you tell someone not to do something, like speak, it makes them want to do it even more. lol

Ina was a cute girl. I heard she travels with the Lamas there and translates for them. Must be an interesting life. The staff at that center seem to all be women and girls. I wonder why. I've never seen young white girls devoted to Buddhism like that.

Here are some photos of me at the Garchen Institute from one of my Southwest USA photo albums:
https://southwestusacanyons.shutterfly.com/pictures/467
(click on all to see the whole album)

So you're in Nepal now? You're studying the Tibetan language? Why not just go to Tibet? Are you studying Buddhism there too? Do you do retreats there?

What is Nepal like? Is is spiritual and slow paced? What are the people like? Are the girls approachable there? Is it easy to get a date? Did you post a trip report about it yet?

[Winston]

Tamdrin12,
What do you think of my problems and issues with Buddhism here:
viewtopic.php?t=23521

Here is what my dad told me about silent retreats:

I read your new forum strip regarding meditation retreat. Vipassana retreat is the insight meditation retreat. I joined once. I highly recommend you to take one to experience it out. It will benefit you and will change your life forever. The main purpose of Vipassana, or Insight meditation is to look into yourself to know how your mind works. Our mind is never stop thinking. It jumps from one subject to another and our emotion and feeling are affected with our thinking. We call this monkey mind. Take 7 or 10 days group retreat is necessary. If you think you could do that at home by yourself, no way. Like myself, I thought I could do that, but I was wrong. Our mind would not stop thinking and always try to find some excuses to get up to do something else or think Maybe tomorrow I will do that. Our mind would rather do anything else than watch our breath. We need pressure from group retreat to keep us in place.

You could Google dharma.org or Goenka for more information. I have Goenka 10 days course in cassette tapes in our Vegas home garage. With so hot weather in Vegas, I think those cassettes or video tapes are no good any more.

[tamdrin12]

I was there in 2005-2006... The manager of the office at that time was Bernie.. a german guy who ran things rather loosely.. Things have tightened up now I believe Trischa is running the office. Or she was last time I checked...

I was doing meditation... First not on retreat but in the Stupa there and in a tent. Then I did do a retreat... for 100 days. I was not mindlessly chanting rituals but I was meditating on specific topics.

They are traditionally called the 4 thoughts to turn your mind to the dharma.. and include.. The precious human birth (how rare it is to be born as a human being as opposed to in one of the other realms such as animals)... 2)the law of karma.. good actions create happiness.. bad actions suffering 3)the impermanence.. we are all going to die.. but we don't know when. The time of death is uncertain. and 4) The dukha.. or suffering.. or dissatisfactory nature of samsara.. How no matter what we get well in samsara it is always dissatisfactory... I was not encouraged to accept these out of faith or blind belief.. rather they are analytical meditations that one contemplates deeply and considers if they are accurate descriptions of ones experience in the world..

I also did some calm abiding meditation. Which is where you try and focus your attention one pointedly on some object such as the inhalation and exhalation of breath.. This is a means to calm the neurotic/obsessive/and compulsive tendency humans have to be caught up in conceptual thought. It is highly beneficial although difficult at first as we begin to realize how many thoughts we actually have... The benefits are once the mind calms down one feels a natural sense of peace and bliss without need of stimulation from external objects

Yes I know that Austrian girl. Her name is Ina... She is married to a Tibetan.

Currently I am studying Tibetan in Nepal.

Oh wow. I must have first went there after you left. Yes Trisha is managing the center now. The rules are strict there, but she runs it well and efficiently. But she is leaving next year so she can go into silent retreat.

What did you think of the energy there when you first came? Didn't it feel very sacred and peaceful? It must be from all the rituals and mantras done there.

How did you endure being there for so long? Did you stay in one of the huts there? The view from the dining area is very nice.

I'm not sure I could do that though. People with ADD may have a hard time concentrating during meditation. Also, if you tell someone not to do something, like speak, it makes them want to do it even more. lol

Ina was a cute girl. I heard she travels with the Lamas there and translates for them. Must be an interesting life. The staff at that center seem to all be women and girls. I wonder why. I've never seen young white girls devoted to Buddhism like that.

Here are some photos of me at the Garchen Institute from one of my Southwest USA photo albums:
https://southwestusacanyons.shutterfly.com/pictures/467
(click on all to see the whole album)

So you're in Nepal now? You're studying the Tibetan language? Why not just go to Tibet? Are you studying Buddhism there too? Do you do retreats there?

What is Nepal like? Is is spiritual and slow paced? What are the people like? Are the girls approachable there? Is it easy to get a date? Did you post a trip report about it yet?

Yes Indeed the energy at the Garchen Institute is very blessed and peaceful. I attribute this to the blessings of many of the great lama's who have been there and the spiritual practice that has been done there. One of the Lama's named Drubwang Konchog Norbu Rinpoche (you can look him up on youtube.. he is also featured in a movie called "The Yogis of Tibet" as is Garchen Rinpoche which can be found on youtube) said that that center had all the perfect characteristics of a dharma place as mentioned by the Buddha in the Sutras... I don't know what they were...

At times it was tough being there but I was there in my early 20's when I was very devoted to practice and doing a series of practices which takes a while to complete... Because I was focused and engaged in practice it made it bearable.. Although I remember it wasn't always easy. I had my car there at the time and would often drive to Prescott to go to the shopping mall or some other distraction. But when I did my 100 day retreat I stayed at the center the whole time.... It was a good experience you just learn to deal with your mind and although there is discomfort and suffering at times with time it becomes bearable.. I would argue that the older you become the more difficult it becomes to start meditating because your mind has been habituated to a lifetime of distractions and sensual entertainments.. In these days I wasn't thinking about women as much as it seems I am now in my early 30's... Oh yeah when I was staying in retreat I did stay in one of the huts there...

The main places foreigners study Tibetan are the areas where Tibetans have settled in exile such as Northern India or Nepal. The reason for this is that the political situation in Tibet makes it difficult to stay there and study for an extended period of time.. Visas are readily available to come to India or Nepal for studies and there are more Tibetan teachers who have the ability to teach the language. Just because you can speak a language doesn't mean you can teach it especially so within Tibet where people have little access to westerners.

As for Nepal.. in my experience its a great place. It is a third world country keep in mind.. but there is a rich history of Buddhism and Hinduism.. in fact the historical Buddha SHakyamuni was born here... in Lumbini. There are many sacred sites of Buddhism inside and outside Kathmandu... Many people come here for trekking also... Unfortunately Kathmandu has terrible air pollution. So yes I would say that there is a very tangibly "spiritual" vibe here... The people are quite nice and I find it to be a much more laid back place than India. Most people seem to come here out of interest in spiritual things or they go trekking.

As for the women.. I am a bit hesitant to go into this on a public forum.. but lets just say I feel that I have been treated very well here. Its not really the place to come for sex tourism and it certainly is no Thailand or the Phillipines... but Nepali women are beautiful and very feminine... I really don't recommend going to any country just for the sole reason of women. You have to have some other interest in that country such as the language, religion, history, or culture....