For the last 10 days I have forgone many things that I have become "attached" to over the course of my life.
A brief list of "no's"
No meat
No coffee
No alcohol
No Internet
No cell phone
No music/TV/iPod, etc
No talking
Leading up to this I was actually looking forward to the experience. I thought, how hard could it be to forgo a few of life's indulgences / conveniences for 10 days. I mean this is going to be good for me right? Right?!? Let's just say this is one of the hardest things I have ever done, and I'm so happy I did it.
...a little context...the setting was Dharamsala, high in the mountains of northern India, the seat in exile of His Holiness, The Dalai Lama. Here I attended a ten day course: Introduction to Buddhism. The lessons about Tibet and its people, the Buddhist philosophy, life, and perhaps most importantly, myself are still being discovered, but I can say that this experience has changed my life in a most profound and positive way. I had the privilege of sharing this learning with over 50 other wonderful, kind people from all over the world, easily the most diverse room in which I have ever had the pleasure to sit. A true blessing.
10 days of silence...needless to say, sound was in short supply (a daily one hour discussion group and brief Q&A, notwithstanding). In that environment it was quite amazing how sharp the other senses became, even in such a short period of time. With that said, I wanted to share a few sound bites. These quotes / paraphrases are in no particular order of importance, they are just sounds that stuck with me that I wanted to share. Remember, they are all out of context so please, PLEASE take them with a grain of salt...or two...or three... In other words, no judging please:)
"Buddhism is based largely on logic and reason, not on blind faith."
--Monk explaining a central part of the basis for the Buddhist philosophy
"There is no malaria in Dharamsala, so if a mosquito lands on you and you are feeling generous, you could share a drop of blood so it can have a meal"
--Monk explaining that we should respect all life and not intentionally kill anything
"This is monsoon season and it's been raining for three months so nothing will completely dry...as a consequence your rooms will be a bit musty!!"
--Monk explaining accommodations at the check in orientation
"Are you hungry? So are all of our students so please serve yourself modestly and only once."
--sign laying the ground rules for meal time.
"Don't put paper products in the toilet, it will clog, please use the trash receptacle."
12 hours later....
"Do not use this toilet, it is clogged!"
--Signs on outhouse door
"The first time is used LSD I didn't think it was working so I took a second dose...5 minutes later I thought my girlfriend and I were Hansel and Gretel as we walked around the town...I thought I could eat the houses, that they were all made of candy!!"
--Monk sharing an experience from his life before Buddhism
"Love is the sincere wish for others to be happy...Compassion is the sincere wish for others to be free from suffering and its causes"
--Monk explaining concepts of Buddhism
"...but I intended to kill it!"
--Student lamenting the bad Karma gained, even from a failed attempt to kill a mosquito
"Ego and attachment are what gives things their value"
--Lama Yeshe
"To some degree it's like trying to roll a joint without a cigarette paper; teaching Buddhism without a discussion of attachment"
--Monk emphasizing the importance of the concept of attachment to the Buddhist philosophy
"I'm a wolf spider, and I am no harm to you, please let me pass in peace"
--Signage reminding students to be mindful of even scary living things
"It's not the size, it's how you use it [brain]"
--Student explaining his rudimentary understanding of brain function
In closing, I would recommend this experience to anyone.
Enjoy
Namaste!
A brief list of "no's"
No meat
No coffee
No alcohol
No Internet
No cell phone
No music/TV/iPod, etc
No talking
Leading up to this I was actually looking forward to the experience. I thought, how hard could it be to forgo a few of life's indulgences / conveniences for 10 days. I mean this is going to be good for me right? Right?!? Let's just say this is one of the hardest things I have ever done, and I'm so happy I did it.
...a little context...the setting was Dharamsala, high in the mountains of northern India, the seat in exile of His Holiness, The Dalai Lama. Here I attended a ten day course: Introduction to Buddhism. The lessons about Tibet and its people, the Buddhist philosophy, life, and perhaps most importantly, myself are still being discovered, but I can say that this experience has changed my life in a most profound and positive way. I had the privilege of sharing this learning with over 50 other wonderful, kind people from all over the world, easily the most diverse room in which I have ever had the pleasure to sit. A true blessing.
10 days of silence...needless to say, sound was in short supply (a daily one hour discussion group and brief Q&A, notwithstanding). In that environment it was quite amazing how sharp the other senses became, even in such a short period of time. With that said, I wanted to share a few sound bites. These quotes / paraphrases are in no particular order of importance, they are just sounds that stuck with me that I wanted to share. Remember, they are all out of context so please, PLEASE take them with a grain of salt...or two...or three... In other words, no judging please:)
"Buddhism is based largely on logic and reason, not on blind faith."
--Monk explaining a central part of the basis for the Buddhist philosophy
"There is no malaria in Dharamsala, so if a mosquito lands on you and you are feeling generous, you could share a drop of blood so it can have a meal"
--Monk explaining that we should respect all life and not intentionally kill anything
"This is monsoon season and it's been raining for three months so nothing will completely dry...as a consequence your rooms will be a bit musty!!"
--Monk explaining accommodations at the check in orientation
"Are you hungry? So are all of our students so please serve yourself modestly and only once."
--sign laying the ground rules for meal time.
"Don't put paper products in the toilet, it will clog, please use the trash receptacle."
12 hours later....
"Do not use this toilet, it is clogged!"
--Signs on outhouse door
"The first time is used LSD I didn't think it was working so I took a second dose...5 minutes later I thought my girlfriend and I were Hansel and Gretel as we walked around the town...I thought I could eat the houses, that they were all made of candy!!"
--Monk sharing an experience from his life before Buddhism
"Love is the sincere wish for others to be happy...Compassion is the sincere wish for others to be free from suffering and its causes"
--Monk explaining concepts of Buddhism
"...but I intended to kill it!"
--Student lamenting the bad Karma gained, even from a failed attempt to kill a mosquito
"Ego and attachment are what gives things their value"
--Lama Yeshe
"To some degree it's like trying to roll a joint without a cigarette paper; teaching Buddhism without a discussion of attachment"
--Monk emphasizing the importance of the concept of attachment to the Buddhist philosophy
"I'm a wolf spider, and I am no harm to you, please let me pass in peace"
--Signage reminding students to be mindful of even scary living things
"It's not the size, it's how you use it [brain]"
--Student explaining his rudimentary understanding of brain function
In closing, I would recommend this experience to anyone.
Enjoy
Namaste!
Sounds like you really enjoyed the experience. The no talking aspect sounds like the single most difficult thing in the world for you... I also appreciate that the monks very clearly know their audience by using the joint and LSD examples.
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