The Garrison Institute is used by many contemplative religious groups for retreats and other programs. One such group are those of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The picture of fresh vegtables shows veggies grown locally and prepared for the Dali Lama's meal when he was here in 2003.
I began today to make the gradual transition into silence. I've learned it doesn't happen overnight but it takes time to slow down physically and mentally from the normal busy pace and focus on doing, doing, doing in order to accomplish. There is nothing to accomplish here really, nothing, just consenting to what is.
It's fairly quiet given 61 retreatants. The Garrision Institute is a big place (former Christian monastery) with expansive grounds so that supports quietness. Scheduled sits increase to 3 hours tomorrow.
Today David Frenette began to teach on contemplatives attitudes. Here are, for me, a few points from his morning talk.
- The spiritual journey is me saying yes to God and God saying yes to me. What does each of those look like over time? At present? Has the ratio of the two changed over time?
- "We become contemplatives when God discovers himself in us." (Thomas Merton) - a situation where God is having a major say at the table!
- As God's presence acts in us nothing thrown away - our skils, interests, life situations, people known, etc. become medium through which "God discovers himself in us." We may return to earlier life interests, people we've know, etc. but as a different person as moved by God's transformative love.
- A teaching parenthetical prior to small group discussions: "Extroverts want to speak in order to think and introverts want to think in order to speark" - Abbot Joseph, St. Benedict's Monastery, Snowmass, CO
- spent time reviewing the guidelines of the centering prayer practice - emphasizing having a firm foundation in the basics - having a "beginners mind" always.
- God making himself know through anything, our thoughts, feelings, life situatons, desires, etc. anything.
- David asks "Who is God for me now?" i.e. what opens me? It could be the person of Jesus, Holy Mother, nature, going to church, art, writing, anything really. My answer: watching the water babies class at the swimming pool - "incarnatonal contemplation" if you will.
Enough for now.....
Sent from Ron's iPhone
I came across these are on a morning walk.
Sent from Ron's iPhone
Despite getting "lost" on the way to the Garrison Institute I made it thanks to the GPS. David and Marie gave orientations for the week and the silence began.
Communication elements: male, female, male under urinary pressure, female under urinary pressure (latter two = added information value).
7 days and counting until I start a 10 day centering prayer retreat at the Garrison Institute and its chronicling here on LifeSprings.The Garrison Institute is in a former Christian monastery and supports contemplative events in different religious traditions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Judism, Islam, Christianity....) Here's a photo of the room where 60 retreatents will sit in silent centering prayer for 3 hours daily. Description in earlier post below.
Double-click below to start/restart video.
As an inactive, i.e. backsliding, mandolin player I've recently become inspired by the sounds of The Beymen Bros after they were featured on NPR http://tr.im/h9Qm. The lifelong bond, since childhood, that exists for two of the more senior "bros" and their many years of informal music-making and the Bros's tranquility vibe leaves me most attentive.
After a vigorous workout in the "deep" pool the babes (moms and a dad) take to the cool-down pool.
Sent from Ron's iPhone
Sent from Ron's iPhone
And when he came to the place where the wild things are
they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth
and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws
till Max said “BE STILL!”
and tamed them with the magic trick
of staring into all their yellow eyes without blinking once
and they were frightened and called him the most wild thing of all
and made him king of all wild things
“And now,” cried Max, “let the wild rumpus start!”
From "Where the Wild Things Are" http://tr.im/h77E