Menla Mountain Retreat Center
Check out the website (menla.org) -- One of the main word to describe what it feels like here with mountains and woods and mountain streams, and valley floor, is: immense. Dave says it’s like a big natural amphitheater, and, it’s true, that we sometimes feel as if we are being heard by others when we speak with each other. The land around is entirely state owned, so no development situation. Fresh air abounds, and the whole area is dotted with beautiful buildings and cabins. We have learned a bit about the history here and how it used to be Pathworks in a former incarnation. Someone bought it from Pathworks, tried to set up a healing centre of some kind, but it did not come together, and finally, donated the real estate to Tibet House, and Tibet House set up Menla Mountain Retreat Centre, the current incarnation of this special geographic setting. The Dalai Lama has been here, and a sense of his presence in the lovely dining room with its bright yellow walls, wooden beams and touches of red. The meditation hall is an incredible place and the feeling of energy there is strong. We have seen many deer, some toads, squirrels, and have heard that mountain lions, bears, and coyotes are around, too. Apparently, the coyotes were reintroduced in order to reduce the rising deer population. (This idea was corrected down the road by our future wwoofing hosts who told us that coyote do NOT eat deer.)
It is somewhat high in altitude here, and last night, it seemed rather chilly. Then during the night, we had a lightning storm. After that, the air was warmer, and the following day was gorgeous: warm and sunny. We visited the nearby town of Woodstock, quite gentrified, and enjoyed the cornucopia of the local hfs, Sunflower. We met up with our host, Michael and Mina and Shanti at the bookstore named The Golden Notebook, the title of a novel by Doris Lessing which I read during my stay in Montreal in the ‘70’s.
Michael and Mina are talented young people who happen to be working out here at this time. Mina is an artist and Michael is a writer. Shanti is Mina’s daughter, and she is all of 3 years old.
Michael has told us a bit about his connection with Robert Thurman through Columbia, and his ongoing interest in Buddhist philosophy. The centre has three events planned for the coming season in which Robert Thurman will present topics along with other guests. Coming up soon, we’ll see a Hare Krishna group coming through for their session. We are busy raking things up a bit to make them feel good about their surroundings when they arrive this week.
April 20, 2008
So much has changed since we first arrived! It’s greening up and the weather has been very summery. We are feeling sorry to be moving on, but our new plans fit perfectly together, and we are headed for the New Life Retreat Centre in Ontario. We’ve enjoyed working with Jim, and visiting with Cecilia and Lynne, our neighbours, now that we have moved to a new, spacious cabin closer to the office where we use the internet and telephone, and which comes complete with a large fridge. We are producing lots of food here, including baked goods and stir fries, and so, are very pleased in that department. It is rather hard to believe that we lucked into such accommodations as these! The former caretaker and gardener couple moved out, and now we are here. Some people have even suggested that we might like to stay, but we have our sights on other places: France, interior B.C., Hawaii, and others. We feel we are a little too young in our travels to settle down. Yet, you never know how things will turn out, and the mystery is part of the fun.
The Hare Krishna have been here and we have enjoyed their presence. Yesterday, was particularly amazing because it was their day of silence when they do nothing all day but chant to themselves and uphold a vow of silence because that allows them the time to devote to chanting. They have beads and they go round the beads reciting the mantra, and the idea is to do x number of ‘rounds’. They do a certain amount on a daily basis, but for the “Japa” retreat, they do more. What a beautiful scene to see the Hare Krishna walking around the property on any day, but on this day, it was especially wonderful because they had time to sit by the river, almost entirely individually. My favourite sight of the day was a curious robin, observing the people on the lawn.
