10 days of silence, learning how to meditate, taught by Buddhist monks. Who would have thought Matt Gee would ever do such a thing. Not me.
The first 3 days, things got progressively tougher. Day 3, I wanted to leave. Sitting cross legged for hours on end while attempting to sit up straight hurts real bad. I was so bored, my thoghts just kept running through my head, I thought I was going crazy. But Through meditation and the Buddhist teachings, I learned to stick it out through the pain, calm my mind, and let go...of everything. Let go of my body, mind, thoughts, feelings, the past, the future...everything. A main point that was repeated throughout was being mindful of what you are doing in every moment. Being mindful of my breathing (Anapanasati) was a challenge for me.
I must say, by days 8, 9, and 10, I progressed with my meditation practice each sitting.
The silence became peaceful, not a burden or stressful.
Looking back on the whole experience, I came away with so much.
Patience, mindfulness, accepting reality, and letting go.
It did not take long to realize how much of a sheltered environment we were in during the retreat. The reality of people's tempers flairing, along with the stress of traveling did not hesitate to show the day it was all over. But traveling with Jenny improves daily. I'm glad we both shared this experience.
And yes, I still meditate even thought the retreat is over. But I'm not, and could never in a million years, be a monk.
