I have been intending to write this blog since I came out of the retreat at the end of November, however time just got away from me, plus I also wanted some time to reflect, so here we are.
I first went to the amazing Tushita Meditation Centre in North India in 2017. Let me set the scene… I was travelling in India and the universe redirected me to Dharamshala and I am so grateful for that, being in the foothills of the Himalayas is incredible and was just what I needed at the time. I was staying in a hostel and some of the people asked me if I wanted to join them for the drop in meditation sessions each morning at Tushita, and I am so grateful I did. Some of the group had also just completed a 10-day silent retreat at the centre and I was intrigued. I found out more about it and decided that would be something I would do in the future.
Fast forward to 2020 and I had booked my space for the end of March and was all set to leave the UK and well, we all know what happened in 2020! Luckily Tushita allowed those of us who had signed up for the 10-day retreat to do some of the course online, which I did, and it really helped me to get through the first part of lockdown, however it wasn’t the full experience.
Fast forward again to 2024 and I was planning a trip to India and booked in again. This time, I was looking forward to it, and also curious as to whether or not this was something I would be able to do, to commit to silence for 10 days, with the exception of a 1hour discussion group on 6 of the days, to be without technology or any connection with the outside world, and so on… I was open to it, and I was also anxious about it.
If you follow me, read my blogs, listen to my podcast or have worked with me, you will know that I embrace stepping out of my comfort zone, because that is where the magic happens, the growth, the learning! The course is a 10-day introduction to Buddhism, and not as strict as a Vipassana, however that is possibly something to attempt in the future.
So this is what I learnt over the 10 days!
- Firstly, that I could do it, and not only that, but I also really enjoyed it!
- The silence was a blessing, time to pause, to reflect to go inwards, to be still and I was reminded of the importance of meditation and how there are so many different ways we can incorporate it into our daily lives.
- Being away from technology was wonderful, I don’t think we realise just how much it impacts our daily lives, it is both a blessing and a curse (I wrote this blog about that topic many years ago).
- That I already apply much of the Buddhist teachings and philosophy in my daily life and within my work, I think it adds a powerful element to how I live and to how I work with my clients.
- We don’t have to speak to form connection, to understand others around us, to feel their energy.
- That a simple smile is so important. At the end of the course, when we could speak again, so many people came to me to say how much they appreciated my smiles and warmth and for some of them it helped them through. What a wonderful thing for them to say, and it also worked both ways, I so appreciated those smiles too.
- I was reminded that all sentient beings want to feel joy and happiness and to avoid suffering… no matter how people behave, this is fundamentally what we all want and wish for, we may not always go about it very well, due to social conditioning, past experiences and traumas and so on, yet this is still what we all want.
- That often we create our own suffering from grasping at delusions, delusions of things, people and situations being much worse than they are, if we have an aversion to them. Or delusions of how wonderful things, people and situations are when we have an attraction or attachment to them.
- That practising non-attachment helps us to find peace, and this is not referring to the psychological and relational attachment theory, we all need healthy attachment to others in that way. This is about attachment to delusions, to outcomes and so on.
- Living in the present is important, because all we truly have is now and everything is impermanent!
During this time, I met some wonderful people and formed connections without words, showed and received compassion and formed bonds based on a very special mutual experience, a one-off experience, one I will be forever grateful for.
One thing which made is particularly special was our teacher Venerable Thubten Wangdu, a wonderful human, with such a deep belief in Buddhism and the teachings he delivers, whilst doing so with such wonderful humanity, lightness where appropriate and seriousness and compassion where required, he made it a very special experience. Not only that, I felt very lucky, because I met Ven. Wangdu before he was ordained as a monk, when he was delivering the morning drop in sessions in 2017, so to then witness how he has evolved and to have shared some of that journey with him, made it all the more special to me.
Until next time!
Keep smiling,
Emma x
