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My Weekend Retreat So Far...
Tosh
Veteran
Mrs Tosh is away for the weekend, so my plan was to drop her off (she's partying with our daughter at her university for the weekend) and have a home weekend retreat with my dog.
The rules were:
- No screens (computer, internet, tv, or phone).
- Plenty of alternate spiritual reading and meditation.
- Walking meditation with the dog.
So far I've eaten 6 cherry bakewells and a large bag of chocolate raisins and here I am on the internet.
I'm not very good at this Buddhist thing!
Still, I can start now, can't I?
See you on Sunday...
6
Comments
It's not the weekend, officially until midnight, or just thereafter, so you're safe.
so far...
Start when you get up.
I suggest you get up just before 3 pm.....
LOL, I'd say you are just doing prep work
Enjoy your weekend!
There is a wonderful excuse teaching in kabbalah that for every virtue we develop, we are balanced by a vice.
Nobody moves away without moving closer. We are always on the cherry bakewells Path.
Thanks for the confession.
I bet the extreme dharma sets in and you practice yourself silly. Bravo.
“More smiling, less worrying. More compassion, less judgment. More blessed, less stressed. More love, less hate.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
It sounds like your weekend plans need more structure. Plan a general outline of activities: walking, meditating, grocery shopping, perhaps journaling if you're into that, visiting a friend, going to the gym, Reading is good, too. Maybe reward yourself for sticking with your discipline by taking yourself to dinner somewhere.
From my (limited) experience, attempting to undertake a retreat at home is difficult when the TV / interweb is only a click away.
I nred to be away from that in a group environment at my current level of practice.
Good luck to those who can beat the temptation!
I sometimes go full-immersion in Thich Nhat Hanh's online dharma talks. Yesterday I watched about 4.5 hrs of orientation and talks from The Art of Suffering retreat from 2013 at the Blue Cliff Monastery.
I just find him so restful... if I fill a day with that, some cleaning of the apartment, very light meals and a little mindful walking I feel like I have been on a mini retreat.
@Kerome that's a great idea and seems pretty doable
I wasn't one of them; you're right.
I even ended up eating a whole chocolate gateau the next day and just feeling dirty.
I did run 13 miles though and tried to be mindful whenever I became mindful that I wasn't.
A WHOLE Chocolate Gateau...!? Bloody hell.....!
I firstly ate a quarter of it, and then returned and consumed the rest.
My name is Tosh, and I'm a gateau-aholic.
But who just wants a little bit of sweet stuff?
There, the first step to recovery is an acceptance that there is a problem...
...and 'awesome'......
Ha! I looked that up in LCHF with no luck?
You are a dharma slag/dharma dick? Welcome to the naughty corner. (I am a permanent resident)
Thanks for confessing.
Self discipline is a mahayana way. Too great for us beginners. The last two personal retreats I was on, I hardly mentioned. Cake and biscuits are gone very rapidly. Chocolate cake lasting two days? Pah! I believe chocolate is medicine ... (so deluded)
It is very easy (mostly) to be compassionate about others. If the Buddha was a chocolate gateaux, practice would be easy.
I take refuge in the Buddha Gateaux
gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā
Lobster translation:
Gateaux, Gateaux, Gateaux void filling, gone Beyond Buddhas
Emptiness
http://www.interluderetreat.com/meditate/ppsutra.htm
Ha ha! You are an idiot @lobster