On November 16, these six students from New York City ended their seven-day Solitary Retreat at the Holy Vajrasana Temple near Sanger, California. They stayed in tents, a yurt, a cabin, and in the temple itself. Before the main altar in the Buddha Hall on the top row is Yvonne Zhen Bao Liang, Xiu Min Lin, Li Zheng, while the bottom row is Judy Li Chu Chen, Mei Chi Wu, & Jennie Yan Zhen Chen. What I found out after they arrived was that five of them had done a silent meditation retreat almost ten years ago north of New York City (shown below). I do believe that was part of the reason these brave retreaters had such successful intensive solitary retreats under somewhat adverse conditions, was that they had had experience in such discipline and, of course, that they were serious practitioners.
After the retreat ended, the students participated in an informal oryioki lunch and briefed each other and the abbot on what happened. They all remarked on how easy it was to practice and how long they could meditate without getting tired or sleepy. Their energy was very high and they experienced many practice affirming sights, smells, and sounds. One elderly student said she easily did 100 full prostrations every day of the retreat and hoped to be able to continue that when she returned to New York City. Another student who was staying in the Dharma Protector Chapel (yurt) said she experienced her body doing mudras that she did not initiate or know–like you do in a Kuan Yin Great Compassion Empowerment. Others felt inner body heat, which was most helpful because it did become very cold. It was close to freezing at night by the end of the retreat. Some one saw the Protector Chapel ablaze with light late at night, but no one is allowed to have any artificial light or energy there and I am quite certain no one did. And then there was the rain, wind, and rainbows that blessed the retreat earlier in the week and documented below. It was a magical and joyful time.
CLICK for November 13, 2024 article on and photos of rainbow and rain during retreat.
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