What did I learn from my recent thirty-day retreat? Mainly, it increased by resolve to promote the Buddha-dharma of liberation to those who do not understand Chinese and formed the basis for starting this blog.
First, I must state that it was a very great privilege and blessing to have thirty-days to focus on practice and learning the correct Buddha-dharma and not worry about worldly matters. I am very grateful to all the wonderful bodhisattvas and bodhisattvas-in-progress that made it possible.
Secondly, you need to have a plan before you start your retreat. I wasn’t ready even though I deferred starting for a week. There were still things I needed (or thought I needed) to do that carried into the retreat and caused me to keep my computer and phone. And, I did not have a plan of what I wanted to do during the retreat itself. That means you don’t allow yourself access to the outside world. Even though I greatly reduced my phone-internet contacts, I still kept some channels open. Everyone else cooperated beautifully and tried to support me, but I still persisted. DON’T DO IT! I came out a couple of times and had a hard time regaining the practice momentum. Absolutely no phones, internet, or computers should be allowed, and NO interruptions.
I was blessed with two preliminary translations of very important dharma books that we all need: The two essential practices in the Office of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s Announcement No. 14 concerning 39-day The Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation and the amazing Expounding the Absolute Truth Through the Heart Sutra. My special thanks to Brothers Vince and Bodi Wentu and all the other translators who made that possible. Let us hope that they will soon be available to all of you.
I reviewed and read (and posted) the translations that Suonan Ciren (Jason) Rinpoche quickly provided on answers to critical questions from the virtuous ones at the World Buddhism Association Headquarters. There is a lot to be learned from these, especially on inner tantric initiations. The Buddha Master has emphasized how important these answers are.
I also reread Jamgon Kongtrul’s Retreat Manual, written in the mid nineteenth century on the Tibetan approach to their traditional three-year, three-month retreat with guidelines on how to prepare, life within, and life afterwards. The Buddha Master provides more powerful and practical guidelines for taking such retreats in a modern world, but it was very useful to see how they were done in an historical context.
With all of the above, I was able to establish a daily schedule based on an increased understanding of what my practice should be and how all the pieces fit together. I have been most fortunate to receive many dharma practices and initiations over the 18 years I have followed His Holiness, but I was not sure how to practice them in an integrated manner. Now, I feel I can.
Lastly, thirty-days is not enough time. I only really got started the last week and then interrupted the retreat to hold a meeting that I never recovered from. I hope we can all have the good fortune to take three-year, three-month retreats. I did have another goal and that was to better understand how a longer-term retreat would or could work. I feel I have that now and can better help others who may want to do this sort of intensive personal practice.
We now have several locations where someone can stay for longer, more intensive retreats at the Holy Vajrasana Temple. A thirty-day private retreat is only a taste, but it is a start and I urge you all to consider trying it. We are working to have facilities for the traditional three-year, three-month retreats that will be even more important. If you are interested, let me know, and we can start the planning to make that happen. There are also seven-day meditation group retreats planned. Check our schedule.
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