Working with Retreat by Jon Feller

symbol hallWhat is a retreat and why would anyone want to do one?

The first summer after I joined Shambhala I decided to go on a week-long meditation retreat at the Shambhala land center in Vermont, Karme Chöling. After all, Chögyam Trungpa encouraged his students to do a dathün, a four-week long shamatha meditation retreat, as soon as possible. I wanted to find out if everything people said about meditation retreats was true. Basically it was, although of course each person has their own individual experience. I was amazed to find that meditating 6 – 9 hours a day, with breaks, shamatha yoga and walking meditation of course, could be so satisfying.

Shamatha meditation, also known as “calm abiding”, is said to help bring relief from the low-level (or high-level) anxiety many of us experience, help us tame our hyperactive thoughts, work with our emotions, bring a sense of peace and perhaps moments of bliss or a brief taste of enlightenment now and then. At the time I was meditating 10-20 minutes a few days a week and, although I enjoyed sitting, I did not notice any big changes. It’s funny how different it feels to meditate 6 – 8 hours a day in silence, even after the second day. At first there may be periods of boredom, but then one discovers how satisfying it can be to keep coming back to the breath and to the moment in a friendly and supportive environment, how delightful it can be just to begin to become acquainted with ones own mind.

One does notice various effects of all this meditation. There can be a sense of relative calmness. When difficulties arise, perhaps we don’t feel quite as anxious or angry as normal. One also notices a sense of appreciation for the environment and for other people. There is time for a greater appreciation of food and beverages. Generally retreats are mostly in silence, so it’s easy to appreciate other people since they don’t say something to annoy you. Sometimes that appreciation becomes a general feeling of connection and love for the other participants.

Sometimes one may get stuck in difficult situations. Fortunately there are meditation instructors who can help you with these situations and help you remember that meditating is simply about being aware and gentle with oneself.

I have gone on at least one retreat each summer for the last eleven summers as well as a retreat most winters. For me they are essential to remembering what is valuable in life. They just keep getting better. I hope you can join Alice Dan and me for the winter retreat at Chicago Shambhala for a few days or the entire week from December 26th – January 1st.