I was watching the boob tube yesterday and a story came on about silent retreats. They are vacation destinations catering to persons looking to take a timeout from the *rat race*. I found more information abut them on the web. Spring is just around the corner so some of you may be thinking of where to vacation when the weather is warmer -- so why not take a silent vacation also known as Vipassana to clear your mind from all the monkey chatter?
But if your like me, who don't have the funds for a lengthy get away or aren't sure if you can stay away from your electronic gadgets for that long, try it for a weekend.
Here are a few more places that offer weekend retreats and longer ones you might want to check out if you live in California:
Joshue Tree Retreat Center
Pine Mountain Buddhist Temple & Meditation Retreat
The California Vipassana Center offers retreats for kids and teens and they are free! (Donations gladly accepted)
If even those places are too scary for you, how about a one day silent retreat in the comfort of your own home? But no cheating! Give all your electronic devices to a friend to make sure you won't be tempted to check your email or facebook page. It will give you a taste of what your monkey mind does to your thought process all day long. We go through our days on auto-pilot and don't even realize how many negative thoughts go through our mind each day. Spending time just with YOU will be hard at first because we really are addicted to constant *input* and spending quiet time will help you realize it.
A lot of the problems we have start with our thought patterns, which create beliefs (many false) "a belief is only a thought you keep thinking." If you take time out to just 'be' you will eventually be amazed how your outlook changes. You will stop reacting to life and instead respond, which is much better for good health.
xo Inge
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