Well, today I've almost completed the second day of my meditation retreat. Strictly speaking I shouldnt be writing this just yet as we are supposed to go without all stimulants and things that bring us back to the outside or real world. However it is the first and only break we get for the whole time so I'm doing it because i enjoy it. I can rationalise it if I want.
The retreat is held at a place I once did some volunteering for called the Gawler Foundation. It is a beautiful and tranquil location just outside of a town called Yarra Junction, in the Dandenong Ranges. It is 40 odd acres of lush forest retreat. Set up by Ian Gawler I believe to offer a complementary medicine for cancer sufferers. Now it offers many complementary therapies for many things not just cancer. One of their specialties is meditation.
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So far it has been a mix of theory and practice. The couple who run the retreat apparently have been doing it a very long time and it shows in the quality of the delivery. My biggest surprise so far? Well there are 2 actually. One is that I have thoroughly enjoyed the strict vegetarian diet so far. I am getting individual treatment though for the meals, as I wrote on my introduction form that I hated pumpkin, cucumber, and avocado. The first dinner had pumpkin but I got an alternative that was very nice. The second dinner had cucumber and again I got it without and it was delicious. I really do have to thank the kitchen staff when I leave.
The second surprise I hear you ask? That not only am I not being "mediated out" but I am enjoying it so much that in one of our breaks I went off and practiced alone. For 30 minutes! Unbelievable! The only issue I had was I sat on one of the little stools and my legs feel asleep. I had to crawl to the side to stand up.
Tonight was awesome. After dinner a harp player came in to the Sanctuary and played a mini concert. We mediated to the sound of the harp. Afterwards he invited us all to the dining room where we got to have a go at playing it, and yes it is the most beautiful sounding instrument even in the hands of complete novices. While we were "playing" he spoke of his harp and its history, all made of recycled Tasmanian timber, as well as the history of the harp in general.
A fabulous evening, now hopefully my room mate doesn't snore to much tonight and I get some sleep.
Home tomorrow.
