Are you considering going on your first weekend Buddhist meditation program, or week-long Zen sesshin, or even a much longer residential meditation retreat? Know what to expect so that your retreat experience may be minimally stressful -- and immersive and positive instead. Why is going on a Buddhist retreat helpful? Along with daily practice, Buddhism recommends taking [...]
On Retreat, Block All Exits
It takes courage to undertake a retreat, says Andrew Holecek. But in that container, we find freedom. The principle of retreat speaks directly to the power of environment—step into Times Square or the Strip in Vegas, archetypes of an anti-retreat environment, and you will feel the torrential force of distraction. The relentless activity and noise of our postmodern age rips [...]
That Time I Sobbed My Way Through a Himalayan Meditation Retreat
After soldiering through his grief, Jaimal Yogis sat down, looked at his mind, and let the floodgates open. There were a lot of tears — but who said that's a bad thing? Fear, sadness, grief, jealousy, and anger are like quicksand: resisting them in a sudden, knee-jerk way can make them much more troublesome. But investigating them patiently – embracing them, even — can [...]
Meditating on the Hugeness of Life
It's a three-week "practice period" at the Zen Center. Sounds tough — but in the end, it's all love. Photos and text by Cassandra Moore. My first night as a resident at Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe began a love affair with the New Mexico sky. Several of us dragged out chairs to sit and watch an August monsoon gather in violet clouds above us. It felt unusual to me that a [...]
When the Retreat is Over
Mingyur Rinpoche recently spent more than four years on wandering retreat in India and the Himalayas. In an interview with Buddhadharma, he shares his most challenging moments as well as practical advice for returning home. Let's start with what people can people do to support and cultivate the insights they’ve gained on retreat once the retreat is over? First, you need [...]
Mingyur Rinpoche reveals what happened during his four years as a wandering yogi
In March 2012, Lion's Roar published "The Wanderer," about the Tibetan Buddhist teacher Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche's secret plans to disappear and go on what would be a four-year-long wandering retreat. In November 2015 came the news that he'd returned. Now we bring you an exclusive interview, conducted by senior students of Mingyur Rinpoche immediately after he [...]
