Buddhist Adventure

Buddhist Adventure

Buddhist Adventure

Buddhist Adventure

Buddhist Adventure

Buddhist Adventure

Buddhist Adventure

Buddhist Adventure

It was in the spring of 1997 that I made my first venture into Buddhist meditation at the Vipassana Center whose web site can be accessed at the left. How did I choose, or even find the place? It must have been from an edition of Sanctuaries, a fascinating book by Jack and Marcia Kelly, fascinating because it listed monasteries and meditation centers offering hospitality with telephone numbers and addresses making it easy to determine whether it was a place you’d want to visit. And this for me, at the age of 72 would be an adventure. I’d been to Snowmass for a ten day retreat, but I sensed that this would not be nearly so comfortable. An attraction too was seeing that I only had to drive east on Interstate 90, turn left at I-94, exiting at Greenfield to drive the short distance to Shelburne, Mass. But I was apprehensive, not knowing what to expect, anticipating shaved head monks in saffron robes living in a temple designed in Tibet. So I planned to arrive early enough to scout out the place, driving there in the morning to look things over. And what I saw is pictured on the next posts: an old farm house, with young professional people working on the lawn, doing carpenter work on the buildings and other odd jobs.

Reassured, I drove back to Greenfield and the nearest Mac Donald restaurant to load up on hamburger, knowing that there would be no more meat for the ten day retreat. (to be continued)