Buddhist Adventure, concluded

I should add here that each evening we gathered in our respective places in the meditation hall for a “dharma” talk lasting about an hour as we sat uncomfortably on our zafus or prayer benches, explaining what the dharma is in Buddhism and explaining its importance in our lives.

Finally the ten days were over and we were released from our vows of silence. It was fun to talk to other participants from our generation and for me, in particular to meet with the guy not quite as old as I but who I heard day after day groaning with pain and shifting his position to lessen it.

And for the first time we were permitted to make a monetary contribution of our choice, since this particular organization has decided that they will not accept contributions from anyone who had not gone through a first ten day retreat. And as I learned later from attending other retreats there is a rule that no teacher is permitted to charge for his or her services, but must take only what is offered by the student.

There was a feeling of being released as I hurried to my car praying that it would not fail me as I turned the ignition key and heard the wonderful sound of the motor turning over. I confess that I stopped at the first two or three rest stops to gorge myself on bacon and ham with greasy potatoes and fried eggs that never before had tasted so good.

I’ve attended a number of retreats since that first one, complying with the suggestion that a student of meditation attend at least one retreat each year.

I hope that all of this might be of service to anyone considering making meditation a part of their life style.