Sunnataram Forest Monastery : Retreat 12-14 July 2024

Retreat 12-14 July 2024

Like a drop of water on the lotus leaf.

The water doesn’t adhere to the lotus leaf, like our enlightened consciousness never attaches to the body and mind, and the world around.

The consciousness is the manager of this company of life whereas the body, feeling, memory and thoughts are the coworker.

If the consciousness has right understanding of this body and mind, it will lead this life to peacefulness.

In this retreat, we learn to use Mindfulness with Breathing as the selected technique to enlighten our consciousness. Slowly we learn to refine the breath and gain calmness plus relax feeling.

We learn to use Loving-kindness meditation, either the giver or receiver of love, to bring our consciousness to the flow of breath.  We did tai chi qi chong and walking meditation in the garden and in the bush to enhance our mindfulness practise.

After the mind is calm and feels nice, we learn to practise Vipassana meditation. We use the calm and happy mind to observe the refine breath, the happy feeling and thoughts as Impermanent and Conditional.

We learn to acknowledge ‘change’ in both events: first, the consciousness moves away from the object. Second, the object itself changes. After a lot of realization on changes, the consciousness becomes aware of Impermanent nature of this body-mind. Consciousness recognizes the existence of body-mind depends on conditions, - not from ‘our’ direct control.

Consciousness then will see the unnecessary attachment of body-mind experience as the real course of Dukkha, Emotional pain. The consciousness will see the benefit of disenchantment of attachment as the way to liberation from Dukkha.

The Samsara- the cycle of birth and death of attachment brings Dukkha.

We then don’t want the coming back of attachment, no more rebirth of attachment. Let attachment go to Nirvana.

With the liberation from Dukkha, we feel compassionate to ourselves. We don’t want our mind to find into the trap of attachment and experience emotional pain. So, we try to practice the Dhamma diligently. We feel compassionate to others, so we try our best to help them to be free from attachment and suffering.

The Anapanasati can help us to achieve inner peace and share our unconditional love to all other beings.