To find "seclusion" on Buddhist retreat

Hard is Easy; Upavana, Western Massachusetts; Ellie Askew, Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

Free 10-day Goenka retreats always begin with anapana sati or mindfulness of breathing.

Turn inward for seclusion = peace.

The Buddhist term “retreat” is another in a long list of clunky English translations we use in the West.

While the practice we follow goes right back to the time of the Buddha, our language is colored by the misleading Judeo-Christian religious concepts of Western culture.

We’re not really “retreating” in any sense of the word. There is no running away when we commit to a period of formal intensive practice.

Having contacted the Armies of Mārā, we’re not going to toss down our banners and flee the field. Far from it!

When we talk about a “meditation retreat,” the word we’re translating is actually a common Pali language technical term met with in the texts: viveka. When it occurs in the sutras, it is often translated as “seclusion.”

This is much more descriptive as to what we are seeking. Seclusion (withdrawal of the senses, withdrawing into oneself, turning inward), as the Buddha taught, can be of three kinds:

1. secluding the body from distractions and obstructions
2. secluding the mind from the Five Hindrances
3. secluding the heart from the defilements and outflows – permanently.

All Buddhist practice is aimed at getting the third kind of seclusion, but along the way the first two can be wonderful supports.

On meditation retreat we pick a time and place where we are free from duties and won’t be distracted. We try to avoid overly pleasant or unpleasant sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and physical sensations that might disturb our meditation.

Samadhi is sanity.

This allows us to give ourselves fully to meditation. And if we get enough momentum we will experience samādhi -- the composure of mind that temporarily suppresses the hindrances (enlightenment permanently eradicates them) and grants us the clarity to see things as they truly are.

Samādhi will be the theme of an upcoming Upavana meditation retreat in Western Massachusetts. It might seem like two days isn’t much time to develop strong samādhi. After all, many meditation retreats are 7, 10, 30, or 90 days long.

But that isn't so! If we commit to developing our fundamentals and clearly understand our purpose, then two days is plenty of time to make progress on the Buddhist path.

Such progress is not conditioned by time; it’s akaliko and conditioned by our sincerity. More