Xmas Retreat: The First Day (Dec. 22)

Ellie Askew, Nature Center Sayalays, Ananda M. (DMI), Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The retreat began at 9:00 am with a dozen practitioners in the main hall in Arcadia, next to Pasadena. It was a sunny morning, and an American teacher gave instructions on the purpose of sitting with great posture. Palms turned up (to signify letting go), back straight, nothing rigid, everything soft and easy. It makes sitting longer easier.

The first sit zipped by in an hour. Then there was a talk with simple instructions from the historical Buddha -- the Kalama Sutra (the "F*ck Authority Discourse"), the Parable of the Raft, the Analogy of Imponderable Questions (Malunkyaputta Sutra), HOW to let go, the Parable of the Poisoned Arrow, and humor.

Yoga
We had a break and did yoga stretches followed by energizing breathwork. Then we ate lunch together, self serve as much as we wanted, with mindful eating instructions. The food was of great variety, vegan and nonvegan, provided by donors. We all sat together after the monastics, and more people kept arriving.

Dharma talk

Dharma talk by Ajahn Brahm

At 12:30 we began again, this time with a comfortable sitting posture and a talk on the meditations/absorptions by the enlightened British monk, Ajahn Brahm from Australia. It was a fun and heart opening talk on the immediate benefits of developing concentration by letting go, just as the morning instructions had explained.

Then came the second best part -- lying down for a guided meditation of progressive relaxation, focusing on the breath and energy centers to a Tibetan singing bowl. We went so deep that to come out, we sat up in trance, did a demonstration to show that there is no self (anatta, emptiness, suññata), which is to say, all phenomena are impersonal.

Tea ceremony

Green tea is a great tonic for meditation.

We then did a super-slow walking meditation that sped up and spilled out into the sunshine for walking meditation. We came back to lock in the lessons by sitting perfectly still as the original instructions were repeated, connecting everything we had practiced. Then came the tea ceremony, hot green tea and sesame sweets eaten together in mindful silence bringing together into daily life all we had practiced on the cushion.

Field trip

Support Native American Los Angeles

It was now 3:00 pm, and we were given a choice. Everyone voted for a field trip. We loaded up into the Mercedes limousine van and were driven to the highest point in Los Angeles to watch the sun set. We stopped at the Native American Cultural Center, Haramokngna, in the Angeles National Forest on Angeles Crest Highway and learned about the original inhabitants of the Los Angeles Basin.

Chemtrails block our view
Then it was onto the Mt. Wilson Observatory for views of all of LA County and chemtrails being laid down right over us. We came back, and the people staying overnight got their room assignments. There was an optional evening chanting many new people attended, we got snacks, and went to bed to start fresh tomorrow.

(LAM) Look up! What in the World Are They Spraying?