Day 2 - Craving for Quietness -inside and outside

Photo: Golden sunrise, misty blue  mountains beyond the cliff, grey sky.

They had asked for help in housekeeping, since most visitors (visitors that had come for the TET celebrations) were leaving after lunch or before. Unlike other places where there are either paid employees or monastics with specifically assigned responsibilities, this works as a community: everybody can do anything, and if help is needed, it is requested to the community. After helping to keep away and organize dishes, and turn chairs back on the floor, we had a tea-meditation in the smaller meditation hall. At first it seemed awkward to me to have meditation with food and tea (there were treats, cookies, etc). I picked the last row, close to the altar. One of the sisters invited me to move forward, so I realized I ended up sitting by Thay’s place! Having only mats and pillows to sit on the floor gives great versatility: we were sitting in a circle for this tea meditation. The meditation was a mix of sharing things, poems, singing. It was a socialized reflection, making public comments or additions.


They had asked me to stay so that one of the sisters would give me the orientation, which consisted in a guide of the way they live, and also in checking what my experience with meditation was (since I am not a Buddhist). The sister did not hide her surprise (and also some kind of relief) with my regimen of attending at least one or two silent retreats per year. Lunch was late…. We finished 1.15PM and I missed a phone call.

I realize I am not very much in a mood of socializing. Many people here –fortunately most are gone, less than 10 of us are left- try to socialize, to connect, to reach out. I only participate if they specifically ask me to. I find that monastics for some reason are interested in me, maybe because I am so quiet.

After lunch, which I decided to have by myself in the room where the piano is, since the dining room was too loud, I had a deeply relaxing siesta. Then I changed rooms -I preferred to be by myself- and went for a 40 minute run and hike. When I came back, most of the people were gone. Everything is temporary...