Another drala:
Ive been weathered in here inPokhara for a few days, the monsoon season this year is persisting well past it's traditional end date of Mid September. What this means is 1) i can't see the himalayas and 2) i can't go to the himalayas.
Today I learned from Bishnu, my travel agent and new friend, that there is a Vippassana monastery deep inside Chitwan National park that runs one of the intensive programs. It turns out the program starts in two days.
This will be me in a monastery, in the jungle, with no talking, no eating meat, no reading no writing, only meditating.
Th e worst part of this is that i can also eat only one meal a day, at noon.
The up side of this is that through an intensive experience of deprivation, instruction and meditation, I can take a shot at learning whether or not this contemplative life is something I want to pursue.
They are very strict. I will have to surrender my computer, camera, notebooks, books and cigarettes. Alos the cross i wear, also my watch and for some reason, all my shirts.
Why in the world do they want my shirts?
To get there i will take a taxi (or ride on Bishnu's motorbike) to a bus to a raft.
Yes, I said raft.
I'll be out of touch at least until October 14th. But, they do kick people out, and have some sobering warnings about not taking people with mental illness of any kind. Apparently people sometimes just flip out when they have n othing but their own true natures to sit with.
I live in New York, and everybody I know has some kind of mental illness.
But I am fairly conversant with my demons, at least I think I am. I suppose I will find out.
I was sharing your new adventure at Sunday School this morning and a man mentioned it could be very cold where you are going. How is he going to go without his shirt? I told him perhaps it is all part of the experience.
ReplyDeleteFreddie, Don't worry! The monastery is in the southern region which is jungle and fairly warm.
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