Retreats, And Going For A Bun

After decades of retreats, the best thing now is not going.
🙂
Once you get it, you’ve got it.
Total freedom and inexpensive.

The best thing about retreats is the treat of leaving at the end and going for coffee and a bun – and practical experience. A wonderful sense of completion and integration is the destination of any spiritual or personal retreat, simply arriving back in actual life.

There is a profound sense of freedom in realising that we no longer need to pay for, pack for or travel to a designated sacred space to find peace.

Total integration happens in the ordinary world, which is exactly why that coffee and bun feel like the best part. It’s a return to the present moment, grounded in simple, everyday enjoyment. We’ve graduated from seeking the experience to simply living it. It turns out that the work was just preparing us to thoroughly enjoy a local café, without needing anything else to happen.

During a retreat, everyone – including the teacher, organisers and participants – are playing a part in a highly choreographed spiritual performance.

It is hard to rest deeply when you feel surrounded by actors who are trying very hard 🙂
That environment can make the whole experience feel artificial in its own way.

Enjoy the bun!