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Wednesday, 1 August 2012

Introduction to Buddhism and monasteries

Tiksey Monastery
It seems like we keep taking irrational decisions in India...but then it is a bit of a irrational decision to come to India. We enrolled on a 10 day Vipassana meditation retreat. No talking, no communication, meditation for most of the day.
It is hard to talk about this experience as it is so personnal but what I can say for myself, it was a good teaching of life! After hearing his Holiness the Dalai Lama s teachings in Darahmsala, this was a good continuation although maybe a little extreem for us as beginners!

The fact of not talking wasn t too hard. Pau and I were acommodated in different buildings and seing eachother during the day was funny. We kept trying to avoid eachother not to end up bursting out laughing. I kept spying on him, looking t what he ate, or didn t eat, how he moved, how he kept forgetting to take cuttlery at dinner, etc...I kept wondering how he was dealing with all this.



yoga
The program was basically meditating (sitting, standing and walking), yoga and buddhist teachings. The talks were interesting eventhough the monk leading the retreat was a converted american, which made the teaching very much more theoritical than if a tibetan or indian monk would have given it. Born buddhist seem to have this inner light brightenning their faces. At the end of the 10 days, we met the mane monk of the center. Meeting gave me almost the same feeling as when I saw the Dalai Lama. They have this peace and simplicity in their heart.

meeting the main monk at the end  of the retreat!
yoga
My first aim was to learn to meditate, to try and empty my mind from the thousands thoughts. It is hard and 10 days allowed me only to start maybe seing the path to this but I am convinced that Buddhism philosophy can help human beings in their so precious life. Many tips, many thoughts to take back to europe with me and try and lead a more peacefull and zenner life.




My favourite meditation spot




walking towards the bell of universal peace!


  Tibetan bouddhism uses a lot of visual image and therefor the monasteries are amazing. Within their temples and meditation rooms, they enclose the most amazing paintings. The whole walls are covered with colourfull images of the Buddha and other dieties. The architecture of the monasteries is simple and sobre, white walls, little yellow curtains and usually built on the top of a hill. It is said that monks and yogis meditate better in the mountains because they are in contact with the earth element but also higher up in the sky...


Pau practising in a small monastry in Leh


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