Navina Weliwita
Coming into this retreat, I wasn’t the most ecstatic about it. I’m used to the comforts of my own home and staying overnight and being away from all the luxuries of my regular life and having to be disciplined seemed like a grand challenge. However, I still went into the retreat with a positive mindset and hoped to find the good in it. But upon reflecting on the retreat, I can safely say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Being away from distractions allowed me to be focused on what I was doing and see it through with maximum effort. I tried my best during this retreat and it’s clear to see that I had learned and experienced so much throughout it. Waking up early wasn’t much of a challenge for me, and it was refreshing to be up before sunrise and be productive so early in the morning. In specific, the candlelight meditation was extremely beneficial for me as it allowed me to clear my head and get rid of any negatives that I had thought about perhaps the night prior or in the morning. It led the way for the rest of the day and showed that this retreat would be a positive experience.
The focus on mindfulness during the discussions helped me think back on many places where perhaps I had not thought clearly and it also helped me think about how I can improve on myself in the future. Deepankara Bhante’s Dhamma discussions were incredible and taught me a lot of things about morals and how I should act. I realized that a lot of the things that I have said and done were not in the right conscious and how I can fix these issues in the future. The silence during meals helped me appreciate and focus on my food more and it made me think about how truly fortunate I am to be well-fed day in and day out. Overall, I really enjoyed this retreat, and it deepened my connection with Buddhism and helped me become a better Buddhist and a better person.