A Meaningful Break for My Bustling Life!
It was a beautiful Monday morning during my summer break when I decided to attend
the Georgia Buddhist Viharas’ Sil retreat. At first, I was nervous, as this was the first long retreat
I ever participated in. However, as I entered the meditation room, I saw my friends, and
excitement flushed over me. Without showing my excitement, I quickly and quietly got into my seat.
We began the morning by meditating in two different ways: the first, walking meditation,
and the second, sitting meditation. Both meditations were equally hard in my opinion, because
when I did the walking meditation, we had to walk on the bricks with dirt, tiny stones on them,
and tiny bugs like ants that we had to avoid stepping on. In the sitting meditation, we had to sit
still in silence, which was very hard because many people were making noises or getting
distracted. But both meditations taught me something, like how to be focused and mindful, and
how to be quiet and respectful.
Later, when we were eating, I learned to be mindful of how I was eating, and that I
should not talk or disturb the others while we were eating. I also learned to finish all the food I
got, because otherwise it would be wasteful. I also learned during mealtimes that we should eat
to nourish our bodies, instead of eating for ourselves or our pleasure. After all of us had eaten,
we chanted a Gatha to pass on the merits to the departed and everyone else.
Then came the most exciting part for me, which was work time. During work time, all of
us helped clean the temple and tidy up the meditation room. My friends and I helped broom and
sweep all the leaves and other uncomfortable things out of the walking path. It made me think
about how we should clean out all the bad thoughts in our minds and instead replace them with
pure, clean thoughts that we can use to help us gain more merits.
Overall, this experience at the retreat was great because I learnt so much about the
Buddha and how we should apply his teachings into our lives. I learned to be mindful, focused,
and most of all, respectful to everyone around me. I also learned to be kind and compassionate
with every action and thought. It was also very easy to learn the dhamma because all the aunties
and uncles devoted their time and effort to be there for us, and the Bhantes were especially kind
and caring to help us learn more. I hope to continue coming to this retreat for future years, and
may everyone be well, happy, and peaceful.
Thank you,
Theruwan saranai
Sumindee Jayasinghe