I always wanted a meditation practice. I glanced at books thinking someday I would be spiritual and meditation was the key. I have heard many secrets to life are revealed through learning to calm the mind and purify the spirit. Faith wanted to attend a ten-day silent meditation retreat and off we went.

I had little expectations, mainly because I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I would finally learn a meditate technique. We drove over three hours from Austin Texas to Kaufman Texas to not talk to each other for ten days. Faith and I would be segregated and very distant in mind but physically located very close.

We saw each other everyday. We meditated about ten feet from each other and had meals a room apart. I wondered what she was thinking and likewise for her. We observed Noble Silence for the entire ten days. It was a challenge both mentally and physically. I never thought sitting around all day would be so taxing. The first three days were the hardest.

The first three days we observed our breath. This was to build a foundation for our Vipassana meditation. Finally we learned the meditation technique on the fourth day. It is based on honing the mind and observing the body’s sensation. This was counter-intuitive to my previous training in shiatsu and what I have learned about Chi Gong. I thought observing was boring and Chi needs to be gathered and the body strengthened. In my humble opinion, this passive technique was not for me. But I gave this 2500-year-old technique a chance. It was tough to not crave sensations and force energy flow, but the technique is to only observe the sensations of the body, passively.

The technique transformed me and now I have taken the first few steps on the path of the Buddha’s original teachings. I have accepted the underlying philosophy of non-reaction. I am still making sense of it all. It is very interesting to be so sensitive to your body, you can choose to not react in any situation and cultivate love and compassion in each breath. It is a lifetime trip and only I can walk the path for myself. No person can buy their way further down the road or pick up where a friend left off. Knowing this I meditate to see what is next.

We finished the course and were reunited on the last days. The retreat was a life-changing event and we came out with a new view of life and the world around us. Moving forward it has taken us a few weeks to integrate the meditation course into our awareness. Time will tell how we incorporate it in our lives.

For more information on this type of meditation, http://www.dhamma.org/.