The first place I went to is called the Dharmachakra Buddhist Center . They had a one-day silent retreat from 8am - 5 pm on a Saturday. Their center follows a particular sect named Kadampa Buddhism. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, is accredited as the founder of the New Kadampa Buddhism. He has opened 1100 centers worldwide and is considered the one who brought Kadampa Buddhism to the West.
So I arrive and it's me and only two other people, middle-aged. I didn't really have any expectations. There's rows of chairs with a Buddhist alter against the wall, but the room isn't so big. Kelsang Dechok was the Tibetan nun that lead our small group. She's been practicing for 40 years and has worked with Thich Nhat Hanh.
The schedule for the retreat was made up of 5 hour long sessions with hour long breaks, walking and eating, snacks provided or something brought. For some reason the hour long breaks went by so quickly, they felt like fifteen minutes. That is probably the first effect on my consciousness that I noticed: how meditation significantly alters our perception of time, perhaps comparable to a psychedelic drug. And as the hours passed, my sense of the day was altered as well. During the breaks we were allowed to wander wherever we wanted to - in silence - but I chose to meander in the room, eat, sit outside. That's something else that I found fascinating: the location of where we were meditating was in a plaza. It was in an environment that is in a way, the antithesis of what we were doing. The coupling of our silence during the breaks and staying in proximity with where we were meditating truly made me feel "mindful", like I was savoring each moment.
As far as the meditating went, it was challenging for me. I'm a novice and the mind is very chaotic. But there were moments when I felt more sensitive and gentle. What I didn't like at the beginning and end of each session were these recorded "Prayers for Meditation" chants. They just had a sterile, robotic quality that sort of turned me off, but I dealt with it.
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The second place that I visited was called the Insight Meditation Community of New Jersey. As I previously mentioned the relevance of the meditation location, it is especially worth noting that this group meets at a very kind, middle-aged/elderly couple's home. Very different environment compared to a plaza. They offer group practice in the Vipassana (Insight) tradition. It originates in the Theravada (Southern Asia) branch of Buddhism.
They had a silent retreat from 9-8pm. I arrive, and again the practitioners are all much older than me. Not a bad feeling to have. About 12 people there. We all gather and meditate in the living room. The schedule went from sitting for 45 minutes, and then switching to walking meditation for 15 or 30 minutes, throughout the day. I had never done walking meditation, but I really enjoyed it. It's like walking in slow motion, from heel to toe. We usually don't think about the process of walking when we are walking without meditating on it. When meditating on it, it is no longer a means to get to point B, but it becomes an end to itself. Walking meditation gives the individual a new perspective and the ability to walk with a new, awakened purpose. Again, it's about being mindful, savoring each second, each step. We were all mostly walking around the room, but we could walk around the rest of the house, which had a warm feeling.
Since the amount of people there was 4 times larger than my first retreat, I really felt a sense of communion. Strength in numbers right? Yes. Most of the people there evoked a very peaceful presence, making it a very peaceful day. The idea of the T.A.Z. came to my mind. Our group sort of "took over" this couple's house and changed it into our own temporary zone. What I liked about this retreat that was missing from my first one, is that these guys allotted some time at the end of the retreat for any questions or comments. Since meditation is very psychological, it was very nice to hear people share their thoughts on the meditation, any troubles they may be having, and so forth. It kind of felt like group therapy, and I think it is.
I asked Dennis, the person leading the group, about comparing individual vs. group meditation. At the time when I asked that, I had really thought that I could only practice group meditation. This is so because of the sense of community that I felt at the end of the day, and also because I am a new to practicing meditation. He suggested that doing both group and individual meditation would be beneficial in different ways. He said that I could start at just 5 minutes a day on my own, and that eventually it would lead to longer and longer sitting periods.
