Escola Kwan Um de Zen
What is a retreat?
What is a retreat?
What is a retreat?
(Zen Master Dae Bong)
First, retreat is a dry cleaning machine. Our brain and body is a No.1. best computer but it has lots of dust. Desire, anger and ignorance dust, also many opinions dust. So we use this don’t know soap, put down our opinion, desire, anger and ignorance, only follow situation together and keep a big question, just don’t know mind, and that’s cleaning, cleaning, cleaning our consciousness. After kyol che our consciousness is cleaner. So kyol che is a big dry cleaning machine.
Second, retreat is a Dharma gasoline station. Our life has energy. That’s karma energy, karma gasoline. But karma means ‘I, my, me.’ Put down ‘I, my, me,’ then you and the universe become one. Then Dharma energy, universal energy comes into you. So when we do kyol che together, we put down all our opinions; my opinion, my situation, my condition. Then the correct opinion, correct situation and correct condition appears, so we and the universe are one, and then Dharma gasoline comes in. Then after kyol che, you have Dharma energy. Having Dharma energy means being in harmony with the universe and being able to follow the correct way. You come to kyol che with many karma gasoline, then take out this karma gasoline so that Dharma gasoline comes in. So we say kyol che is also a Dharma gasoline station.
Next, many people in this world are hungry. There are two kinds of hungry people; body hungry and mind hungry. Body hungry people cannot get enough food, then starve and die. They have suffering but not so much make suffering for others. Mind hungry people have enough but want more, ‘I want more, I want more.’ So mind hungry people have suffering but also make much suffering for others. So when we come to retreat we attain Dharma, then when we go home we make Dharma food. Make Dharma candy, Dharma cookies, Dharma cake, Dharma rice and Dharma bread, and all kinds of great Dharma food. Then share Dharma food to take away people’s mind hunger and make world peace. So, retreat is a Dharma food factory.
Come to retreat, clean your consciousness in our dry cleaning machine, get Dharma gasoline, Dharma energy, then in your life make Dharma food, give to others to take away their mind hunger, and take away this world’s suffering. That’s our practice and our job.
Why take part in a retreat?
For those of us who own vehicles, it’s a given that the more complex the vehicles are, the more frequently maintenance is required on them. While a bicycle needs to be adjusted every now and then, it is usually not too critical if such an adjustment is missed. A car requires much more care and an airplane requires constant attention.
A retreat can be seen as a kind of maintenance for one’s own practice, one’s own life. The more complex such a life is, the more often a retreat is necessary. Ironically, the more complex one’s life is, the more difficult it is to find time and space for such a retreat. While monastics usually attend retreats frequently, it is those of us who have careers, spouses, children and other commitments who need the experience of retreat more. Regular attendance at retreats is an important part of resident training at Zen centers. It can become an even more important part of the education of those of us who do not have the daily support of a practicing community.
“When walking, standing, sitting, lying down, speaking,
being silent, moving, being still.
At all times, in all places,
without interruption – what is this?
One mind is infinite kalpas.”
Temple Rules, by Zen Master Seung Sahn
Practical information (what to bring, program, retreat rules)
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