Weekend at a Buddhist Temple: Seeking Refuge from a Busy Stressful Life

"We don’t care if you are a CEO of a large corporation or Prime Minister of Australia, you are all equal here” - with these words Buddhist monk, facilitator of our weekend meditation retreat, opened up her welcome speech.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a two-day mindfulness retreat at the Buddhist Temple Nan Tien in the South of Sydney. We were 35 people, who came here to escape our busy lives, meditate, rest and recharge our emotional and physical batteries.

If I have to describe this retreat in three words, I’d say: gratitude, flow & slowing down.

We were given grey robes and long pants that we wore on top of our clothes. At the start, it felt weird to wear this outfit. Scenes from “The Handmaid’s Tales” were popping in my mind as I walked in the anticipation of someone saying “under his eye”. But jokes aside, as time passed and my mind quietened, it felt so liberating. Stripping down your identity, no titles, no chit-chatting, not trying to impress or please anyone.

The most amazing feeling of freedom I felt when we were doing Tai Chi. Every movement has no beginning & no end. It’s all one continuous flow. Sleeves of the robe were my wings. I felt so light & gracious. Slow breathing, fully present.

All participants of the retreat had to keep a noble silence, which means no talking or any other non-verbal communication among each other. As well as no gadgets, no TV etc. Surprisingly, it was easier than I imagined. After 42 hours of silence and no phone, my mind felt much calmer & rested.

This retreat was also an amazing cultural experience. We’ve been introduced to the monastic life: attending a morning chant with monks, witnessing traditional temple drums & bells ceremony, learning how to sit in traditional Buddhist meditation posture and following strict rules of the temple grounds. We also did meditations, mindful walking, mindful eating and doodling.

I use lots of different mindfulness techniques with my clients in therapy, but it was good to come back to the basics: live in the moment, observe, don't judge.

Have you been recently feeling like you want to run away from your busy life, take a break to rest & quiet your mind?

Maybe a mini retreat or a self organised digital detox for a day, this is exactly what you need?

If you want to do a similar retreat, check out in your city if you have a Buddhist temple or monastery that might run day programs, meditation courses or retreats. It’s a great way to slow down and recharge mentally & physically.

In 2018 I already did one meditation retreat in Nepal. It was a week long program at the Tibetan Monastery in Kathmandu. If you want to know more, you can watch a video on my Youtube channel that I created not long after attending it.