Tushita -10 days of silence

 Insights from a 10 Day Silent Retreat


Nov 2022


For the past 10 years, I have taken a week or so away from normal life and gone off to an ashram, monastery or nature camp. Of course, the past two years were an exception. Having just come back from one such retreat, my belief in this practice has only been strengthened significantly.  

This time I went to the Tushita Medication Centre in Dharmashala India - a centre based on the Tibetan Mahayana tradition. 10 days of being cut off from one's phone, leading a simple lifestyle, learning from skilled teachers and in the company of 81 other participants from 22 countries made for an immersive experience.

And did I mention that except for one hour a day, the rest of the time was in silence? 

Here are some major top line benefits I experienced: 

  1. Am immense sense of gratitude for my life....this theme visited me repeatedly during the duration of my stay in a myriad ways. This lead to a wonderful sense of wellbeing that has remained well after the retreat
  2. Wasted Energies - I came aware of how much our of normal day to day conversation is actually not needed and how much energy is expended this way. Silence indeed drives home this point at an experiential level. 
  3. Powerful deep rooted concerns emerged - I had five unusual dreams over the 10 nights. Each of these highlighted something that was clearly bothering me - but something that I was quite unaware of. I have heard that this happens when one is in silence. This is akin to going for an X Ray that shows you something that is not visible to the naked eye. I have now started addressing this concerns and feel mentally lighter. 
  4. An opportunity to learn from skilled teachers of course. 
  5. Learning how life without access to phones, internet, TV, choice of food and other distractions indeed allows one to prioritize and focus. 

Overall, a wonderful opportunity to cut off, pause, reflect and reset. 

So, I do encourage you to plan such a 2 day retreat (at least) in the first quarter of the next year. 

Sanjay

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