Stories for retreat
5 Buddhist wisdom stories for retreat from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Club Med versus Club MeditationAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Someone shows him a Club Med holiday schedule packed with yoga, scuba, activities and a nightclub — exhausting. He contrasts it with 'Club Meditation' at Serpentine, where the…
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somebody actually once um showed me the schedule they have for you know the other club meds the club Mediterranean and I couldn't believe how stressful it was people were on holiday and they have to get up early morning for yoga and then they have their breakfast and then they have um scuba diving and then they have all these other activities throughout the day and then after dinner they have a nightclub and they must get so tired after one day at Club Med so it's supposed to be holiday for goodness sake why do people have to have so much activity to enjoy themselves and so this is the real Club M the club meditation where you can really get away from it all instead of just getting more of the same whenever you go on holiday
- Men don't cry in AustraliaStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Aussie retreatant cries in meditation; last cry was at 11–12 when his father said men don't cry in Australia.
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fellow who came on one of my retreats, an Aussie guy. He started crying in while he was meditating. He said, "What's going on here?" And you know what I told him? I said, "When was the last time you had a cry?" And he said, "When I was about, I think about 11 or 12 or something." And my father said, "Men don't cry in Australia
- Muslim woman on the Buddhist retreatStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At the Redemptorist retreat centre in North Perth a woman in hijab joins his retreat; she removes it inside per her rules, finds nothing wrong, thanks him — embrace across…
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lady came to one of the retreats which I was giving before we had our own retreat center. This was over in North Perth in the Redemptous Monastery Retreat Center. And she came in a hijab. And I said, "You're a Muslim." "Yeah, look at me. Of course I am." She said, "I'm come on your retreat." "Okay, I won't tell." See, I don't have to be serious like that. So she came into the retreat, took off the hijab and because inside you didn't need to wear it according to the rules and she said, "I can't see anything wrong with this. It was a wonderful retreat
- The tight bud before it blossomsAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: First year in Perth someone tells him: watch a flower bud — petals press tight inside the protective sheath until catharsis, then it blooms gorgeous. Unpleasant pressure precedes…
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flower, somebody told me the first year I came here to to Perth. So many years ago, 36, 37 years ago now. They said, "Have you ever seen a flower just before it bursts into you know, the blossom, whatever it's called, bursts into flower? It's like a little bud. And if you can watch that bud, it gets you know, in the sheath. It gets so tight. As within that sheath which is supposed to be protecting it, all the little petals, the beautiful fragrant petals inside are growing and growing and growing. And the pressure is building up. In that sense, it must be very unpleasant for that time. But then there comes the point of catharsis and of change and the flower blooms. And it's gorgeous
- There are zombies in your retreat centreStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At Jhana Grove a visiting child tells him there are zombies — retreatants doing very slow walking meditation.
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zombie meditation I called it zombie meditation because it was a retreat being held at my retreat center in chag grve and a little kid went to visit with his parents and he came back to me I BR I BR I br there are zombies in your retreat center cuz they were doing what you can see outside now