Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 01:30 PM - Share Your Stories
This past weekend we completed a 3-day silent meditation retreat - TWDD style. It was following a traditional temple style method, whereby, the day was spent in full meditative state, whether we were sitting alone, practicing in a group, singing, washing dishes, even welcoming new attendees each day - our hearts and mind were in union.At least that was our goal. And I suspect each one of us, did feel this union of body, mind and heart as one.
Each day we were presented with a variety of meditative techniques that assisted our attempts to be disciplined and focussed. We started off with the Shurangama Sutra chanting along with the monk on the tape. This took extreme focus, as the words are meaningless to us Westerners, and in a different language (yet phonetically spelled out for us), so if your mind wandered for even a second, it would be easy to lose your spot on the page. After 500 lines of chanting and the speed ever slightly increasing throughout, I was amazed to see all of us in sync, reciting the words as if, we had been doing this for many years now. There was an even rhythm, peacefulness in the air, everyone concentrating on following the chant. Next we, sang out loud the Compassion Mantra along with the tape and opened our voices and hearts in a meditative state. Breakfast was self-serve and we ate heartedly in silence. Our core practice, standing meditation for 2 hours was next on the agenda. We were quite ready for moving about, as we had been sitting doing our chanting and recitation. Wen gave us daily homework, of reciting the mantra Om Man BeiMei Hum 5,000 - 10,000 times for the day, so every opportunity we had, you could hear the clicking of the counting and recitation in between agenda items.
Lunch was prepared and served, and eager tummies following the 2-hour standing were ready to be filled. It was a nutritious vegetarian hot meal, the main meal of the day. Our recitations continued, I was close to the 5,000 mark, but knew I was only half-way. The afternoon brought more ways to work on ourselves.
We spent an hour discussing the Motivations of Meditation. It was an amazing lecture from Wen, I wished I had taped it to share with you (but actually it is better for you to come to the next retreat and you can hear it for yourself!). The key lessons I learned from this discussion, were:
Meditation will only progress for you if you: 1. Trust (belief), 2. Meditate not only for yourself but for others -- unconditionally help others 3. Find the right method or technique and practice diligently
I know when I first started meditation in 2005, Wen constantly said to me, I don't believe you believe in it enough. I always felt offended at first, because I really thought I did. But each time I found an excuse not to meditate, or slack off from my commitment to better my life, (continued my working like-a-dog attitude) or purify my intentions (still had major attachments to my lifestyle) and yet, what she said was true. I didn't quite get it. I still had doubts even though my health was improving immensely, and as I continued to practice more, and I surrendered my ego more, I came to grow this belief. Belief in the technique, belief in the truth, that if I meditate to help others unconditionally my life will have meaning and purpose. If I discipline myself through meditation each day, I will find the truth of life, I will find ways to reduce my unnecessary suffering and pain both emotionally and physically.
So back to the Retreat. This retreat is my tool to support and enhance my meditation journey. It provides an environment to get away from the everyday mundane life's chores and demands on you. Each person who has taken this TWDD Beginner meditation class is encouraged to experience this retreat at least once to get a taste of what it is like to have no worries, a chance to explore and overcome your limits. The variety of meditative practices - chanting, singing, dynamic, sitting, walking, recitation of mantra, and quiet time, all reinforced the process of disciplining and taming the monkey mind.
Each participant successfully met and exceeded Wen's request for 5,000 + recitations, even though it sounded quite daunting when she first asked us to do it. Reciting the mantra in your off times, helps control the chaos in our minds, keeps us focussed from drifting useless endless thoughts.
If you are interested in signing up for the next retreat being held, May 29, 20 & June 1st then book your seat today, don't miss out on this opportunity.
If you feel your practice needs some more encouragement and support I invite you to join in my meditation challenge to you - if you participate in this I guarantee this will help you to be prepared for advanced learning in our retreats. Sign up your forum account and add your two cents in. Looking forward to your posts.
[ add comment ] ( 1147 views ) | permalink
Monday, November 24, 2008, 12:47 PM
Day 26, still going strong!!! Yahhhh! I won't kid you, it is hard, but each day as I continue, the strength in my body is getting greater and my energy level is unbelievably so much better. I think when you push yourself each time beyond what you think you can handle, it stretches not only the physical body, but your emotional state as well. I find my mind is very concentrated and doesn't fly away so much now, especially when I notice myself physically getting into the meditation very strongly, and my mantra reciting very quickly. There is not time or effort for the thoughts to wander. It's also a great workout, as I feel I have just completed meditation aerobics, my heart rate is strong, and the perspiration removing all the toxins in the body. My cheeks are red with great health, my back is not only withstanding the pressures of standing meditation, but both the joints and back muscles are healing. Shifu is so SMART! I am so glad he and JiLing requested that we do this challenge, for it really helped to push me to the next limit. I know from speaking with other practitioners who are also doing this challenge, that each day they feel their meditation is getting stronger, their physical bodies are improving. I look forward each day to do this now. It feels a bit addictive. But I know it is good addiction. I'll check back in, 20 days from now...
[ add comment ] ( 633 views ) | permalink
Wednesday, November 5, 2008, 12:05 PM - General Topic
I took the challenge! When Wen first told me about this 3-month challenge, my mind quickly found every excuse in the book why I wouldn't be able to participate. The first excuse was -- "where am I going to find 2-hours in my life to do this", then quickly to support that argument, another negative thought came to mind -- "perhaps I am not physically able to handle this..." It didn't surprise me to have this type of reaction, as I am quite slow to embrace change and when I think of my day to day schedule with self employment challenges, raising a son, taking care of rental homes, taking Mandarin lessons and volunteering our weekends for meditation classes, it was no wonder, my mind was quick to say NO. But then something inside me said, "well, why not?" So that evening I tried my first (since my initial teaching in July 2005)a concentrated two-hour standing session. And what do you know -- I survived!
This really shouldn't be a surprise, as I have been pretty dedicated to practice at least 30-45 minutes a day standing and sitting for at least 30 minutes, so I have been working up to this momentous accomplishment. The real test - was and is -- can I keep it up?
It's Day 6 now, and yes, I am still keeping my 2-hour schedule for standing meditation, I have officially joined the challenge, entered my name along with 5 others from this side of the Ocean and thousands of others from Shifu's temple. It's so exciting to be part of this challenge, not just because I like a challenge, but to think that thousands of others are all working toward the same goal - to take control of our lives and not only fulfill a commitment but to share the peace and joy one feels participating in building merit and calmness in the world. Each day as part of my practice, I of course benefit from the action of doing it, but each time, I dedicate the merit that I obtained from this practice to all sentient beings out there in the world who are suffering, sometimes, those who are suffering from illness similar to mine (as I really feel it when practicing) or really anyone who is emotionally or physically suffering. If I can help by sharing this peace with them, it gives added meaning to why we do this. All of us in this world want to be happy and peaceful, it starts through ourselves and then sharing it.
The 2-hours of meditation does take stamina and constant mind convincing that this is beneficial. I find myself asking for lots of help to get through it. I realize this is just the early stages of training my mind, and it is becoming more and more apparent, how difficult the mind can be. But Master Haikong, has definitely come up with a "magical formula" of what I am starting to think is one stops daydreaming when one is at the point of exhaustion! I'm sure that isn't really it, but it feels like that.
Some key tips to share with others who are thinking of joining in.
1. Be flexible with your time, meaning, don't try to set only one time during the day to complete, as you may end up missing a day here and there because life get's in the way. What I do is, know what my day is going to be like, and then set a time to do my practice, then if the next day my schedule is something else, be flexible and set another time. Otherwise, if I said I would only do it, during 7-9 each evening, I'm sure within the 3 months, something will come up and I will miss it.
2. Even if you can't do 2-hours a day, if you can dedicate 45 minutes each day, that in itself is your own personal challenge! Do it!
3. Feel free to share your experiences with us. This is a journey with lots of emotions and physical experiences that my occur, if any questions arise, feel free to contact us to discuss or add your comments to this blog.
Looking forward to keeping you abreast of my ongoing experience in future entries.
Om mani beimei hum
[ add comment ] ( 1448 views ) | permalink
Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 11:59 AM - General Topic
For those who have already attended our beginner meditation classes 
Practitioners from the White Tower Temple (Master Haikong's Temple in China) have suggested TWDD practitioners worldwide to start a “3-month dedicated TWDD standing meditation practice”, the start date is November 4th , 2008 and the end date is January 05, 2009. During this time period, everyone who registers to join this meritorius action, will keep their promise and practice the standing meditation for 2-full hours a day, no more and no less! Master Shi Haikong will collect all the questions we have during this 3-month challenge, and will personally give detailed guidance and answers and posting them online. This is a great opportunity for us to work as a team (a large team of millions of practitioners). Nobody will be able to taste the sweetness of Meditation without experiencing it. Please join us to take this challenge and I am confident that after 3-months, we will all be able to enjoy the amazing results on our body and our mind from this dedicated combined practice with like-minded individuals worldwide.
For those who have taken the beginner’s class, Join us now .
[ add comment ] ( 71 views ) | permalink
Monday, July 7, 2008, 05:34 PM - General Topic
This past weekend I witnessed amazing dedication, not just dedication to the practice of meditation, but dedication to finding the right teacher who will guide you along your own personal journey to enlightenment. We had a student who drove all the way up (10 hour drive) from Newark, New York Friday to join us in a full day of TWDD meditation training and practice. This gentleman was fortunate to stumble upon haikong.com the Chinese website, where he initially came into contact with Master Haikong (our teacher - Shifu) articles. In a round-a-bout way, we had contact with him via email and found out that his home town is in Atlanta Georgia. This past week he had to do some business in Newark, and wanted so much to come up and learn from Wen, the TWDD meditation practice. He expressed to us, that after visiting the haikong.com web site, despite all his search through many well known and recognized teachers and 16 years of practice, he felt Master Haikong was the great teacher he would want to learn from. This type of devotion is quite foreign to us Westerner's at least from my eyes. I would think perhaps this may be true for some Christians or Catholics who have a strong following to a particular church. However, what I witnessed, seemed so much more in a striking way, in that this individual has spent years faithful to the Buddhist faith, yet, still on that search for a teacher who can bring him along his path. The technique of TWDD immediately had great effect on him and brought him to a comfort level of sitting meditation that in 16 years he has never been able to reach before. I find this quite interesting as, not too long ago, we witnessed quite the opposite, where a couple of students left abruptly during the meditation practice, for it was too much for them. Now I truly understand what Wen meant, when she spoke of this "yuan" - this pre-destined fate to bring you to this meditation practice. She would repeat to me over and over, one must have "yuan" to practice with our Shifu. (teacher). It also reminded me of the book I read, Cave in the Snow, where a British woman who was a Buddhist Nun, who went to Tibet in search for her teacher. And when she did finally meet her teacher (after studying under many others), she instantly knew.
~ JiQing62
[ add comment ] ( 332 views ) | permalink
