Fruit of the Contemplative Life
Fruit of the contemplative life: => General Discussion => : Jhanananda June 04, 2013, 12:04:22 AM
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I have found that avoiding certain kinds of distracting background noise can help to deepen one's meditation/religious experience.
Saturday Nikita and I drove along the Perkinsville Road, but before we got there we stopped at the Garchen Buddhist Institute (http://www.garchen.net/). There an office worker told us that they have meditation masters available for guidance, and they have people there who are engaged in long retreats, up to 3 years. She informed us that the cost of those extended retreats is $700/month for room and board.
Considering that room and board anywhere in the USA would cost far more than that, it seemsed like a reasonable price. On the other hand, anyone on a long retreat would have to have $8,400/year to attend a long retreat. That price seems to only serve the wealthy who can afford to take off from work for a few years, and pay $8,400/year for room and board.
However, since I have yet to meet any Buddhist priest or meditation teacher who has a clue about deep meditation, I wondered just how skilled their "meditation masters" were. I had spent about a year there, about 10 years ago, helping them setup their sound system. At the time I found no one there with any attainment whatsoever.
After the kind introduction Nikita and I sat in meditation in their meditation hall. I dropped right into the still mind of the second jhana, but I was unable to drift deeper, because I had noticed that they had a very loud ticking clock in their meditation hall.
The sounds that I find that are intensely distracting for deeper meditation are mechanical and electronic sounds, such as: the humming of motors, ticking clocks, refrigerators, air-conditioners, engines, etc; because they have a highly rhythmic and consistent frequency, which tends to reinforce our sense of space-time. Whereas, I find organic sounds seem to have no limiting effect upon the depth of my meditation, such as: the wind, the ocean, the sound of crickets, birds, coyotes, owls, etc.; thus I can easily drift into the deeper states of meditation experiences, which involve space-time dilation.
After maybe as little as 15 minutes of meditation I got up and left their meditation hall, because the second jhana is just not good enough. Being a jhana junkie I want depth, or no meditation at all.
I left the meditation hall, and thanked our hosts; then I walked back to my van. I noticed at the edge of their parking lot they had built a solar shower for their campers, which I had suggested 10 years or more earlier; however, it looked like it had only been recently built. Nonetheless, I took a shower while I waited for Nikita.
Nikita came back to his car about 20 minutes after my shower. I asked him, "So, how was your meditation?"
He said, "Ticking clock."
I laughed, he was spot on with no suggestion from me. One has to wonder how masterful meditation teachers, gurus and Buddhist priests are, when they have a loud ticking clock in their meditation hall.
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In my past search for room and board, I've found it much more uncertain and difficult to even get welcomed into a Buddhist Monastery. So if one were on SSDisability, this could be a viable option. I didn't intend to be taught by their "masters" anyway. I even told Thanissaro that (unwise in retrospect) I wouldn't need much guidance.
I came across this post as I began seriously considering living out of a van or modest RV. I think a Van would be cheaper, easier, and most effective. Also, it provides one with freedom--especially considering if one embraces the bio-fuel you've provided us knowledge of--when a collapse takes place.
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Jhanon, the ego of the priest, regardless of the religion, has to be placated. So, pretend to need their guidance, then seek your solitude.
I agree, a van is useful for a mendicant in these days, and if you purchase one that runs on diesel, then you can fuel it on waste oils. And, I can help you figure that out. So, come and visit some day.