i'm back! ok i shld have updated a long time ago but i was too lazy soo... hahaha. first i shall talk about my meditation retreat!
it ended on 6 June. it was tough, especially for me, a first time beginner. whoaa. let me copy and paste the schedule for you (excluding the first and last day)
| 4:30-5:00 | am | Rising/Walking Meditation 起身/行禅 |
| 5:00-6:30 | am | Group Sitting 集体坐禅 |
| 6:30-7:30 | am | Breakfast 早餐 Area Cleaning 打扫 |
| 7:30-8:00 | am | Walking Meditation 行禅 |
| 8:00-9:30 | am | Group Sitting 集体坐禅 |
| 9:30-10:00 | am | Walking Meditation/Interview 行禅/小参 |
| 10:00-11:00 | am | Group Sitting 集体坐禅 |
| 11:00-12:00 | am | Lunch 午餐 |
| 12:00-2:00 | pm | Rest/Bathing休息/冲凉时间 |
| 2:00-3:30 | pm | Group Sitting 集体坐禅 |
| 3:30-4:00 | pm | Walking Meditation/Interview 行禅/小参 |
| 4:00-5:30 | pm | Sitting Meditation 坐禅 |
| 5:30-7:15 | pm | Bathing /Refreshment冲凉/茶点 |
| 7:15 | pm | Puja 颂经 |
| 7:30-9:00 | pm | Group Sitting 集体坐禅3rd June Dhamma Talk 佛法开示2nd, 5th June CD Recording 4th June |
| 9:00 | pm | Lights off 熄灯 |
plus, we had to take the 8 precepts and maintain noble silence (basically no talking), and go vegetarian.
The 8 precepts are:
1st: Abstaining from killing living creatures.
2nd: Abstaining from taking what is not given.
3rd: Abstaining from all sexual conduct.
4th: Abstaining from wrong speech.
5th: Abstaining from intoxicants.
6th: Abstaining from eating after noon.
7th: Abstaining from dancing, singing, worldly entertainment; adorning oneself with
8th: Abstaining from using high or luxurious seats & beds.
anyway the meditation itself was ok lar.i guess it's a good start, plant a seed, and may it grow.
during the retreat i couldnt really tell if anything was different, but what was really interesting was to see how your perception changed after meditation
1) on the last day, the moment we (parents+me) went into the car to go home and we started talking, we started getting irritated with one another! gosh, noble silence is real important, allows a lot of peace and harmony.
2) when i got home (4pm), i wasn't really hungry? so i drank a cup of milo. and then after that, whatever i ate, i knew it was out of greed. i didn't have to eat dinner. but the more u eat, the more hungry you seem to get. real pure greed. feeds on itself. and your stomach doesn't feel good. so the 6th precept is good!
3) i was watching So You Think You Can Dance. and i felt so so so sad at the end of the show. because the host told the audience to stay tune to the next episode to watch the contestants fight it out. and i was thinking, gosh, this world is so sad! we have programmes that encourage fighting and disharmony. and the best part was there were audience to watch it, and they were cheering so happily about it! people were happy watching others fighting and crying! gosh. and most of our variety shows involve fighting in some way, and the movies we watch tend to have violence and sex and unhappiness. sigh.
4) you get tired very very easily. even though i didn't do much when i got home, i just went to watch tv, i got SO TIRED and SO DRAINED. during the retreat i had to walk around, stay awake and meditate, and no, i was always feeling alert. this world is moving too fast lar. it's too noisy. and you realise there are many redundant distractions around us(like tv)
5) the next day when i wore my contacts, i realised that my eyesight improved!! omg. it's usually blur and i can;t see things clearly, but that day it was super clear and sharp. it's either cuz of the meditation, or cuz of not wearing contacts for 6 days. hahaha
ok those are the main difference that i noticed. of course, i've inducted myself back into the rat race. super not peaceful and restless now. one more thing, i finally feel guilty when i eat meat. hahaha.
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