By Andrea Goeglein
In early December, 2014 I spent five days at a silent retreat in a public hotel in Monterey, California. I have decided I need to live my life with the agility of my response to the Monterey weather. Over the course of one day, winds howled, the sun shown, the waves crashed, umbrella was up, umbrellas was down, I was wet, I was dry, I would be startled by banging windows because of the wind and then I would see a rainbow. After each experience, I observed, I adjusted, and I momentarily decided what to do next, and then proceeded to take what I believed was the appropriate action.
At some point during the week, the retreat leader, author and spiritual leader Adyashanti said, “the goal is not to transform adversity, it is to learn to transcend the angst.” Can I hear a big AMEN for that!
I learned many things during those five days. I learned meditation is not my life (I already knew that). I learned meditation does inform my life (I already knew that too). I learned I do not want to live a life of silence (no surprise there). I learned holding a silent retreat in a public facility is a metaphor for finding silence in a busy, noisy, congested life. I am learning, that is a metaphor I will have to continually relearn.
In all that silence and noise, Adyashanti taught me something else I did not understand about human desire. He said when we get something we want, we are experiencing a momentary absence of desire. It is only the total elimination of desire that brings total peace or bliss. Moment by moment, I will have to keep relearning that lesson too.
What I know I don’t have to relearn for now, that total peace or bliss may be too much for me. Just as I like some noise and some silence to inform the noise, for today I want just enough desire to keep striving for peace and bliss, but not so much that I do not have the desire to strive.
Dr. Success Challenge: What is your amount of striving and bliss?
Loved this….and it was extremely enjoyable to read. Your combination of fact and humor was fun.