A Buddhism Retreat - Part I

Dated May/June 2025.

I entered into a ten-day silent Lamrim retreat in a Himalayan Gelugpa monastery to taste the magic of ritual (ray 7 Vajrayana Buddhism energy closely related to Theosophy) and chant the Buddha mantra for the Vaishak along with seed-based meditations included in DINA volumes. I have always felt that in the Himalayan forests, the capacity to meditate and psychic sensitivity is boosted a ten-fold in the vastness, solitude, silence and physical proximity to hermitages of MahaSiddhas as well as the Vaishak valley. The granduer and the etheric aura of the nature here heigthens the activity of intuition and facilitates exploring further dimensions of consciousness and deeper realms of reality. 

Indeed, all my expectations were surpassed. I never realized more thoroughly the magic of ritual in approach to the Divine and the folly of entirely replacing it with preaching and sermonising (ray 2 psychological energy). Ritual, performed with sincerity of purpose, appealed both to the heart and the head and brought me in direct contact with a deeper and richer life than that of the pure intellect (ray 3 philosophical energy), in which individual opinions and dogmas often overpowered me. 

Spiritual life is based on inner awareness and experience, which cannot be created through the strength of intellectual arguments, thinking, and intellectual reasoning alone. The process of digestion or mental assimilation follows but does not precede the intuitive supramental faculties. 

 

Surrendering all our electronic gadgets including the phones and kindles, we pleged silence. The absence of the spoken word, the silent communion with surroundings and people, brought about a deeper awareness and a direct intuitive experience that generally is drowned by the incessant human chatter under which we humans hide our fear of meeting each other in the nudity of our innermost Self.

The impetus of a seventh ray spiritual force required no philosophical argument or intellectual justification because it was not based on theoretical knowledge but on fact and direct experience. It led to certitude that what I was striving after was not merely an abstract idea, a mere shadow of a thought, but an attainable `tangible' state of consciousness, the only reality of which we can speak.The historic impulse of Buddhism of the past was transformed into a living force of the present, into a living reality within myself.

Who can put into words the immensity of the Himalayas ? Can a landscape breathing such immensity be truly described ?

Tushita Meditation center is located near the village of Dharamkot (often known as little Lhasa and a hippie village) on a mountain-spur jutting out high above the deep valleys of Dharamshala, Bhagsu which surround the the Dhauladhar range and Triund peaks. It often appears to be tossed about in a large pot of white clouds, rising up from Dharamshala valleys. 

Himalayan Pines, Deodars, and Oaks cover the slopes of the Dhauladhar range. Deodar (Deo - God, Dar - Gift) known as the “god tree”, and “gift of the gods”, is a kind of coniferous evergreen found extensively in the Himalayas known for its strong medicinal qualities. In the Agni Yoga teachings of Roerichs, it is described as a “life-giver”, and is a strong source of the precipitations of Fiery Energy. Those are the frictional, solar, and electric fires described by Djwal Khul and Alice Bailey in TCF.

Tushita was founded by Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935-1984), also known as ‘Hippie-Lama’ known for his unique approach to teaching Tibetan Buddhism, especially to the Western students. The main gompa or Monastery of Tushita has a wide rectangular hall, presided over by the gigantic statue of Tsong-Khapa. The doctrinal system of the Gelupgpa sect of Mahayana Buddhism was defined by Tsongkhapa in the fifteenth century as emphasizing the middle path (Sanskrit: Madhyamika), the doctrines of the perfection of knowledge (Sanskrit: Prajnaparamita) and increasing attention to monastic discipline.

 

At dawn and dusk, Tsongkhapa's golden face reflected the mellow light of the electric lamp, which stood on a table with offerings, consisting of a row of seven water bowls.

The floor to the right, to the left, and in front of this altar-like offering table was occupied by long rows of low, cushion seats. Towards the back wall of the temple, against which the giant statue of Tsongkhapa was seated, flanked by other Taras, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas (especially Maitréya), and the photo frames of the founders of the monastery and of the current Dalai Lama.

The back wall behind the giant statue was covered with a collection of 275 Volumes of Sutras and Tantras of Tibet (Kanjur and Tanjur), each volume hard bound in red in the tall wooden bookstands, by beautifully carved and painted panels. The walls, as far as their surface was visible were covered with frescoes, alive with the denizens of all the realms of existence: human, superhuman and non-human, divine and demonic, awe-inspiring and reassuring, fierce and compassionate ones.

(The name 'Tushita' denotes a heavenly abode of the Human Buddha Maitreya (Pali: Metteya; Tib. Byams-pa: pron. Jham-pa), the ‘Loving One’, the Buddhist Messiah corresponding to the Dhyani Buddha Amogha-Siddhi, Arya-Tara and Bodhisattva Visvapani, a bearer of the global age, who will regenerate the world by the power of compassion, and inaugurate a new age of brotherhood. He is the future Buddha, to reveal in the sixth race global age, as did Gautama and the long Dynasty of past Buddhas in previous races, the Path leading to the Great Liberation.)

If I remember correctly, 147 students from more than 25 countries (reminding me of the fifth Dhyani Buddha who is termed in Sanskrit as "Vishwapani" meaning "Bearer of the global age" associated with Bodhisattva Maitreya) were attending the course. Most of them being from freedom cherishing people.. USA, Israel, India, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and many more...

I was assigned a dorm (Dorm 2 - 1001) which was shared with other 12 students.

As the Tibetan gong bell reverberated in crisp cold Himalayan air, we forgot the rigours of the long checkin process and were filled with the excitement of the beginning of the retreat.

 

Continued in further posts.