Inspiring retreat
The retreat was great. I was with a group of Dutch and Belgium people, as well as practitioners from Taiwan, Hongkong, Austria, Germany and Finland. I missed my daily dose of coffee (a bad habit to drink it, I know) so I was a bit sleepy now and then. The location was the European Institute of Applied Buddhism (EIAB) in Waldbröl, 60 km from Cologne.
Thay (Thich Nhat Hanh), our teacher, was in great shape, despite his 83 years. Listening to his Dharmatalks gave me some new insights because Thay explaines the subjects a bit differently every time.
One day we hiked in the country and woods for a couple of hours and picnicked in the back yard of a small farm house. Of course, the hike was in silence and concentration.
The main building of the (EIAB) is being renovated, therefore the big meditation room was located a tent and the buffets for food and drinks were also in tents. All the (vegan) meals during the retreat were enjoyed in silence.
I know a number of the people of the Dutch Sangha who were there and I also met people from other retreats, which was very nice. I held many conversations that warmed my heart.
Every day, I shared my experiences with a ‘family’ group of about 24 people. The sharing of the group members was deep and intense and gave me some more insights.
All in all I am very gratefull for this experience. (Fotos will follow shortly)