SRV Winter Retreat: Panchadasi & Panchakarana Reflection: 3
The Seattle SRV Retreat – my first retreat of any kind and first time meeting Babaji or anyone (other than my darling Aunt) from the sangha – was a wonderfully fulfilling experience. Prior to arriving I was both excited and apprehensive to be walking into totally unknown, yet interestingly familiar territory. Upon entering the house and being greeted with warm smiles and a cup of tea, there was no longer any residual apprehension and I knew it was the perfect place to be.
Reflecting on the retreat as a whole, I feel that it was the confirmation I needed that SRV and these teachings are the right path. Babaji has a teaching style that supports beginners (like me) and members who have been studying for years. He eloquently articulates complex teachings into understandable charts with accompanying discourse and music, and conveys advanced spiritual knowledge with simple and effective analogies. I found his humour and wit a wonderful addition to topics that are often perceived as very serious in nature, helping to create an atmosphere of curiosity and growth.
When I arrived I was worried about how I would handle the schedule. However, by the end of the retreat I felt as though I wanted to continue on. The practice of mauna, early morning meditation, mindful sustenance, classes, and satsang was an authentic supportive routine, and apart from feeling like I needed more exercise, it was refreshing to be allowed and even encouraged to have single-pointed focus. I felt that the retreat provided a “detox” from the world — both physical and mental — and presented an opportunity to center entirely on the spiritual.
Many things came together to land me at the retreat under the circumstances that I did. In the short time frame between the beginning of my correspondence with Babaji and attending a retreat, many pieces had fallen into place and my direction and destination had become clearer. The retreat was additional confirmation and corroboration of the expanding awareness that had been surfacing in my life, but that I had up until recently failed to be able to describe or explain with my existing understanding. These pockets of awareness ended up repeatedly emerging within Babaji’s teachings, in discussions, or in meditation, and provided the connecting threads between many seemingly separate (to my mind) ideas.
There were several times that I was overwhelmed and brought to tears by the perfection of the words of a song, the translation of a chant, or the words being used to convey spiritual knowledge. This is a “normal” occurrence, but was the first time that I did not feel out of place or awkward being deeply moved.
Overall, the retreat brought recognition that I have begun the “reunion with family” and an affirmation that the spiritual path is one I am supposed to be following.
– Rae