There’s No There There, My Friend…

Having just returned from the first retreat for Community Dharma Leadership Program at Spirit Rock, I am still a bit dazed. It’s not because I had a 8 blissful days of meditation, but because the retreat made us all face the reality of life in a microcosm of the world at large. This being the 6th cohort of this program, Spirit Rock apparently made a conscious effort to make it a group of 100 participants representing many different ways we identify ourselves — not only ethnicity but also from ages, gender orientation, ability, and even socio economic class. One commonality was our experience and commitment to Dharma practice.

As we began the retreat, the leading teachers reminded us this is a place to be “real.”
“Real” we were. Within the first day, we had “real stuff” show up spontaneously and had to face what’s been debated, what’s been churning within some people, what’s been unspoken, and what’s been partially dealt with in our lives. Some kind of “uncomfortable” topics were brought up for us to process every day. Yet amidst the heavy hearts and tears, there was a mutual intention. We were there to learn how to deal with our wounds and differences in a way that would lead to healing. And ultimately, we are learning to help ourselves and others find the freedom from suffering.

By the end of the retreat, there was certainly a sense of bonding among us. Though each of us carries history, trauma, and pain, just like everyone out in the world, I left with a sense of courage and strength that I can tap into with this new family of Dharma siblings that I will get to share this path with. I am grateful for Trudy Goodman to nominate me to be in this program and for InsightLA to allow me the space to practice with my fellow yogis. The last day, one of the teachers, Pam Weiss, said, “There’s no there, there, my friends.” What she meant was that this is a life-long process, and freedom or enlightenment is not the final destination, but our path is to help ourselves heal and help others do the same. A part of me was thinking what I got myself into with this program, but another part of me is very curious to see where this program will lead me in the next two years. Time will only tell as more will be revealed as I go.

#YouCanSitWithUs