service with a smile

olema was a lesson in service. in many more ways than one. the planning of the retreat, the preparation and serving of many meals, karma yoga, and the infinitely many ways in which people gave of themselves, in general. while the activities we participated in did not differ greatly from those in our everyday lives, because they were infused with love and generosity, they felt remarkably different and far more fulfilling.

it is something to think about, really. that there is no greater joy than the joy of giving. that i'd rather love than not love, anyday. with this one short life that i have, why not live it in the way that will bring the greatest happiness? already it has been well ascertained that the greatest happiness lies in the happiness of those around me in conjunction with my own inner peace. the only way to that seems to be through love and service. why live any other kind of life then?

oh! for olema

i am back after a relatively long hiatus (standards have changed themselves so; three days feels like a long time!). this weekend i was at the olema vedanta retreat. a reflection will follow, but when it is time for the thoughts to articulate themselves.

i'll start with the facts: we left for olema friday afternoon, in batches of 4 and 5. reached olema at 7.30. had a group dinner and retreated to our respective retreat houses for the night. woke up at 4.15am, started yoga at 5.30, meditated an hour, hiked, had a wholesome breakfast, discussed karma yoga (swami vivekananda's teachings), ate lunch, helped out with the gardening (karma yoga in practice), hiked up again, reflected on the day, ate dinner, watched the dhamma brothers, slept, woke up early again, did yoga again, meditated/hiked/ate breakfast, cleaned up, and set out.

but it was so much more than that (even though it was quite a packed schedule)... nature embraced us in its uninhibited generosity, we found, as we walked in the shade of the old and beautiful trees, rejoiced in the sights of the varied and awe-inspiring fauna, and delighted in the beautiful onset of spring. it was also a weekend spent in slowly realizing how intimately we are connected to each other in this oneness that subsumes our individual existences. i pray and strive to come closer to accepting and surrendering to that overarching oneness.

this is all i shall say, for now. reflections will follow as time progresses - there is so much to unpack, still. stay with me, gentle reader.

and have a lovely week!