A Residential Insight Meditation Retreat with Robert Brumet
December 28, 2018-January 1, 2019
Marillac Center, Leavenworth, Kansas
I was very fortunate to attend this retreat which provided a contemplative approach to the New Year holiday and was facilitated by Dharma teacher Robert Brumet and sponsored by Mid America Dharma.
There was certainly no shortage of noise-makers, party hats, toasts and revelry but all of that took place in the 6 inch space between my ears, at least for the first 18 hours. The meditation room itself was serene, peaceful and filled with the presence of over 21 Dharma practitioners in Noble Silence. The retreat center, on the grounds of St. Mary’s University in Leavenworth, Kansas, was built for this. The meditation hall is even round, nestled in amongst trees and grassland, far from roads and cars.
Robert Brumet’s love and care for not only the Dharma, but for each retreatant is evident in his mastery of retreat dynamics. Instructions were given as to how best to practice at each stage of the retreat for each level of practice. For example, awareness was emphasized at first on the breath, then our intention as an internal compass for the next few days and the precepts for how to outwardly conduct ourselves. The next day the focus was to bring our awareness to the body and continuity of practice as we notice transitions between sitting and walking. In this way, Robert knew exactly what the sangha was experiencing and the proper teachings to apply through every step of the retreat. Combine this with small group breakout sessions to share and go deeper, as well as Dharma talks that were designed for both the heart and the head, and as you can see, powerful elements were put in place for a transformative experience.
Right around the third day of the retreat, after we had made our way to the dining hall, (the food by the way was quite good,) as I found a table at which to sit, I became aware of some agitation. Upon closer inspection, the agitation was due to my dislike of eating alone. As I worked with this visitor the rest of the evening, what surfaced was an experience I had as a little boy being sent to a country school for a few months while my mother was sick and being treated. I was new and from the city. The other kids did not like me, so I sat alone most lunches.
In the stillness of practice and the safety of the retreat, I was able to relive the fear and isolation felt by that little boy and process it with the tools and teachings the man now can incorporate.
Since this insight, I feel a little less lonely and a little more whole.
On New Year’s Eve we assembled around 10:30 p.m. to celebrate the arrival of the New Year at 11:00 p.m. (12:00 a.m. in New York). We shared trinkets, sparkling cider, treats, Buddhist dowsing cards, and even some chanting meditation with guitar. After connecting in consciousness for four days, the connection we shared that night was far beyond our smiles, bows and well wishes. May all beings come to awakening, not one left behind. Namaste.
Victor J. Dougherty is the director of the Temple Buddhist Center in Kansas City, MO.