By MARY DAY

Little did I know, when joining FCM's Naples Sangha a year and a half ago, the capacity of one’s heart and mind to open. Practicing the principles of loving kindness, generosity, and selflessness with others in this retreat revealed what a moving and memorable discovery this can be.

Driving from Naples, and looking forward to the retreat, it felt good to arrive at the Tampa Center. The poster of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the front of the room, with his quote “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible,” set a feeling tone of loving kindness for the entire weekend. Imagining His Holiness present in the room became an anchor. It was a reminder how choosing kindness is an option, anytime and anywhere.

Our retreat sangha had approximately 30 participants, with about a third of the group doing a three-day silent retreat for the first time. The first practice session presented the tools for cultivating true love which included turning on the light of mindfulness, gently digging deeper to understand, and watering seeds through practice. This orientation guided us toward bedtime as we slipped into noble silence for the weekend.

Angie Parrish and David Braasch alternated their presentations, balancing positive energy with a palpable sense of well being. 

The gentle flowing movements and deep breathing of David’s qigong instruction were joyful and uplifting. The continuity and tradition of the "flowing as a river" walking meditation brought us all together. In a unified motion of going forward, David’s recitation of Thich Nhat Hahn’s quote, encouraged us to lead with the left foot and say to ourselves “I have arrived”, then follow with the right foot “I am home”. I could feel in the cadence of this walking meditation a continual and gentle reminder of our interconnectedness.

Angie’s presentations were skillfully balanced and gently held my attention. Practicing deep sharing and deep listening with a person I had just met was comforting and profoundly touching. Sharing causes and conditions, each of our hearts opened. I felt acknowledged and truly seen. Though our experiences were quite different, the recognition of her suffering gave larger context for mine, transforming into "our" suffering. The practice of tonglen helped me in support of this realization. I breathed in the communal suffering. I breathed out healing and love for communal relief.

Practicing work meditation in the garden was restful for my mind and invigorating for my body. It was a joyful experience to be outside with others, enjoying the exquisite beauty of a Bodhi tree’s leaf! The person I was sharing this with pointed out the leaf’s heart shape, which opened my heart even wider. 

The closing circle gave us each an opportunity to share one or two insights from the retreat. Mine included: 1) A way to turn on the light of mindfulness can be adhering to a daily meditation practice every morning and  2) A way to gently dig deeper for understanding can be putting oneself in other people’s shoes. 

Mary Day was introduced to meditation in the 1980s using Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Miracle of Mindfulness. She and her husband retired to Naples nine years ago. Both are artists and maintain a "smallwalls" studio in the Naples Art District.