Retreat essentially means " withdrawing". Our attention drives our worlds and it's manifestations. Whatever we pay attention to..grows on itself. Most of us are ever busy and engaged in our performances in the outer worlds and phenomenon. And hence our attention remains at these occurances. As we go on and on day after day approached by newer situations and enticements, we tend to forget to remain inside us. Soon, the gap between our true self and it's manifestations rises and makes us feel restless, longing and ever in search of a new and more better space. A viscious cycle indeed, we fall into the trap of repeated distraction and cease to hear the inner subtle silence of the self. Attractive and enticing options in the outside never let us pause to look within which sounds so empty and vain. When one gets weary of running behind these never ending uprisings, one longs for his own presence. Until this zenith of longing peaks to an unbearable point, one continues to rush and push himself in the repetitive patterns of engaging illusions. Retreats are silent times of ruminations where one can pause to reflect and assimilate ones experiences and in turn for tapping an unlimited power centre of energy and bliss. In these pauses...one can still down the routine pace and mutate conditioned responses. But what after these rosy retreats end in places and time frames? One is again beckoned to participate and urged to respond ? There is no escape really from performance and daily living until one is in a silent and slow space zone of time and place. So does it mean the retreat was a placebo and a mind projection? How can one ever remain in this space of non doing, nonbias and silence while one full heartedly and without fear performs, engages and even relishes whatever one is confronted with? The answer seems to lie in the conscious and repeated practise of being ever in the retreat and keeping the attention inturned while all that must flow outside us continues on in full roar. That is true detachment, true renunciation and brings us to a welcoming space of sat chit Ananda which keeps effulging...and a retreat from which one never returns...

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