The first reason
for doing retreat is to develop the basic human qualities of affection
and loving kindness. The second reason is that it gives us the time for
putting into practice the teachings we have received. The
third reason relates to the busyness of our ordinary life: we
are generally so caught up in hallucinations, sense enjoyments and our
various obligations to others that retreat time is the only time we
have to relax. In a retreat situation, you are forced to come to face
with yourself, to see yourself in depth, to meet yourself.
Reciting powerful mantras and names of holy beings even once can purify
tremendous amounts of negativity. Meditating on the path to
enlightenment helps rid us of immediate dangers, such as rebirth in the
lower realms if death is imminent. At the same time, such meditational
practice can purify the causes of this life's problems from difficult
relationships, through unmanageable diseases such as cancer and AIDS up
to dangers of untimely death. Because one creates a great
deal of merit through these practices, they become the cause of success
and harmony in this life, bringing good fortune in business, wealth,
good health and long life.
For all the above reasons, therefore, retreat gives us more hope,
strength and encouragement for this life. In conclusion,
retreat is important because it involves retreating from ignorance,
from the dissatisfied mind of attachment and from the self-cherishing
thought. This are the fundamental forces from which one must
retreat. Transforming the mind into virtue, freeing oneself
from suffering and its causes: these are the essential meaning of
Dharma practice.