Silent Night, Silent Mind
On Christmas Eve (Silent Night), Brian and I stayed overnight at DH with total silence. After checking in at about 6.30 pm, Brian explained briefly the motivation behind our "mini" silent retreat; the to-do's and not to-do's; etc. More candles were lighted; the opening aspiration was read; and the Heart Sutra chanted.
7 pm
Silence.
Sitting, watching, walking, watching, reading, watching...
10 pm
Silence.
Lights off, sleeping, watching, dreaming, watching...
4 am
Silence.
Sitting, watching, walking, watching...
At 7.10 am the next morning, still in silence, we witnessed a family of happy squirrels playing gleefully high up in the trees. Such beauty! "Tik-tik," "tik-tik-tik," "tik-tik-tik-tik," their high-pitched sounds greeted us while a wisp of cool air caressed our faces. I wished Brian "good morning," and he responded with his usual charismatic smile. ;) We broke our silence.
We chanted the Heart Sutra and read the closing dedication before checking out at 8 am. A simple breakfast–nasi lemak plus teh halia–at a nearby stall followed suit and our dharma sharing continued until 10.
Here's the poem I composed in the silent of the night.
In the silence of the mind,
The clock's ticking...
But there's no time.
In the silence of the mind,
The heart's beating...
But there's no mine.
In the silence of the mind,
The monkey's playing...
But there's no wine.
In the silence of the mind,
The cup's empty...
But there's no cup.