Going for an isolation retreat

[Someone here]

After researching a lot of methods and techniques to reach mystical states of consciousness.. And what is available to me and what isn't.. I finally decided going to an isolation retreat.  I found a nice place "out in the woods" where no one can disturb me. A nice little basement where I can sit by myself all day with zero distractions. Will carry some food and water.. And basic hygiene stuff.. And go there today to start my retreat. I plan to stay there for one week at least. What I'm going to do basically is meditation +contemplation +shamanic practices(chanting and prayers etc) .. Non-stop. Only taking break for food.. Hygiene and sleep etc. And even then I shouldn't wander a lot and keep mindfulness. 

I'm gonna specifically contemplate the questions :

1 who am I? 

2 what is reality? 

3 what is god? 

4 why is there something rather than nothing? 

5 is choice real? 

I'm not gonna read a single word or intellectualize.. Or parrot what I heard Leo or other spiritual teachers said. Let's pretend that I was just born and I know nothing and im the first human alive. That's where my mindset should be doing this retreat. Ofcourse it's not easy to clean my mind perfectly from what already has been programmed deep into it . That's why I need to meditate a lot to shut down my conceptual mind and just be an ignorant blank slate in full touch with actuality. 

My goals :

Perhaps achieving a mystical state of consciousness.. Sober 

Increasing my base level of Consciousness. 

Building some discipline and detoxing from lofty comfy life. 

Gaining direct insights to deep existential questions. 

Will post after I finish reporting how it went and sharing anything valuable I found. 

Cheers. 

 

Edited November 3, 2020 by Someone here

[Adamq8]

Goodluck mate!

[nistake]

Sounds like a solid plan. What kind of meditation technique will you be using?

[Someone here]

@Adamq8 thanks. 

28 minutes ago, nistake said:

Sounds like a solid plan. What kind of meditation technique will you be using?

Mindfulness meditation. Just being present with whatever is present. Cutting any wandering into the past or future.. Or concepts. 

[nistake]

@Someone here ?

Good luck and have "fun"

[Nahm]

@Someone here

Godspeed. ?? Good vibes to ya sir. 

[Member]

Good luck, bro

[Someone here]

@nistake thanks mate. 

LOL I only lasted a day and a half. I'm bagging my Stuff and leaving. Couldn't take it any longer lmao. It's way harder than I thought.  I remember Leo did a month before. Lol how did he do it? 

But definitely worth it. I feel much more conscious right now and less lost in monkey mind. Maybe I will give it another try in few weeks lol. 

The primary insight that I had is.. 

I see that the present is the only thing that exists. As obvious as that sounds. 

 

[Javfly33]

Awesome!! Come back to update how it went.

Sending to you mystical vibes so you can achieve your goal 

[Someone here]

@Javfly33 too late lol. 

[Gesundheit]

4 hours ago, Someone here said:

@nistake I remember Leo did a month before. Lol how did he do it? 

He got bored after 10 days and started "psychedelicating" his ass lol.

Anyway, as a general reminder from my experience, you always get a conclusion compatible with the initial assumptions. If you assume yourself to be a blank slate, you will get the conclusion that you are actually a blank slate. That works for everything as far as I have tried.

The reason why you didn't last long is because you were not trying to enjoy your time. You were expecting things and insights. This robs you of the joy of actually being present and fully surrender. But I guess I'm no better. Total complete detox is very hard. If it's your first time, I recommend you allow some friendly entertainment in reasonable amounts, like music or masturbation. Unless you have a strong motivator, like immense suffering, it's unlikely that you will be able to do it perfectly from the first time. So maybe start slow and build your way up. You'll notice that after a while you'll genuinely lose interest in those entertaining stuff that you were addicted to. The joy of entertainment will pale in comparison to the joy of being present. So you won't have to fight your inner demons, they will be dead, at least temporarily.

Anyway, best of luck to you.

Edited November 7, 2020 by Gesundheit

[Space]

8 hours ago, Someone here said:

@nistake thanks mate. 

LOL I only lasted a day and a half. I'm bagging my Stuff and leaving. Couldn't take it any longer lmao. It's way harder than I thought.  I remember Leo did a month before. Lol how did he do it? 

 

Have you done any organised meditation retreats before? Like a 10-day vipassanna course? I would suggest doing a few of these before trying to go off by yourself. You might find it easier to have an external force controlling your schedule and looking after your basic needs.

I think you also need to have a more comfortable environment to do this in, some proper food, cooking facilities, proper washing facilities etc. You want to have all your basic needs met and secured for the duration of the retreat.

You should also appreciate the value of taking adequate breaks between meditation/contemplation sessions, where you might do some light walking meditation, have a nap etc. 

[Javfly33]

5 hours ago, Gesundheit said:

 This robs you of the joy of actually being present and fully surrender. 

Nailed it

 

[allislove]

@Someone here ?

Day and a half lol

[Natasha]

@Someone here Awesome! 

[Someone here]

4 hours ago, Space said:

Have you done any organised meditation retreats before? Like a 10-day vipassanna course? I would suggest doing a few of these before trying to go off by yourself. You might find it easier to have an external force controlling your schedule and looking after your basic needs.

I think you also need to have a more comfortable environment to do this in, some proper food, cooking facilities, proper washing facilities etc. You want to have all your basic needs met and secured for the duration of the retreat.

You should also appreciate the value of taking adequate breaks between meditation/contemplation sessions, where you might do some light walking meditation, have a nap etc. 

I think you are right. Although I wouldn't say I had a problem with food and stuff. Everything was perfect. The problem is I got extremely bored and agitated. I only allowed breaks for food and sleep etc. Maybe I should give more space for breaks. But I  thought this way I'm going to have bigger results.   

Also I don't want to do it with a group of people. The isolation component is extremely important. 

 

[Someone here]

9 hours ago, Gesundheit said:

reason why you didn't last long is because you were not trying to enjoy your time. You were expecting things and insights. This robs you of the joy of actually being present and fully surrender. But I guess I'm no better. Total complete detox is very hard.

Well I did both meditation and contemplation. I didn't just want to be present.  I wanted to tackle some existential inquiries. For that you need thought process. And what you realize is 100% of your thoughts are not your thoughts. They are programmed shit (voices) from your culture. So it's actually not possible to have a completely assumption-free contemplation. That would be just observing your experience like a new born. Which leads to.. the Truth is simply whatever you are experiencing right now..minus your thoughts about it. 

[snowyowl]

41 minutes ago, Someone here said:

The problem is I got extremely bored and agitated.

How solid is your regular everyday practice? Maybe focus on that, intensify first, then try a solo day retreat, then next time a weekend etc. If we're not quite ready, the ego throws up a lot of resistance like this. Good luck anyways

Edited November 7, 2020 by snowyowl
spelling

[Space]

1 hour ago, Someone here said:

Also I don't want to do it with a group of people. The isolation component is extremely important. 

To be fair, the fact that you actually gave it a go is a worthy achievement - so props to you for that. 

I also understand not wanting to do this work with a group of people. There's a big difference when you are truly on your own for sure.

However, the main benefit of doing the group retreats first is that you get a real sense of what it takes to actually do 8-10 hours of meditation every day for 10 days. The actuality of it is completely different to the imagined actuality, which is why on these 10-day Vipassanna retreats at least 10-20% of people end up leaving after the first day or two.

As you started to experience, overcoming and dealing with the boredom is a big component of these retreats. The structured setting of a group retreat helps you deal with it. For me personally there is absolutely no way I could do a 7 day solo retreat without having done all the group retreats that i've done over the past few years.

But like I said, great effort man! Looking forward to hearing from you if you decide to give it another go.

[allislove]

4 hours ago, snowyowl said:

How solid is your regular everyday practice? Maybe focus on that, intensify first, then try a solo day retreat, then next time a weekend etc. If we're not quite ready, the ego throws up a lot of resistance like this. Good luck anyways

this ?