WWOOF

Willing Workers on Organic Farms. This is an international movement whereby anyone, with any background, can stay with an organic farmer and work 5-6 hours a day in exchange for room and board. The WWOOFing website lists farms in practically every country in the world, and many people find this is a very rewarding way of travelling.

When I was planning my summer a few months ago, I found this place on the East side of Lake Kootenay which hosts WWOOFers. It's called Johnson's Landing Retreat Centre, a peaceful place tucked away on a mountain side in the Purcell Mountains, about 2.5 hours from Nelson. I got there last Thursday, a week ago already, and I was blown away by the beauty of the place. This picture was taken just below the Centre, by the lakeside.

It was the last day of a Buddhist retreat, and so there were several guests. The Centre hosts retreats year-round and people come from all over to attend. Buddhism, yoga, taichi, Tantra, etc. The retreat leaders also come from all over. The Centre is remote, and the owners want to be as independent as possible: grow their own food, produce their own electricity. I found this very inspiring and wanted to help out in the garden, and learn a thing or two about organic gardening. Here is a pic of their garden.

Unfortunately, the work conditions didn't suit me, and I left the next day. I was a little disappointed, but I think it was the best thing to do. I have met many WWOOFers who have had excellent experiences, and I was tempted to look for another farm in the area, but decided I'm enjoying my freedom too much right now.

Vipassana

Vipassana is a type of Buddhist meditation that aims to strengthen mental focus and ultimately develop perfect equanimity to everything. Since nothing lasts, getting attached to something – whether it’s a person, an object or a thought – can only bring suffering, because sooner or later it will pass.

I attended a Vipassana retreat in Sutton from July 2 to 11. It was soooo tough! We sat for 12 hours a day on cushions, with legs crossed, and tried to practise the Vipassana technique. What a ride. First there is a lot of physical pain from having no back rest and from sitting with legs crossed for so long. And then there is the constant mental activity, the noise of thoughts that makes it so difficult to focus on a mental exercise for more than a few seconds…

These retreats are silent and designed to put us face to face with ourselves. All distractions are forbidden: exercise, reading, writing, talking (and all forms of communication with others), listening to music, email, etc. There is no escape from ourselves, we have to sit with our minds, and it’s not easy! My mind was constantly resisting, telling me this is too hard, too painful, not a good technique, etc.

So what did I get out of the experience, other than the pride of making it out with both legs intact? A few things, but maybe most importantly a way of dealing with my thoughts, emotions and desires. In meditation, you become aware that nothing lasts, each breath and thought comes and goes. Thoughts come and go, painful and pleasant sensations come and go. It’s good to just sit back and observe. Take an itch, for example. Instead of scratching, watch the itch increase in intensity and then diminish and finally vanish. I've been observing my thoughts and emotions more. If you’re angry, you can express it or suppress it, but the Buddhist way is to observe your anger like you’d watch a wave: it rises and subsides and then it’s gone. The problem with suppressing anger is that it eventually boils over and makes a mess, not to mention the disconnection with ourselves that happens when we don't acknowledge our own emotions; the problem with expression is it feeds immediate gratification and ultimately cuts into us, although it’s aimed outwardly. Observing is a full acknowledgement of emotion and of its temporary nature. It brings you closer to yourself.

I’ll probably have more to add later, but this is what I’m thinking right now.

Buridan's donkey

There is this story about Buridan's donkey. He is faced with the dilemma of having to choose between a haystack and a pail of water, but he can't decide whether he is more hungry or more thirsty. He stands there contemplating his options and is paralyzed with indecision. In the end, Buridan's donkey dies of both starvation and thirst.

I've been thinking about this story, because I have felt paralyzed with ambivalence for some time, unsure what to do and where to invest my energy. I think incessantly about options and come to no conclusion. It is both yes and no at the same time... Things look equally appealing and unappealing, and I end up feeling stuck.

However I have now made some decisions in the past months, such as taking a break from an office job and going travelling. I had many options to keep working in Ottawa, and I chose not to. What the story doesn't say is if you give a donkey a haystack and a pail of water, it will both eat and drink at the same time until the hay and the water are gone.

This is the story of Buridan's donkey and how he moves from indecision to eating and drinking all he wants. The first stop is a Vipassana retreat in Sutton from July 1 to July 12.