My back is a little bad lately so I took a short day on the mountain. As the sun was going down in Bowie not much was happening. A teenage girl rode a small ATV around town. Giant trucks drove slowly up and down the street blaring joyful Mexican "um-pa" music. The sky did it's usual "holy frakking crimoney on the half shell that's amazing" sunset. The cat whined for food, the neighbor puppy went crazy for attention, the neighbor cat whined for food, more dogs barking. As I was watering the garden in the back yard I had a small "ah-ha" moment. If you were to ask any of the three year retreat participants why they were going into retreat, part of their response would have something to do with wanting to be able to really help other people. But what I realized today is that another part of this huge retreat valley project is focused on the people in this lineage in particular. We are making our spiritual practice the most important and all consuming part of our lives. We are turning it into the most important thing so we'll actually do it. Personally, I need something this big to help me. I need to build a small suburb in the middle of the god forsaken desert to drill it into my head that "Yes, this is important to do. Retreat is important to do." I need this retreat valley as a reminder, a twenty two home (and counting) physical reminder, to do my practice. It's brilliant, really. How do you get people to do their practice? Have them build a small town in the desert together that is dedicated to the practice. And then, when their retreat is done, have them give the house away for others to do retreat in. Any retreat from any tradition or no tradition. I remember a scene in the movie "Ghandi". I'll paraphrase it here and forgive me for any mistakes. My brain is like a collendar. Hindus and Muslims had been killing each other for weeks in this huge city. Ghandi-ji had went on a hunger strike to show his opposition to the violence. Time went by, the city was burning, Ghandi-ji was getting very weak, close to death maybe. Suddenly, several Hindu men come into his bedroom. They are carrying swords. The man in front lays his swords down at Ghandi's feet and says something like "I have enough death on my head, I will not be responsible for your death. Now eat something! I am already going to hell. I have killed Muslims, I killed a child! I will go to hell but you must live!" The man is yelling and half crazy. Then Ghandi-ji says (beautiful Ghandi-ji!) "I know a way out of hell. You must find a Muslim child who's parents have been killed. You must adopt that child as your own. But you must be sure to raise that child in your home as a Muslim." Perfect. The Hindu man collapses sobbing at Ghandi's bed. If we weren't giving away the cabins after the three year retreat and opening them to anyone who wants to do any sort of retreat, I don't think this whole project would be as powerful as it is. The logic is beautiful and backwards: If you want the traditions of your lineage to flourish, make a place where all other lineages can also flourish. If someone blows up a building in your country, go build them a new building in their country for free. If there is violence in your outer world, root it out in your inner world. I love this. I'm not yet able to do these big acts of truth but they are in my mind. Of course, building a house is not as radical as raising a child from another culture but it got me thinking.
