The Wisdom of Solitude

[EagerMind]

I just started reading this book yesterday "The Wisdom of Solitude" and so far I find it very interesting and entertaining!!! From what I've gather so far (I'm on chapter 3, it's a short book 140p) it's about a women who does a rigorous 100 day buddhist retreat in the woods inspired by her teacher Korean Zen Master "Seung Sahn".

 

I borrowed the book I'm reading from the library but the link to amazon is The Wisdom of Solitude

[Dainin]

Here are two more in a similar vein:

 

Forty Days by Michaela Ozelsel (about a solitary 40 day Sufi retreat)

 

Cave in the Snow: Tenzin Palmo's Quest for Enlightenment by Vicki Mackenzie (about a 12 year [!!!] retreat in a Himalayan cave, meditating 15 hours per day in a box!)

[Gerard]

I firmly believe any serious spiritual practitioner needs to go through a period of time in seclusion dedicated to cultivation without distractions, away from the mundane world.

 

What follows is an excellent movie:

 

The Last Anchorite

 

A truly remarkable story of "Father Lazarus El Anthony" who lives in solitude on the Al-Qalzam Mountain (Egypt).

Edited June 27, 2011 by Gerard

[Gerard]

Forty Days by Michaela Ozelsel (about a solitary 40 day Sufi retreat)

 

Definitively! The best recipe for all ailments. Chilla-nashini, an excellent ancient spiritual practice where you fast for 40 days and meditate in silence. A hell of a tool to cut off the sneaky ego and bring you close to the Divine.

 

Moses:

 

Mount Sinai

 

"And he was there with The Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, The Ten Commandments [see also The Ten Commandments Now?]. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai [shown in the photograph], with the two tables of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God." (Exodus 34:28-29 RSV)

 

Elijah:

 

"And the angel of The Lord came again a second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, else the journey will be too great for you." And he arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. And there he came to a cave, and lodged there" (1 Kings 19:7-9 RSV)

 

Jesus Christ:

 

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward He was hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But He answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"

 

Then the devil took Him to the holy city, and set Him on the pinnacle of the Temple, and said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, 'He will give His angels charge of You,' and 'On their hands they will bear You up, lest you strike Your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not tempt The Lord your God.'"

 

"Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and he said to Him, "All these I will give you, if You will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! for it is written, 'You shall worship The Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.'" Then the devil left him [see What Satan Fears Most], and behold, angels came and ministered to Him." (Matthew 4:1-11 RSV)

 

Gautama Buddha:

 

Still seeking a way to understand the meaning of life, Siddhartha set out for Buddhagaya. Near a grove, he sat down under a huge Bodhi tree. Silently he vowed, "Even if my flesh and blood were to dry up, leaving only skin and bones, I will not leave this place until I find a way to end all sorrow." He sat there for forty nine days. He was determined to discover the source of all pain and suffering in the world. Mara, the evil one, tried to scare him into giving up his quest. For instance, he hoped to lure Siddhartha into having selfish thoughts by sending visions of his very beautiful daughters.

Edited July 31, 2011 by Gerard