Recently I was closing the Gar’s entrance gate and gazed at four mountain ranges
surrounding me and entered a deep state of peace, compassion and well-being.
Living up at the Baja California retreat center for over a month now, I am in
this View each time upon entering the land, as each interaction becomes
important, each person a daka or dakini, and all the flora and
fauna my spiritual teacher.
If I need more
inspiration to get into this mood, there are always people around to practice a
Tun, Ganapuja, Green Tara or a Vajra Dance. Recently I have been practicing
early in the day and this sets an
atmosphere for all activities and experiences. There have been a couple staying
from the Czech Republic and the Gekyl, who is also “checo”, and we talk in a
bunch of languages, mostly Spanish and English.
In a typical
day, a non-dualistic, blissful perception seems to organically enter into many
activities, especially when I’m working with Nature. My daily routine includes
mindfully checking the gardens, looking for insects, signs of growth, areas
needed inout. Everyday some new growth appears or a baby seed pokes through the
ground proving once again that space, earth and joy can be inseparable.
Hundreds of seeds, seedlings and new plants all need attention and love so that
they may in return benefit and bless you with their beauty and healthy
benefits. One of my favorite things to grow, the orange-root Turmeric, has over
600 medicinal benefits. No wonder the lama’s robes are orange!
Along with
the dharma study and practice, I have been training with permaculture teachers
who work synergistically with the local landscape. Three workshops are taking
place this year and I enjoy being able to live in a place where I can think,
work, live and eat in the most healthy ways possible.
After several
hours of work, it’s off to the outdoor kitchen where members often gather and
talk, catch up and discuss current events and projects. More work is followed
by a nature walk, saxophone practice, and then dinner.
A typical
night at the Gar has zero light and noise pollution so stars, planets and
meteor showers become a vivid, peaceful experience. With no street noise within
10 miles, I only hear our mountain stream and the gentle tinkle of bells around
far away goats and cows. It’s a well accepted fact that everyone’s dreams
become deeper and more profound on this land. Occasionally, Nature appears in
the form of a Buddha like the hummingbird that was resting in front of my
casita and wouldn’t let me open the door.
Waking up
early as a naturalist has been my best strategy, although I carry the camera
with me all day: you never know when an amazing insect, passing hawk or desert
hare might appear. Paradoxically, looking for birds yields less birds. I find
it better to walk up to one of the many stone terraces and meditate upon the
spectacular view of the Cape Mountains and Lowlands. Inevitably, a bundle of
feathery beauty will emanate out of the thickets and scrubs to look at me. As I am blessed by their beauty,
gratefully receiving them as a blessing.
One challenge
has been dealing with the wild pigs coming to destroy months of hard work preparing
garden beds in the Cape Mountain jungle. The pigs are thriving, like everything
else, activated by the extra rains from the last two years. After many primal
emotions had arisen and dissolved, I found it best to create 2-3 feet of spiny
Mesquite branch barriers around all access points. So far this has worked and
my frustration has been transformed into equanimity.
The Gar
includes 3,000 acres, south of a UNESCO world heritage site calle Sierra la
Laguna, a biosphere with 15% endemic plants. There are many species of animals
also that only call this area home, and combined with the UNESCO protected
coral reefs, makes this the “Galapagos Islands” of Mexico. These are not the
dry mountains of past years. This jungle requires months of cutting, trimming
and hauling out to clear the amazing hiking trails, many lined with stone walls
adding a sense of permanence to the ever changing mountains.
For personal
retreat and practice, the surrounding landscape, mountains and ambience helps
me expand into Nature’s benevolence, abundance and power. There is so much
peace and stillness here, followed by much movement and activity where the
stillness can remain.
Inspiration
and dharma reminders infuse the retreat center atmosphere and especially during
and after retreats. When Steve Landsberg recently taught, we were deeply
inspired and took the practices to the hot springs where we soaked in natural
mineral waters, swam in cool mountains waters and generally blissed out. The
practice and study accumulates, and after each week I enter more deeply into
clarity, wisdom, compassion and seem to have a bit more integration.
