Lately, I received many messages from my students back in Malaysia that they’re engaging in either a personal or group retreat. I have previously emphasized how engaging in retreats is very important for our spiritual growth, and am very glad that many of my students are taking my advice to heart.

A few weeks ago, Kechara’s Green Team completed their first retreat as a team. Pastor Chia led three of his fellow team members Julia, Li Kheng, and Antoinette through their 4-day Lama Tsongkhapa retreat, in Dukkar Apartments. They completed a total of 40,000 Migtsema mantras. How wonderful…

Pastor Chia taught his team mates how to set up a retreat altar, retreat do’s and don’ts, explained the significance and importance of retreats, and he even cooked using harvested vegetables from our organic farm at Kechara Forest Retreat.

I am very happy to see the Green Team members so closely knitted in their spiritual friendship. I like it when people help each other to grow spiritually, and I can see that happening within the Green Team, where everyone does the best that they can according to their skills. I thought I’d blog about this inspiring team for everyone to know and see their dedication, hard work and spiritual development that has blossomed within these 4 individuals.

Below is an article that was prepared by The Green Team themselves. I hope it inspires those reading to engage in a similar retreat…

Tsem Rinpoche

A short and sweet sharing by the Green Team on their 4 day Lama Tsongkhapa Retreat

The Green Team was established through the wisdom and compassion of H.E Tsem Rinpoche about 1 1/2 year ago. The Green Team has the privilege to make Kechara Forest Retreat green through landscaping projects, reforestation campaign and natural farming. During this spiritual and self-development journey through Mother Nature, the members have had the opportunity to learn, grow and, if I may say, become better people. As the team worked together and experience personal growth as well as share the common goal to create a beautiful green haven for guests and friends at Kechara Forest Retreat, we decided to get together for a Lama Tsongkapa retreat to express gratitude to our spiritual guide, Tsem Rinpoche, for an eventful year and set aspiration for accomplishments that bring greater benefit.

Fellow retreatants include Pastor SP Chia, Julia Tan, Antoinette Kass and Phng Li Kheng who gathered in Kechara Forest Retreat to recite a total of 40,000 migsemas within a period of 4 days. The retreat experience was challenging as we had the silence to reflect and contemplate on various matters, which can be quite “uncomfortable”. However the 4 days retreat progressed smoothly and peacefully because Dukkar Apartments facilities is efficiently and effectively designed for retreats.

The whole “adventure” started with the preparation of offerings and altar set up. Pastor Chia is a seasoned retreat participants and advise us on the things to buy and guided us with the set up of the altar. There are so many details with its respective reasons that makes the retreat very sacred. For example, there are 2 sets sensory offerings with one set for Lama Tsongkapa and the other is for the retreat participants who visualize themselves to ultimately become one with Lama Tsongkapa.

Besides the actual retreat, the few days we spent together as a team was very valuable. All too often in life, we get too bogged down with routine work and forget to take time to “just be” with friends. The simple activities from replenishing the offerings after each session to cooking healthy meals together re-establishes team spirit and bond. During the breaks, we took the opportunity to have a team meeting where we shared some ideas we have to enhance our gardens as well as determine the work plan for the coming 2 months. We also incorporated our green spirit into the retreat where we used the water offering from each session to water the plants around Dukkar Apartments.

Personally, each retreat participant has but good experiences to share after completing the retreat.

Pastor Chia who headed the retreat shares that a team retreat is especially beneficial because team effort where the combined energy of every member contributed to a harmonious and peaceful retreat. He enjoyed the harmony of the group as everyone contributed happily to whatever that needs to be done. Doing retreat as a team enable the members to encourage and push each other during the retreat. Pastor told us that discipline to abide by all retreat guideline and conformation to schedule can be one of the bigger challenge for retreat participants. Lastly, Pastor is most grateful for the conducive space of Kechara Forest Retreat which is convenient, comfortable and, most importantly, has minimal distraction. Kechara Forest Retreat’s community is familiar with retreat policies that enable them to support retreat participants to have a smooth and constructive experience.

Julia Tan is an old student to Tsem Rinpoche and is familiar with retreats. However, doing retreat with your team is special where Julia experienced the joy of taking care of each other as each member took turn to cook, clean, make offerings at the altar etc. In a way, it is putting into immediate practice the Dharma teachings that are based on compassion. Doing retreat is also a great opportunity to focus the mind as we remove daily distractions like the mobile phone, television, running around or getting delayed in traffic and interruptions from people. With technological advancement in information and communication science, societies have never been busier with the wide variety of activities they can access at one single moment. Although this has its benefits, it also contributes to creating scattered-mindedness. Retreat is a break from all this to clear our thoughts by slowing down, relaxing and targeting in on one thing which is the retreat. Bringing the focus a few levels up, the visualization exercises in retreats is a powerful method to train the untamed mind that “goes everywhere” unintentionally.

Antoinette Kass is from Luxembourg and is not very familiar with the tradition or practice of doing retreats. Nevertheless, this is her second retreat and Antoinette’s experience  has been a constructive one where she already looks forward to the next retreat. Antoinette appreciated the opportunity for the team to gather and set aspiration to do work that brings benefit to others. As a “newbee” to Buddhism, it was encouraging to learn about the details of set up and the significance of retreats from learned colleagues like Pastor Chia.

Phng Li Kheng comes from a very commercial history of developing an international cafe brand in Shanghai. Therefore, the luxury of 4 days of peace, quiet and harmony is not something she is accustomed to. Nevertheless, Li Kheng shares that the silence and stillness was quite daunting at the beginning because we are just too familiar and comfortable with the abundance of distraction in our daily lives where we rush about trying to get as much done as possible. The sudden absence of noise, deadlines, problems, beeping mobile phones etc. may shock the system. However, after a couple of session, the simplicity of this living is most serene and the openness of the mind when not encumbered by secular matters is so refreshing and rejuvenating. Retreats also reveal experientially the power of the mind. We are often told “mind over matter” but, when in retreat, we get to witness our minds nature, capacity and vastness. Li Kheng sees retreats as a way to learn and develop the ability to train, control and harness the power of the mind.

Abundant offerings to Lama Tsongkhapa during their 4 day retreat

If you’re in retreat, visualization is very important, and having an image of Lama Tsongkhapa is very beneficial

Beautiful, clean and neat altar set up

Pastor Chia lead the retreat sessions

Antoinette came all the way from Luxenburg to live in Kechara Forest Retreat for her spiritual practice. I am glad that she’s doing retreats now as it will help her very much

It is extremely important to observe the proper diet during retreat, especially to avoid food listed within the Black Food category

No time wasted, Pastor Chia shares Dharma with the Green Team even during lunch breaks

Everyone does their own part for the team. Wonderful

After the retreat, the Green Team took the bless rice from their retreat and blessed KFR’s land

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