REPORT: Spring 2005 Young adults
THEME: "Bring Meaning & Love Into Our Daily Life"

No Regrets

We bow deeply to express our gratitude to the land and animals,
the Earth & Sky, and all of our ancestors, spiritual and blood
for their support and wisdom, for helping us experience
a wonderful and transformative retreat this Memorial Day Weekend.
All the joy and peace, all the wholesome energy that we received,
we offer it to the benefit of all beings, to our children
who we hold dear in our heart
as we practice and serve.

- It is lazy-day after a four day retreat for young adults and a few young men have decided to stay longer, at least four or five as I can tell from the showing this morning at breakfast. Maybe it was the peaceful atmosphere that they touched during the retreat, or the encouraging words of a fellow monk jokingly saying, "Hey friends, you know the best part of a retreat is the day afterwards " lazy day! So stay, if you can and experience this special day with us, you won't regret it." And so they did.

It was a beautiful and inspiring retreat for it was a gathering of retreatants who were of the same age with the same challenges and aspirations, looking for a better way to be in this world. About fifty of them, young men and women came together to support each other and to confirm that they are not alone on this quest; and that they are not insane to want to live more deeply. It was a great example of synergy, where each contributed how ever much to the collective peace and joy and in return, we all benefited deeply and are grateful.

The maturity and sincerity could be felt the first night at orientation. We were all here to explore and learn how to be in this world in a meaningful way and not to let life pass us by without much deep inquiry. I always enjoy the young adults retreat, may because I am from this generation and relate to them more easily. But maybe also, it is because in their eyes, there is still brightness, a shine of hope and aspiration to make a difference, to be willing to try another way, to want to serve and help.

One quality that really marked this year's young adults retreat was the joy and lightness. Yes, we woke up at 5:00 am and sat in silence in the hall, "Meditating"; yes we ate lunch in "Mindfulness"; and yes we reflected and touch deeply our "tenderness" and learned a lot about ourselves; but with it there was celebration and the enjoyment of being together. We hiked up the mountain early one morning to enjoy the sunrise and the dissipation of the ocean mist. We ate breakfast up there and shared with each other in a natural way. Many friends who lived near the monastery who knew about the climb that morning also joined us with their family.

We also had a beautiful and moving wedding ceremony for our friend, Michael and Elizabeth. Their families and friends and the LA sangha came to give them spiritual support. (more later)