The lodge level 3

Life Changing

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Dear Bali Silent Retreat,

I arrived here at Bali Silent Retreat in tears, and now 6 days later I depart with a smile on my face. This short time has been so very trans-formative, such that I found the tools I need to be satisfied in life; to be in the ‘here and now’; to let things just be; to be aware.
THANK YOU. I’d like to thank everyone and I mean EVERYONE here at Bali Silent. I’ve encountered tremendous kindness and warm thoughtfulness from all of the staff and volunteer teachers. I’m reminded of how even the smallest gesture and kindness can be so important.

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Journaling and the written word

Journaling and the written word

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The power and simplicity of self-discovery that are available to you with the art of journaling are limitless. Journaling and the hand written word open a doorway to self-observation and discovery. Read more

Ducks

Eating Eggs is Now OK!

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Science has flipped its opinion and our bodies can healthily meet and greet the intake of rich food and nutritious food.

What constitutes healthy and respectful food when it comes to eggs?

  • No cages or confined spaces.
  • Grazing and foraging happily with their other bird pals.

When it comes to eggs, duck eggs would be gold medal winners in the Egg Olympics! Read more

Canang and holy water

Meditation as an offering in Bali

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Meditation as a Balinese Offering, called Canang by Sangtu, our Balinese cultural advisor.

The Canang offering is seen every day, everywhere in Bali: This spiritual practice is how each individual Balinese person retreats into God, Spirit, Ancestors and Nature, if only for a few minutes. Canang (pronounced chanang) is the little orange box as well as the daily offering. Can=Beauty and Nang=destiny and intention. So Canang means the beauty of destiny.

We call it Balinese-Hindu.

To ‘do offerings’ is to meditate,  in all different types of places; car, kitchen, office, rooms,and even on the street. Read more

Bali Silent Retreat - Vegetable Garden - Kale bed

ProBiotics, AntiOxidants, Genetics

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HEALTHY GUT, HEALTHY GUT. It’s all about a healthy gut. Your general feeling of well being, feeling in a good mood, a strong immune system, adequate concentration levels, fresh  skin, ALL are influenced by a healthy gut!

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Black and white fabric

The Wisdom of ‘Kain Poleng’ (Black and White) by Sang Tu, our Balinese cultural liaison for Bali Silent Retreat.

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If you are either Indonesian or a westerner you may have a question; Why, in Bali, are there so many shrines or big trees, as well as, people with Black and White fabric.

This is simple message but so very deep. The name of this Balinese-Hindu tradition is ‘kain poleng’; Fabric Black and White. In life, there is always Positive and Negative; same as Black and White. And we can not separate one from the other. But we can transform these energies to be in living harmony, for both the macro-cosmos of the universe and the micro-cosmos of the human. Read more

Creek and Waterfall of Truth

The Truth?

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We are forever seeking the truth on our never ending quest, reaching within and seeking without.

What is the truth? We ask this at different times and levels of our passage through life.

Is it a static offering of information that remains forever the same, always reliable and able to be called upon to offer us comfort and knowing? Read more

Green terraces with mountains and clouds

Dragonflies, Fireflies, and Lightning – does it count as a meditation experience?

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  . . . written by Sarah from Germany who lovingly wrote extensively about her 1 week experience in April 2015:

These 7 days have been intense and important and a piece of this place will stay with me forever. I feel love and peace everywhere here. This is way beyond yoga and meditation. Read more

Banana

Bananas Rock!!!

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Whenever I bump into a banana I find my protective mechanisms kick in. Yes, Mr. Banana is the cute, comical and helpless little brother I never had.

“If other chefs make fun of you again”, I whisper into their yellow ears, “I will kick their snobbish asparagus blanching butts”.

Bananas deserve more respect! Time for cartoonists to get their characters to trip over something else but a banana peel; that joke’s getting old. I’ve been fighting for banana rights ever since I was a 9 year old boy. In those days I used them in robberies, usually with my grandma and her cookie jar as a victim, although I never quiet managed to intimidate her with my banana gun.

Did I mention bananas rock?

Botanists have classified them as berries and the plant they grow on is considered a herb. If that doesn’t make sense to you, how about this? All banana plants are radioactive! They contain considerable amounts of potassium-40, which is a radioactive isotope of potassium. Nothing to worry about but admit it does give them more ‘street credit’. Read more

Bali Silent Retreat Star-gazing

Speeding Ticket of the Senses?

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10 years ago, Balinese would ask anyone walking by, “Kemana?” (“Where are you going?”). People walked (Really? Yes, they walked or too a ride in a ‘bemo’, a local van.) from village to village; no phones; just intuition as to when to show up. So, if someone was walking by it might very well be they had been walking for a long time and needed rest or water or a bite of food. And they would be welcomed into the family compound for a little sharing and gnosh.

What happened?

What happened over the past 10 years is that we all picked up speed, on every continent.

We’re now hurtling at an unprecedented speed of instant messages, voices, photos, and videos. Read more