9.24.2009

Dark Retreat

I really couldn't think of anything to post today, so I found this image buried in my downloads folder. I like the idea of a dark bedroom, with some light furnishings thrown in. I'm thinking of painting my bedroom a deep, midnight navy.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Found this thru Googling "Dark Retreat"

Indeed a dark room is good, especially if your room, for you, means an isolated place where you can be by yourself. Then the room becomes a cave of sorts more than anything else.

Dark Retreat in meditative traditions is basically (with variations) creating a zone without any light at all, or as little as possible.

I keep two thick bed quilts over my windows with curtains behind them. When I want to do dark retreat in full I block the bottom of the door, turn off any light emitting sources like plugs or computer things, and that leaves the room in total darkness. Some light seeps through the door but it doesn't penetrate the total darkness.

In this sort of darkness all distinctions of form disappear and one perceives space as an all pervading presence, more substantial than the objects which reside in it. Actually meditating with opened eyes by merging into the outer darkness begins a process of fusing the outer & inner vacuity. Projections of the mind like thoughts, dreams, visions, etc flash as if in the external space before one's eyes, while the light of consciousness reveals these in the space of awareness.

This practice generates dynamic personal power - as most people are not in touch with this inner darkness - and it becomes a source of energy in a way, like the still depths of an ocean you can merge into it.

Dark Retreat meditation is also incredibly useful for uprooting one's attachments to drugs and diminishing overbearing desires.