• Silence makes you see

    Why silence makes a difference? 

    When we stop talking, different portions of our brains become more active. "Broca's area, located in the frontal lobe of the left hemisphere of the brain, is responsible for speech production and articulation."

    "Neuroscientists believe that, in humans and mammals, the cerebral cortex is the “seat of consciousness,” while the midbrain reticular formation and certain thalamic nuclei may provide gating and other necessary functions of the cortex. Your cerebral cortex, also called gray matter, is your brain’s outermost layer of nerve cell tissue. It has a wrinkled appearance from its many holds and grooves. Your cerebral cortex plays a key role in memory, thinking, learning, reasoning, problem-solving, emotions, consciousness and functions related to your senses."

    ​When we function on "the everyday autopilot" we mostly use overactive front lobe, but when we spend some times contemplating or resting in silence, we activate our gray matter, or improve all of our senses. Our brain is very flexible, it has ability to regenerate and shows Neuro-plasticity. The more time you spend in silence, the more you will be able to see & hear your own thoughts, as they begin arising. You will recognize what emotions cause certain thoughts and what actions they lead to. You will have much better control of what is beneficial in your life an what thoughts are not. You will begin noticing how other people act and think, you can learn how to read others better.

    This process will eventually become your "new autopilot", and silence would not matter much, you will be able to do it in any ordinary situation: on the bus, in the car, in the store, in the kitchen, etc. I spend about 4 years in nearly complete silence. I communicated with a sticky notes and emails.

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  • Outdoor Environment

    Always think ahead and prepare for weather changes.

    No matter where you are retreating always prepare for retreat conditions to change.

    I end up developing hypothermia in retreat in the tent, because I did not think ... Arizona can have a snow in November... It snowed. And rained, and fogged ... The more clothes I put on, the more I felt shivering and began having hard time breathing, because my body experiences pain. Most horrible thing I was actually sweating, yet shivering, as I was put into the ice fridge.  It was horribly painful too. My tent bed had a metal frame that got colder with sunset. I was able to get up and go take a hot shower in the main dorm to warm up and stop hypothermia.

    My point is ~ check the weather, before going to long retreat in a new state. This was my 15 days Vajrakilaya Drupchen experience.

    Drupchen is a retreat when deity mantra is being recited 24/7 non-stop, you take shifts or do not sleep for whole duration. I slept between 10 pm and 3 am most of the days. Its fun and a lot of purification. But it is not recommended for people with mental disorders. It may be too much for their mind. These are links: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw1kZg9Ogkg and www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJvWKanicPw to Mantra Recitation during the retreat I attended in 2013. This is the atmosphere of the entire 15 days. You have to remain silent, however, during your food intake periods 3 times a day. ***This is only retreat RX for mentally stable people.

  • Self-illusions & fake perceptions

    Do not believe everything you see or hear.

    ​Many people experience profound changes during silent retreats or drupchens, but... There is a lot of self-illusion involved in our spiritual growth.

    Do not believe that you are an incarnation of some Royal Entity, please stick with possibility you could have been a ... HItler in a past life? Everyone wants to think they were Marie Antoinette or Catherine the Great, but we are not. This called mental alteration of your reality based on desires. 

    All kind of thought can come on the surface when you begin clearing Karma, do not follow them. Let them come and then GO... And when you let go of imagination stage completely, even the thought "I am  meditating" should be ignored. 

  • Mind Tricks

    Do not overthink & try to notice when you do.

    ​This can lead to mental illness onset, especially if you do the retreat without any guidance. I noticed, that ability to over analyse chains of events and emotions, unfortunately, sometimes, leads to ... blockages to true relaxation and visualization.

     Habitual analytical  concept arise every time you enter state of not-thinking. You have to learn to truly ignore any thought that arises, yet continue function in ordinary physical reality, responding to all people and reality demands. Learn how to relax and not analyse, ignore all and any of your thoughts. 

  • Veganism, vegetarianism & Vajrayana etc.

    The question of veganism, vegetarianism and meat eating. 

    Is it REQUIRED for me to become a vegetarian in order  to practice Dharma in retreat? 

    It depends on the type of retreat and spiritual Deity you follow, as, in some cases, it is Required. But, NO, it is not required, but recommended in many practices. However, if you practice tummo, HYT or live in a silent retreat for over 3 months, with little to no access to society in general, and, with lack of transportation in the Northern Region, or High Elevation, with harsh winter or fall conditions, you should eat meat and drink fat milk or use butter. Otherwise you will develop Lung (overthinking pattern, that can lead to nervous system overload and crash) and we can go crazy. Literally. Why? Because animal proteins and fats, keep us grounded when we need to be. Carbs and sugars keep us hyper. 

    Dharma is about balance, not extremes. Buddhas do not want you to get sick or crazy, it’s not a process of struggling or self-punishment, it is not a catholic retreat, sorry. Buddhas do not dwell on your sins, none of them are permanent, you should not either.

  • Reality check & post retreat social integration

    It's ok to be someone else in retreat, but don't forget to come back to reality.


    Its is ok to imagine yourself as something other then your present body in retreat, however coming back to the everyday reality thinking you Kurukula or All Mighty Heruka is not very healthy. Walking through Walmart thinking you will fly next or that you had transferred your soul into the … cat. You have to be to 100% honest with your own mind. Do not believe that you are spiritual deity and begin acting like one in public. It is a mental disorder.

    This is why people have deity retreats, not deity daily parties. Tantra is not a theatre, even with all the actions. It is not a circus and you are not a clown. It is a process of alternative mind training. If you don’t take it serious - do not not get involved at all. Period. Let your ability to transform back and forth make you a chameleon, but do not believe in your unrealistic fantasies. The only thing that is REQUIRED to practice Dharma is common sense. Please turn it back on, when you return.

Dharma Retreats in North America & Canada