Magnificent Lake Tahoe Advanced Retreat — by Jason Davis

It was exciting to hear that there was going to be an Advanced Retreat in November and that it was going to be held in Lake Tahoe. Anytime there is an opportunity to attend an Advanced Retreat I feel very fortunate. At the first Advanced Retreat that I attended, back in 2009, I experienced a major healing shift in my life. I am still profoundly grateful for that weekend and the well-being in my life has just continued to grow from that point onward. The other reason for my excitement was that Lake Tahoe itself is a beautifully captivating place.

On the way to Tahoe we drove through the magnificent alpine environment of the Sierra Nevada’s and kept steadily climbing the high mountain pass until we finally saw the first glimpse of the Lake in the distance. At that point we felt exhilarated and we were all eagerly anticipating attending the course later on that evening.

As we arrived at the resort it was wonderful to see many familiar faces and many new ones as well. There were students from all over the US, China, and Canada attending the retreat. The view of the lake from the conference meeting room was really spectacular and added an element of tranquility to the course. Master Ou opened the retreat with his song “Cultivate the Heart” and he expressed his wish for everyone to let their hearts be filled with divine love and happiness. “How do you achieve this result?” he asked. He said that answering that question was the theme of this year’s Advanced Retreat. Many people had travelled long distances to get to the retreat so Master Ou gave a short lecture and sang a few more songs to send everyone healing energy.

The next morning everyone seemed to be refreshed and ready to go. Over the next few days Master Ou lectured on many advanced topics. I was really struck by Master Ou’s descriptions of the beautiful environment around us and what we can learn from the great nature. During the break I tried to take his words to heart and be more attentive to the broad blue sky and the shimmering colors of the crystal clear Lake in order to be more present and gain inspiration from nature. He also talked about the need to keep transforming and refining ourselves to enter into a higher level of kindness. He explained that to be Calm, Tolerant, Humble, Diligent and Persistent represent the attributes of a high level person. He also went into great detail about many important subjects but I was particularly captivated by the concept of how everything that happens to us in our daily lives can be viewed as an opportunity to improve the quality of our heart and souls.

After the lectures were concluded we all went on a tour around Lake Tahoe. The first day we experienced the soaring views of Emerald Bay and hiked up to see a waterfall. I appreciated the large trees and the stillness and crispness of the fresh mountain air. The group enjoyed taking pictures of these beautiful vistas. For many of the Chinese students this was their first time in American and everything looked fresh and new to them.

The next morning we traveled to the Nevada side of the lake to Sand Harbor. I have to admit that this is my favorite place in all of Lake Tahoe. To me it feels like a very sacred, gentle and healing place. The Native American Washo Tribe used to spend their summers there. On one side there is a golden sandy beach surrounded by emerald colored waters and on the other side there are huge grey monolithic rocks. It all makes for stunning views all around.

This year’s advanced retreat was a profound learning experience. The energy was particularly strong but also wonderfully balanced and harmonious. A feeling of calmness has stayed with me for a long time after this retreat. Not only did we obtain a great deal of important mental knowledge but we also learned on a heart and soul level. This kind of experiential learning is hard to find anywhere and to experience calmness at such a deep level is really remarkable. The other thing I really enjoyed about this year’s retreat was getting to meet many new and old friends. I enjoyed spending our free time in the evenings eating dinner and hanging out discussing what we had learned that day. Thinking back upon it now I feel really grateful for all that transpired that weekend and I am already looking forward to attending next year’s retreat.

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