Back to Birken
After 6 years I finally returned to Birken Forest Monastery for a 7 day meditation retreat.
See previous travel reports from Birken Forest Monastery:
- My first retreat in 2017
- My most recent retreat in 2019
- Finishing the one year program I took remotely through Birken in 2023
Upon arrival the leaves on poplar trees surrounding the vihara were about half green and half yellow. By the time I left they were mostly coloured gold, glowing with the rays of the early fall sun. There have been many changes at the monastery since my last visit: a new flower garden, three new rock gardens, a series of tiered decks, a covered walkway between the main house and the office/recording studio. Much of this and more was done during 2021 in the early part of the COVID pandemic when there were no guests. The monastery also installed Starlink which gave them a much faster Internet connection allowing Ajahn Sona to do Sunday livestreams on YouTube, answering questions from around the world.
Those global live streams have had an effect. One of the guests at the retreat was an Ajahn Sona YouTube fan coming all the way from Belgium! He was very excited to see Ajahn Sona during Tea Time, which happens twice a week in the intimate setting of the tea room. (He is always better up close and in person when he can really feed off the crowd! 😄). The kitchen steward was from Ithica, New York, also attracted to the monastery via Internet broadcast. Other guests came from the Vancouver area, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, and of course nearby Kamloops. There were 10 of us in all. Most were staying for the week, but some were 3 weeks into a month-long retreat.
Four monastics live at the monastery full time, as well as three stewards. The monastery is a bit short-staffed right now (and is hiring for a few positions if you are interested.)
This week was for personal retreats, each person moved at their own pace. Everyone would get together at 5:30am for a 45 minute seated meditation session in the sala (meditation hall), and then again at 7pm for some chanting and meditation. We would meet for a light breakfast together at 7am, and then again at 11:30 for the main meal of the day (I have to say that of all the temples and monasteries I have been to, Birken has the best tacos! 🌮). At 5pm we would gather for some tea (and maybe a chocolate or two) and ask questions of the monastics. I gained many insights into wisdom during these discussions.
Other than that everyone was left on their own to do walking or sitting meditation, reading, yoga, or hiking — which a lot of people did because the weather was so fantastic. The pre-autumn air is so crisp, and the gold poplar leaves danced in the wind against brilliant clear blue skies. The closes neighbour to the Birken Forest Monastery is 10km away, so there is plenty of space to wander through the woods contemplating life, or walk with new dhamma friends talking through one another’s journey on the Buddhist path.
Some scenes from around the monastery by resident monk Ajahn Jotipalo
There was stress at the monastery when one day we had a bit of a COVID scare. A couple of people had been exposed outside the monastery the previous week. Immediately they masked up and took tests. After a while Ajahn Sona came down the stairs into the dining hall where the rest of us waited: “Here is the announcement!” he said, raising his arms, “There is a lot of negativity in here! As in, the tests were all negative. Excellent!” he broke out in a big grin, and we knew we could continue on in silent calm.
The last time I was at Birken was 2019, a very stressful time as I was planning to end my career in edtech and an out to embark on a journey living on a remote island between Japan and Korea. In the intervening years I completed the Upasika Program (through Birken) and maintained a meditation practice (I am currently on a 552 day streak, but probably have only missed about 7 or 8 days in the past 3 years). My home and work life have both relatively settled. So I was not anywhere as stressed out as back then. Even so, I basically slept for the first two days as my body relaxed, of wringing out all of my stress.
For me, this retreat was about settling my mind to consider next steps. 2025 is the Year of the Snake, when you are meant to explore this way and that, and not make any big commitments. It is a time for re-invention, to shed your skin. This advice has served me well this year as we have been settling into our new house and I started consulting for a few different businesses. We have been exploring our new community to determine exactly where best to commit in the near future.
Spending a week at the monastery has let my mind calm. Like the proverbial pond after a storm: the muddied water gently floats to the bottom and the pool is clear again, allowing me to better see my options. It has also energized me to continue my study and participation in this community. I really appreciate being at the monastery, able to interact with others on the same spiritual journey, and getting advice from the monastics.
Next time I won’t wait 6 years to return.
