Why is a retreat from the "world" a good means of attaining Spiritual maturity?

Question

Namaste

Peace and Love

Answer 1

That question doesn't make sense. You haven't defined what you mean by "retreat from the 'world'". The word "spiritual" is vague, by itself. "Spiritual maturity" is really a contradiction in terms.

Are you planning a ride on a spaceship?

Answer 2

There are many types and lengths of retreats, but retreats are structured and led by a retreat director. It takes you away from your normal routine and gives you things to consider, read, and experience that will bring you closer to God. I personally like either "silent" or "Ignatius" retreats.

It's hard to meditate on Jesus' words to his apostles at the Last Supper from the Gospel of John if you have screaming kids and "Desperate Housewives" going on in the background.

It is supposed to be an "intimate" time between God and you. The retreat director is there to guide and assist you if you have questions or concerns. Often he has helped others with the same issues you have in his years of service.

You retreat from the pressures, distractions and values of the physical world temporarily to learn more (mature) about the spiritual world. The spiritual world raising such questions as...
+ Who made me? Why?
+ Where am I going when I die?
+ What am I to do while I'm here?
+ Why does God love ME?
+ How can I know God?
+ How can I love God?
and many, many more.

Answer 3

The one time I went on an actual retreat I went to a Monastery that had been the abode of several monks well known, and considered spiritually wise. To me it felt like there was a different vibration to the place that readily lent itself to me, and enabled me to have a deeper contemplative experience. I found the experience very refreshing and renewing.

Also, I do not wish to ignore the end of your question dealing with spiritual maturity. I think once we have attained spiritual maturity we are able to be in the world, but not be of the world. Until that time our worldly activities, no matter how "good" they might be consedered, are a major distraction to our spiritual growth. The world causes to look outward, many times just as we are getting a glimpse of the inner. Any break we can get from these distractions in the form of a "retreat" enables us to focus more on our inner selves.

Some might argue that discilines like Karma Yoga prove otherwise, but, to me, the entire effectiveness of Karma Yoga lies in dedicating the fruits of our labors on the altar to God. In so doing we are still retreating from worldly views of success and work.

Answer 4

As a flower reaches towards the sun it leavesbranch out in many directions. This gives the stem balance as each leaf soakes up the sun.

Spiritual retreat is one of many possible leaves in a persons life experience. All create context and give perspective on the others.

Flower.

Jamie

Answer 5

Together-ness is a practice.
it's a unique opportunity to live closely with friends from many different backgrounds. Together it form one Sangha body, connected by the practice of mindfulness. With the collective energy of calming and looking deeply, it is possible for us to support each other on the path of transformation. This requires cooperation, skillfulness and acceptance. To live amongst each other, we need to cultivate understanding, communication and a willing heart.

retreats provide an occasion for deeper investigation and practise of meditation.
on some retreats a particular theme or approach to practice is emphasised.

Answer 6

I found that it allowed me to let go of a heck of alot of crap. The "me" that was held in place by others vision of me was released. All of my conditioning became screamingly apparent, and all of my belief systems hit the table, to be examined in full light. Sounds intense? Yes, well, I was never been a big fan of feeling vunerable, exposed and at my wits end.....

So initially, I had a break down of sorts (who in the heck am I anyway?????), then began to slowly re-construct myself according to my own preferences and vision. Which I am still doing. Going into retreat accelerates the process. And then for me, I realized my path needed to go back out into the world, to take what I had gained and find a way to make it applicable here. and now.

namaste....

Answer 7

Digi my friend, since you put "world" in quotes, I understand what you're saying/asking. What we have been trained to perceive as reality is not reality. We are exposed to tens of thousands of advertising messages every day, invented communications designed to deceive us into perceiving that useless material crap is actually important. Despite the 6.6 billion people living in the world and the billions of kind and wonderful events that take place every day, we have been conditioned to think that "reality" is comprised of Democrats and Republicans, W and Hillary, war, rape, mayhem, Paris Hilton, Anna Nicole Smith, OJ and every other kind of ugly impermanent distraction. You cannot rest in the beautiful purity of your own inherent awareness because of the assault on your senses and the assault on reason. Our brains are running on information overload. It is estimated that there is more information in four weeks worth of the New York Times than the totality of information a person could be expected to accumulate in their entire lifetime just a few generations ago.

Retreat provides the antidote to the toxification of the mind. You can divest yourself of the trillions of bits of mean, wrong, hateful, distracting, poisonous information that have been plastered to your brain cells, and return quietly to your inherent self -- quiet, peaceful, loving, part of the world and not a bombarded victim of it. By unclogging the arteries of the mind of all the poisonous blockages stuffed there by "the world" you can open your heart to your inner nature, your inherent beauty, and your limitless capacity to love.

Answer 8

God does say to separate yourselves from worldly things and in so doing he will give you more spiritual insight. of things to come. He also said to be a separated people do not be partakers of the world we are born into it but do not partake of it .

Answer 9

You learn to rely on & test, tone, and tune your own inner resources, and depend less on friends & family - who are not always going to be around, or would always want to be. :-)

You become less dependent & more independent.

Less 'borrowed', and more 'genuine'.

Less of a 'talker', and more of a 'truth'.

Appropriate question, Digi.

Am coming to the close of a 2 & a half month period during which I was largely alone.

My conduct wasn't always perfect, but I've grown for the experience.

"What doesn't kill us, only makes us stronger". :-)

Answer 10

because we carry so much clutter in our daily lives
if we can retreat from that , we have less to carry
we are lighter and can raise our awareness with more ease