Special Reports----Echoes Of The Australian Retreat

By Sister Initiate Nguyen, C.A., U.S.A. (Originally In Au Lac Language)

On my flight to Australia, I started reviewing other retreats to set a goal because I had a goal for each of the other dozen retreats I had attended. Previous goals have been "to go up one level"; another was "to find true happiness inside"; another was "to work"; and still another one was "to just have fun and enjoy".

Most of my goals had been accomplished, but this time, I didn't really have a goal. I did not want to "have fun," because I could easily do that at home; and after all, I did not want to think of a retreat as a "Club Med" vacation. I did not care about "going up one level," nor did I care about "work" or "finding my true nature". So I thought, maybe I should have "no goal".

Since I had nothing else to do on the plane I got out a pen, a piece of paper and started brain storming. I wrote down a dozen goals, then two dozen, then three dozen and so on. Some goals had already been accomplished while others were simply uninteresting. I knew I had to think of something new, something quite different.

Impulsively, I wrote down, "give yourself to others". Ah! I had never thought of that before. Each previous retreat, I always wanted something for myself but I had not tried offering myself for the benefit of others. "Sounds like a good idea, I ought to give it a try," I thought to myself!

I wondered how to "give yourself to others". I brain stormed again: do whatever is necessary; fill in the blanks; straighten out what's wrong; correct what's incorrect; make things go smoothly; have fun working; don't care about results, et cetera. Finally, I put down my pen and went into a deep sleep...

In Australia, I began with "filling in the blanks". If it was necessary, I "filled in," if not, I "filled out". I assisted in various ways including: administration, the entertainment program, translating, organizing things, buying of flowers, carrying things, going with a worker to town, drinking sugar cane juice, writing announcements, and even learning the Australian accent. Later, I attempted to "straighten out what was wrong; correct the incorrect; and make things run smoothly," et cetera. I certainly felt a sense of joy as I jumped from one job to the next because it was fun. Every so often I reminded myself: "Give yourself to others; make things run smoothly; correct the incorrect; do whatever..."

One time I took some performers to a rehearsal that was in a remote building. Surprisingly, no one else showed up. Although I was tired from the long walk, I remembered my goal: "Give yourself to others." So I decided to walk back and return a couple of times. Fortunately, I found a number of lost performers wandering around. Wow! I later found out that it would not have been a complete rehearsal without them!

As each day passed, things continued rather smoothly: "Give yourself to others; correct what's incorrect; enjoy the work; don't care about the results..." Very soon the 4-day retreat was over and I felt a sense of joy that one feels at the end of a job well done!

★Creating A Paradise Amidst Violent Storms ★Buddha's Paradise Land Descends ★Creating A Heaven On Earth With Joy And Love ★Give Yourself To Others ★The Suffering Of The Living Christ ★The Best Prescription ★The Joy Of Loneliness ★The Glistening Milky Way ★My Dreams Come True