Inner Work

Silence is the language of the heart

John David encourages to reduce talking to essentials.
Being in Silence is a powerful way to reduce the noise and activity of the mind.

 If you can stop talking that will help your mind to become quiet because unfortunately the more we talk the more we activate the mental part, and then it’s very difficult to become quiet inside. There are many spiritual techniques to help with this, in particular many kinds of meditation. Then there are active practices like Yoga, Qi Gong and Tai Chi and a myriad of breathing techniques. 

From the enormous possibilities of spiritual techniques you can find the practices that best suit your particular situation.

There are different types of mind. We’re not very troubled by practical thoughts. We use them to solve a problem such as how to get to the airport, and when the problem is solved the thoughts stop. In order to live your life you need practical thoughts. But there is another kind of thinking that goes something like this: What might happen on the way to the airport? Maybe I don’t have time.  Maybe we will have a crash on the way. These kinds of thoughts are generated by the thinking mind and when it is not very quiet it can go round and round inside. 

We often think of a ‘spiritual’ environment as being very silent, very quiet. My own spiritual schooling was in an ashram in India. The guru understood that we westerners have busy minds, so he set it up in a way that kept us busy half the day and meditating the other half. In this busyness we gradually learnt how, despite being busy on the outside, we could keep quiet inside by not identifying with and hanging onto our thoughts.

If you keep focused on the inner world you will come to a point when you can catch the arising of this thought without getting attached to it – ‘Ah, there is that idea about a car crash on the way again.’ In order to catch that moment we need to be very willing and to become very quiet. It’s difficult because we’re so attached to certain structures that arise. They seem to be completely normal, in fact we call them ‘me’.

Meditation

If you meditate regularly that creates a quiet mind. My suggestion is that you find a meditation that you like doing and then do it regularly, every day. Sometimes people have very strong experiences in their first meditation, but for most people with busy minds it requires patience. The benefits usually come slowly, but after some time you will certainly fall into moments of great silence where the thoughts actually just stop or where thoughts appear but you are not bothered by them, not identified with them.

In order to have fear or stress or jealousy you have to have thoughts. Falling into this deep silence is a relief and encourages you to continue the meditation. Having a quiet mind is not an awakening or Self-realisation, but this quiet mind, without a lot of busy thoughts, creates a clean field for a moment of clear seeing.

Identification with the ‘I’, is seen clearly so that it can fall away, giving you a taste of your True Nature. And this taste gives you something truly beautiful: tremendous peace, tremendous love. Love in the sense of oneness with all. So by meditating regularly over some years, you will often fall into a deep silence, deep peace. And then it becomes very attractive to meditate.

In medtitation we simply try to accept everything that’s there. If some strong thought, emotion of body sensation is present we can use that as a possibility to accept. When we come into an attitude of acceptance we are encouraged to let ourselves fall deeper inside. This is not a doing, more a letting go and returning into what has always been present. 

Meditations offered by John David

Cellar Retreat

This form of a Retreat is a gift to yourself!

“You can call it Stillness, Emptiness, the Self, you can even call it God, and when we come to it just by being quiet.
In that place there is overwhelming Love flowing like a spring from the mountain side.”

John David

Be with yourself, withdrawn in a cellar vault without telephone, talking or going outwards.

In being alone it is possible to open up to everything that wants to show itself inside.

Free from outside distractions, and visual stimulation, it will lead you deep inside and gives you the possibility to reconnect deeply with your essence.

A darkness retreat and/or fasting program are also possibilities.

Meditation and Self-enquiry happens very easily in this silent space.

You can withdraw from the world for a weekend, for 4 or 7 days.

This retreat includes accomodation and full organic vegetarian board. We will have someone taking care of you around the clock.

A meeting with John David at the end of the retreat is included.

You can share your experience or talk about topics which came up for you.

Vipassana Island Weekend

Vipassana is the most effective Meditation that helps you know Yourself,
to understand how your Mind and Body are operating and to meet Yourself in a Deep Way.