I generally don’t read the stories in the New York Times Travel section. I look at the pictures. Scan the ads. But the articles tend toward the self-indulgent. Yesterday was an exception. There were two great pieces in there — one about a Zen retreat in California, the other about a New Age resort in the Bahamas. (Both require free registration to read online.)
The retreat, Tassajara, sounds like a great place to disengage, and I’ve added it to my “to do” list. They don’t require meditation (though you can if you want). It’s mostly a place out in the woods where you can decelerate, get in touch with nature and just be.
The second piece, “A Skeptic in Yogiland,” was hilarious. The writer makes a journey from skeptic to believer and back again. It reminded me vaguely of David Chadwick’s awesome “Thank You and Ok!: An American Zen Failure in Japan.”
An excerpt from the skeptic article:
“At breakfast, Francine, who was herself going through a bit of a crisis of faith and had stopped attending class, accused me of looking radiant, as if I were glowing with an inner light.
“This inaugurated my brief messianic phase. I realized I knew the answers to everyone’s problems, including my own, and I did not hesitate to share them. “Just let go and be here now,” I said. “All suffering is caused by trying to repeat past pleasures.”
“When Fran tried to shut me up, I held up my left palm and shone it at her. “Tell it to the light,” I said.”
