Author: Hivani Vora
Publication: The New York Times
Date: December 12, 2008
The three dozen participants started out with
two half-hour Buddhist meditation sessions before dawn. They then spent the
next two hours doing what's called work practice, which consisted of scrubbing
toilets and raking leaves, all in silence. An afternoon of instruction on
the essentials of Buddhism led to more meditation, cleaning the dinner dishes,
and sleeping in dorm-style accommodations. Sunday was an abbreviated version
of the day before.
Perhaps what was the most unusual aspect of
this austere weekend at Zen Mountain Monastery in Mount Tremper, N.Y., was
that many of the attendees were not adherents of Eastern religious practices,
but were part of an increasing number of nonbelievers who are seeking stress-free,
spiritual and often inexpensive weekend breaks at local ashrams (isolated
communities formed around a guru who follows Hindu philosophy) and Buddhist
monasteries (residences for monks).
Philipp Malkmus, a 30-year-old consultant
for PricewaterhouseCoopers, said the rigorous agenda at Zen Mountain Monastery
over the Halloween weekend actually left him refreshed. "It wasn't fun
in the traditional sense, but it was the opposite of my life in New York City
and a return to a very uncomplicated way of living," he said. "It
gave me the rest and relaxation I was looking for."
Zen Mountain is just one example of an ashram
or monastery in upstate New York that promises to recharge the mind and spirit
of its guests with a combination of simplicity and meditation, served up on
a tight schedule. At least half a dozen of these spiritual retreats are tucked
away among the Catskill Mountains.
Most have been around for several decades,
but until recently their visitors were mainly practicing Buddhists, serious
yoga students or devotees of an ashram's guru. Today, these spots are attracting
clientele from the surrounding metropolitan areas who've had limited interaction
with Eastern religions, yoga or a spiritual guru. Like Mr. Malkmus, who spent
several months before his trip clocking 60-hour workweeks, more nonbelievers
are coming to experience the rigors of an ashram or monastery as a way to
escape.
At Vivekananda Retreat, Ridgely, an ashram
in Stone Ridge founded in 1997 on the principles of Swami Vivekananda, for
example, Pravrajika Gitaprana, the minister in residence, estimated that half
of the roughly 100 guests the ashram sees every year aren't followers of the
swami. Five years ago, she said, almost all were.
Jennifer Schmid, the marketing director for
Ananda Ashram in Monroe, said that many of the guests in the past few years
had no knowledge of the ashram's guru, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, before
visiting. "It used to be that most of the people coming to stay here
had read our guru's writings or had studied with him," she said. "Today,
people are realizing that we're a place they come to for refuge. They don't
necessarily know anything about our guru or know that we even have a guru."
Mr. Malkmus had no prior knowledge of Buddhism
or meditation before his stay at Zen Mountain. He discovered the monastery
when he was searching the Internet for a weekend getaway in the Catskills.
He chose to stay there, he said, because it represented the antithesis of
his life of technology overdrive and constant action. "I've done lots
of local trips to places like Fire Island and the Jersey Shore," he said.
"The scenery changes, but the vibe doesn't. This has a back-to-the-basics
approach that's unlike anything I've ever done."
It's the spartan living style and firm scheduling
at these retreats that make them increasingly popular as an alternative vacation
option. Harried urbanites can spend whole days without making a decision or
facing a crisis, without trying to find a cab in the rain or worrying about
a client. The activities are predetermined and tightly scheduled: meditation,
chanting religious verses, doing chores around the property and silent self-contemplation.
The retreats' accessibility to several metropolitan
areas and their affordability also enhance their appeal at a time when the
economy is weak.
Ms. Schmid said that Ananda Ashram has been
booked to its capacity of 50 guests nearly weekend, even in the winter, for
the past two years. It is a marked change from when the ashram was not even
half full during colder months. And the Introduction to Zen program that Mr.
Malkmus participated in at Zen Mountain currently attracts 35 to 40 guests
most weekends, up 25 percent from 10 years ago, said Ryushin Osho, a resident
monk.
It's generally stress - whether personal or
job related - that drives guests to choose one of these spiritual getaways,
according to surveyed clientele and the staff at ashrams and monasteries.
Melissa Poller spent a weekend at the Dai Bosatsu Zendo monastery in Livingston
Manor last May in an effort to ease her incessant worrying about her job in
technology services. Its routine is similar to Zen Mountain's, but with communication
limited to only essential talking during much of the retreat, since activities
such as eating and chores are viewed as a form of meditation. Ms. Poller said
it was mentally and physically challenging to sit still and not talk for such
long periods but that she felt free from stress for the first time in several
months. "You push yourself to a limit," said Ms. Poller, a 30-year-old
Brooklyn resident, "but the experience gave me a lot of clarity and peace
and helped me cope with my constant anxiety."
Stays at monasteries such as Dai Bosatsu tend
to be stricter than those at ashrams. At Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch, a picturesque
77-acre spot surrounded by woods in Woodbourne, for example, days begin at
6 a.m. with meditation and chanting, a two-hour yoga class and an hour of
chores around the property. In the afternoons, ashram residents or outside
speakers usually present workshops on topics such as "The Essentials
of Yoga" and conduct question-and-answer sessions on meditation. But
guests also have free time each day to go on staff-guided nature walks or
relax in a 12-person wood-burning Russian sauna.
Grace Lee, a 32-year-old from New York City
working in pharmaceutical research, stayed at Sivananda in October when a
breakup with her long-term boyfriend, on top of an already stressful three-hour
commute to and from work every day, began to affect her mental and physical
health. "I was tense and fatigued all the time," she said, "and
the massages I was getting at fancy spas were doing nothing for the knots
in my neck."
Ms. Lee remembered the handful of yoga classes
she had taken at various gyms as being relaxing and thought a few days of
intense practice might be her ticket to unwinding. She came across Sivananda
while researching yoga vacations, and though she's an avid globetrotter who
has visited 32 countries, she said that the ashram's proximity to home was
a deciding factor. "It's stressful to go to the airport and worry about
lost luggage and the other negatives of flying," she said. "This
is close to home, but it feels so far away and gives you the feeling that
you've really disconnected from everything."
The days are lush with spiritual offerings,
but the accommodations at Sivananda and other such sites are in line with
the most barebones European youth hostel. At Ananda Ashram, for instance,
housing is either dorm-style, single-sex quarters that sleep four to six or
semi-private rooms with two single beds. Bathrooms are shared.
What they lack in deluxe lodgings, however,
ashrams and monasteries more than make up in meals, which can rival those
at an upscale spa. They're almost always buffet style vegetarian affairs and
incorporate locally grown produce and organic products. On a recent Wednesday
afternoon at Ananda's high school-like dining hall, lunch featured six varieties
of breads, including spelt and sprouted, roasted herbed potatoes, a vegan
tomato bisque, orzo salad, pineapple-and-vegetable stir-fry, lemon bars, and
apples and pears from a nearby farm. Nearly everything is made from scratch,
including the ketchup, salad dressings and even tempeh.
Stays at ashrams and monasteries are all-inclusive
and usually include accommodations, activities and three meals a day. Prices
are as low as $60 a night for dorm-style rooms. Ms. Poller said the $200 cost
for her weekend trip to Dai Bosatsu made the decision to go that much easier.
"In the current economy, I worry about money," she said. "I'm
trying to find ways to go away without spending so much money, and this is
really inexpensive."
Although they're in vacation settings, the
residents emphasize, these are not hotels for travelers looking for a cheap
place to stay for a few nights. Pravrajika Gitaprana said anyone making a
reservation at Vivekananda Retreat was told that participation in the meditation
sessions and classes was encouraged. And Jokei Kyodo, a resident at Dai Bosatsu,
said the monastery is not a resort for guests looking to put their feet up.
"I had a lady who called me recently and said she had a few extra vacation
days she needed to use up," she said. "We want people to come here
and make a commitment to our Zen practice, which isn't exactly comfortable."
And while all the monasteries and ashrams
surveyed said they weren't attempting to convert guests to any particular
religion or guru and only wanted to provide spiritual solace, many guests
find the getaways alluring enough to make a second trip. Ian Reclusado, a
28-year-old project manager in account sales from Brooklyn, stayed at Zen
Monastery over a weekend in October and intends to go back for an intense
weeklong session that involves 10 hours of meditation a day, and both Ms.
Poller and Ms. Lee found their visits to Dai Bosatsu and Sivananda so beneficial
that they've already returned for more stays.
Still, some say one visit is sufficient to
give them what they were searching for. "It's not like I'm a die-hard
Buddhist after this," said Mr. Malkmus of his weekend at Zen Mountain.
"I wanted to get away from the permanent noise in New York City and get
a break, and that's exactly what I got."
THE DELIGHTS OF SILENCE
Ananda Ashram, Monroe (845-782-5575; www.anandaashram.org).
Late risers will appreciate the 8 a.m. start time to most days. The ashram
holds several kinds of yoga classes, including hatha, anusara and vinyasa,
and has a theater that shows dance performances and plays.
Blue Cliff Monastery, Pine Bush (845-733-4959;
www.bluecliffmonastery.org). This Vietnamese Buddhist monastery opened in
June 2007 in an old conference center. Meals are vegan, and students and those
65 and older get a discount on overnight stays.
Dai Bosatsu Zendo, Livingston Manor (845-439-4566;
www.daibosatsu.org). Open to guests from March through June and September
through November, for monthly Introduction to Zen retreats. Everyone must
adhere to the 4:30 a.m. wake-up calls, work practice and silence.
Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, Woodstock (845-679-5906;
www.kagyu.org). Days at this Woodstock monastery begin at 5 a.m. with chanting
and meditation followed on weekends by Buddhist teachings. Afternoons repeat
the morning schedule.
Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch, Woodbourne (845-436-6492;
www.sivananda.org). Founded in 1976 on the principles of hatha yoga, the ashram
offers four hours of yoga a day in this style. It also has special programs,
such as juice fasting and family weeks.
Vivekananda Retreat, Ridgely, Stone Ridge
(845-687-4574; www.ridgely.org). It has twice daily meditation sessions and
often offers classes on yoga sutras or Vedantic scriptures but builds in four
hours of unstructured time a day.
Zen Mountain Monastery, Mount Tremper (845-688-2228;
www.mro.org). In addition to retreats, guests can visit this 230-acre property
on most Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings for an introduction to meditation
and Buddhism.
