23/07/2026
(Eesti keeles allpool) Yeshe Khorlo Estonia invites qualified practitioners to join a traditional 3-year solitary retreat following the Pema Lingpa Lineage under the guidance of Retreat Master Khenpo Karma Wangyel (starting in summer 2028). https://yeshekhorlo.ee/news/new-3-year-retreat-in-estonia-starting-summer-2028/
Related to that, there is a good reminder from Eva Natanya and Alan Wallace on cultivating the five inner conditions for practice before enterning retreat, based on Kamalaśīla's "Bhavanakrama".
When is one ready for long term retreat? Kamalaśīla’s five inner conditions for retreat
Here are the five inner conditions for retreat—derived from the six prerequisites for calm abiding (śamathasambhāra, zhi gnas kyi tshogs drug), where the first, a suitable location, is an outer condition.
Source: Center for Contemplative Research (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESHlL-Yy7tQ&list=PLAbRw8NYcRDs&index=4)
Alan Wallace is a Buddhist teacher and the director of the Center for Contemplative Research (CCR), where he conducts long-term meditation retreats and leads collaborative projects with scientists studying consciousness. He has spent many years in retreat.
Eva Natanya is a scholar of Indian and Buddhist theology, Christian Theology, translator, and senior teacher at the Center for Contemplative Research (CCR), where she provides spiritual guidance for long-term retreatants ‒ she herself having spent more than four years in solitary retreat.
Alan Walace strongly encourages students who are not yet in a retreat environment to work primarily on cultivating these inner conditions. This process is directly connected to developing what is known as renunciation (or spirit of emergence): it is about realizing there is something higher you can step toward. This realization leads to a natural disinterest in many worldly things that usually consume people's interest.
1. Having Little Desire (alpacchanda, ’dod chung)
Eva Natanya's Explanation: This condition is about realizing what does not satisfy you anymore. Entertainment is an obvious example—it simply loses its power to satisfy. This also applies to impulsively following every interesting thing that pops up just to learn more about it, without figuring out how it fits into the deeper thread of what you are trying to learn in life. While studying is fantastic, modern distractions cause people to just read or listen to whatever comes up. Cultivating this condition means establishing a clear direction: knowing what is most important and choosing exactly what you want to spend your time reading, studying, and taking to heart.
2. Being Content (saṃtuṣṭi, chog shes pa)
Eva Natanya's Explanation: Food is a straightforward example of this, yet people often do not realize how much attachment they have to specific foods until they actually enter a retreat. To cultivate contentment beforehand, you need to live in the world in such a way that going out to a restaurant does not even sound interesting anymore. You must reach a point where you are completely content to eat pretty much the same diet day to day and week to week without getting bored.
3. Giving Up Multifarious Activities (alpakṛtyatā or abahukṛtyatā, bya ba mang po yongs su spang ba)
Eva Natanya's Explanation: Managing social relationships is a massive part of this condition. If you cut off constant contact sharply only upon arriving at the retreat, it usually does not work well. The transition must be cultivated in advance based on the length of the retreat. For a short retreat of two or three months, it is fine to simply tell loved ones that you are going away and will be out of contact for a while. However, for a much longer retreat, friends, family, and partners need to know far in advance what life will be like without you around so they can adjust and learn not to depend on you.
4. Maintaining Pure Ethical Discipline (Śīlaviśuddhi, tshul khrims rnam par dag pa)
Eva Natanya's Explanation: From the perspective of the person preparing for retreat, you need to have explained, shared, and lived the example of virtue and the path in the presence of your loved ones for a long time. They need to actually see why this path is beneficial for you. This ensures that going into retreat does not feel like entering a pitched battle with someone very close to you. Being in a retreat while trying to heal tension in a relationship is exceptionally difficult, especially when the retreat itself is the source of the conflict.
5. Thoroughly Eliminating Obsessive Thoughts (vitarkaprahāṇa, rnam par rtog pa yongs su spang ba)
Eva Natanya's Explanation: Because this specific teaching focuses heavily on the practical pre-retreat mastery of the first four conditions (handling entertainment, information intake, food, and social ties), this fifth step becomes the natural internal result of that outer training. By successfully developing a "natural disinterest" and withdrawing your attention from worldly distractions while still living in the world, the heavy conceptual projections, fantasies, and obsessive mental chatter will naturally lose their fuel and quiet down before the retreat even begins.
Eestikeelne tõlge: Millal ollakse valmis pikaajaliseks retriidiks? Kamalaśīla eralduses olemise viis sisemist tingimust
Siin on esitatud viis sisemist tingimust retriidiks, mis tulenevad meelerahu saavutamise kuuest eeltingimusest (śamathasambhāra, zhi gnas kyi tshogs drug, kus esimene, sobiv asukoht, on väline tingimus), mida Kamalaśīla esitleb tekstis Bhāvanākrama ning mis põhinevad Eva Natanya selgitustel ja Alan Wallace’i lähenemisel.
Selgitus siin keskendub sellele, kuidas neid tingimusi igapäevaelus arendada enne retriidile minekut.
Alan Wallace on budistlik õpetaja ja Center for Contemplative Research (CCR) direktor. Ta viib seal läbi pikaajalisi meditatsiooniretriite ning juhib koostööprojekte teadlastega, kes uurivad teadvust. Ta on ise veetnud retriitides palju aastaid.
Eva Natanya on India ja budistliku ning kristliku teoloogia teadlane, tõlkija ja CCR-i vanemõpetaja, kes pakub pikaajalisel retriidil osalejatele vaimset juhendamist – ta on ise veetnud rohkem kui neli aastat üksildases retriidis.
Alan Wallace julgustab õpilasi, kes ei viibi veel retriidikeskkonnas, töötama eelkõige just nende sisemiste tingimuste arendamise kallal. See protsess on otseselt seotud nn vabanemissoovi ehk loobumismeele (nges byung, renunciation / spirit of emergence) arendamisega: küsimus on mõistmises, et on olemas midagi kõrgemat, mille poole pürgida. See mõistmine tekitab loomuliku huvi kadumise paljude ilmalike asjade vastu, mis tavaliselt inimeste tähelepanu neelavad.
1. Vähesed soovid (alpacchanda, ’dod chung)
Eva Natanya selgitus: See tingimus seisneb mõistmises, mis sind enam ei rahulda. Meelelahutus on siin selge näide – see lihtsalt kaotab oma võime pakkuda rahulolu. See kehtib ka impulsiivse vajaduse kohta joosta kaasa iga ettejuhtuva huvitava asjaga lihtsalt selleks, et sellest rohkem teada saada, ilma mõtlemata, kuidas see sobitub sinu elu sügavama õppeprotsessi ja põhisuunaga. Kuigi õppimine on suurepärane, panevad kaasaegsed tähelepanusuunajad (röövijad) inimesi lihtsalt lugema või kuulama kõike, mis ette juhtub. Selle tingimuse arendamine tähendab selge suuna seadmist: teadmist, mis on kõige olulisem, ja täpset valimist, mille lugemisele, uurimisele ja südamesse võtmisele sa oma aega kulutad.
2. Rahulolu sellega, mis on (saṃtuṣṭi, chog shes pa)
Eva Natanya selgitus: Toit on selle kohta väga lihtne näide, kuid inimesed tihti ei mõista, kui kiindunud nad teatud toitudesse on, enne kui nad reaalselt retriidile lähevad. Et rahulolutunnet juba eelnevalt arendada, pead sa elama maailmas viisil, kus restorani minek ei tundu su jaoks enam isegi huvitav. Sa pead jõudma punkti, kus sa oled täielikult rahul sellega, et sööd päevast päeva ja nädalast nädalasse enam-vähem ühte ja sama toitu, ilma et see muutuks tüütuks.
3. Mitmesugustest tegevustest loobumine (alpakṛtyatā või abahukṛtyatā, bya ba mang po yongs su spang ba)
Eva Natanya selgitus: Sotsiaalsete suhete haldamine on selle tingimuse oluline osa. Kui sa katkestad pideva kontakti järsult alles retriidile jõudes, ei toimi see tavaliselt hästi. Seda üleminekut tuleb arendada ette, lähtudes retriidi pikkusest. Lühikese, kahe- või kolmekuulise retriidi puhul on sobiv lihtsalt öelda lähedastele, et lähed ära ja oled mõnda aega kättesaamatu. Palju pikema retriidi puhul peavad aga sõbrad, pere ja partnerid juba pikalt ette teadma, milline on elu ilma sinuta, et nad saaksid kohaneda ja õppida sinust mitte sõltuma.
4. Puhta kõlbluse hoidmine (Śīlaviśuddhi, tshul khrims rnam par dag pa)
Eva Natanya selgitus: Retriidiks valmistuva inimese vaatenurgast on sul vaja oma lähedaste juuresolekul juba pikka aega rakendada vooruslikkust ja seda teed selgitada, jagada ja neile eeskujuks olla. Nad peavad tegelikult nägema, miks see tee on sulle kasulik. See tagab, et retriidile minek ei tundu nagu sõtta astumine kellegi sulle väga lähedase inimesega. Retriidis viibimine ja samal ajal suhtepingete lahendamine on erakordselt raske – eriti siis, kui konflikti allikaks ongi retriit ise.
5. Kinnisideedest ja sundmõtetest täielik vabanemine (vitarkaprahāṇa, rnam par rtog pa yongs su spang ba)
Eva Natanya selgitus: Kuna see konkreetne õpetus keskendub tugevalt esimese nelja tingimuse (meelelahutuse, info tarbimise, toidu ja sotsiaalsete sidemetega tegelemise) praktilisele valdamisele enne retriiti, saab sellest viiendast sammust selle välise treeningu loomulik sisemine tagajärg. Kui kasvatad edukalt "loomuliku huvi kadumist" ja tõmbad oma tähelepanu ilmalikelt asjadelt eemale (elades samal ajal alles maailmas), kaotavad rasked mõistelised projektsioonid, fantaasiad ja sundmõtetest pakatav vaimne loba loomulikult oma toitepinnase ja vaibuvad juba enne retriidi algust.
