The Enlightenment Exercise
“The simple rules for this are - listen silently and speak without judging what the other has said.”
Many contemplative retreats are silent, solitary, solo and still. Ours is different. Here, the work happens through connection: with your partner in each dyad, with the monitors who support you, and with the master who guides the process. You will be listened to, looked in the eye and genuinely met, again and again. That support is not a comfort added on top of the practice. It's what makes the practice work.
Participants are taught the Enlightenment Exercise, or dyad, a paired communication exercise of 40 minutes where each partner takes it in five minute turns to contemplate and communicate, while the other listens. If working on ‘Who am I’? the contemplating partner puts their attention on themselves, intends to experience themselves directly, and then open to whatever occurs. This is then communicated to their partner.