The Urban Retreat is now well under way.  During the weekend we learnt about the worldly winds, how we might turn them from obstacles into spiritual opportunities, and then we made our own personal practice resolutions. Yesterday we set up various "reminders" to help us keep clear about our sense of purpose even when we're in the thick of it.  Today we’ll explore the "review" section of the Urban Retreat diary.

This is the last main section of the diary, and it's there because it’s important to review how your practice is going, as you go along, so you can make necessary adjustments. It is like steering a yacht through waves and wind. You steer carefully, keeping an eye on where you are heading, and you also stay aware of what weather conditions loom on the horizon. You are always reviewing, making any necessary adjustments to the sails and the rudder, as well preparing for what lies ahead.

Types of change

Although early on in our spiritual life there are some things that seem to change quite quickly, most change is slow and subtle. There are highs and lows of practice, but there can also be long periods where you are trundling along and it all seems pretty ordinary. As long as you're engaged in what you’re doing, that is probably OK, but if it goes on like that for too long you may want to introduce more of a stretch and challenge into your life and practice.

Change isn't always noticeable; sometimes we don't give ourselves credit for the changes we've made, because we simply don't notice them. We get used to ourselves, and think this is how we've always been. Sometimes it is our friends and acquaintances who reflect back to us how much we've changed.

We can also tend to perfectionism in practice, wanting to get it exactly right, and then swinging into defeatism when we don't, thinking we'll never change. Perfectionism, thinking that anything less than perfect is total failure, is a subtle form of eternalism (the belief in a perfect, unchanging state). Defeatism, thinking ‘It was less than perfect, so I failed’, is a subtle form of nihilism (the belief that things, in the end, come to nothing). Buddhism rejects both these views, because they are both equally static and fail to realize that life is a continuous process of making and re-making. In fact, you could see perfectionism and defeatism as another pair of worldly winds; creativity could be the Dharma-door that rises above them.

Suggested Reflections: Reviewing your practice
So, today, ask yourself how your practice with the Worldly Winds is going.

Are my precepts/resolutions proving helpful and realistic?
Am I learning anything?
Do I need to refine my precepts – perhaps making them a bit more specific, or adjusting the precept to take into account what I've learned so far?
Do I need to be a bit more realistic, or could I be more ambitious?
Shall I focus on fewer worldly winds, or just one precept?

Make notes in your diary about how it is going – both in your daily practice and also your meditation practice. This will help you be more aware of what you've learned – both the successes and the need for more practice. It will also strengthen your resolve for the future - which of course starts tomorrow!   In this way we get a cycle of ‘Resolve-Remind-Review’ and back to the first stage again. Do this review at the end of every day if you can.

Suggested Diary Practice:
Fill in the review section of yesterday’s diary page, opposite the ‘Resolve’ column.  Try to make conscious any adjustments and changes you’re making to how you plan to  practice in the coming days. Remember that making your intentions more conscious and specific increases your chances of actually following-through! You’re aiming for resolutions that are realistic, but also stretch you somewhat - how much is of course up to you. 

Don't forget you can check out the team posts on the urban retreat pages.  There’s a more multi-media and interactive version of these reflections on the Voicethread post which Lokabandhu should be posting alongside this.  And do leave your comments on any part of the site - we’re all on retreat together... 

Suggested Meditation:
Be clear which meditation you're going to do today, when, and for roughly how long.  Then, afterwards, make sure you also find some time to review how it went, and make any necessary changes to your approach.  And make plans for tomorrow...