Celebrating the Completion of a Ten-Day TWIM Retreat in Vienna

It is a great joy for these ten days retreat here in Vienna.

For these ten days, we are giving ourselves something very precious: time to become quiet, time to turn inward, and time to discover the natural clarity of the mind.

We are here to discover what happens when the mind gradually becomes soft, peaceful, clear and effortless.

Our foundation during this retreat started from Brahmavihāras — mettā, karuṇā, muditā and upekkhā: loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity.

The Brahmavihāras are not merely emotions that we try to produce, merging with the 6rs of recognizing, releasing, relaxing, re-smiling, return, repeat.

The whole meditation becomes a way of softening into a wholesome quality of the mind.

When the heart is filled with mettā, we no longer need to fight with ourselves.

When compassion arises, we stop resisting our own difficulties.

When appreciative joy arises, the mind becomes light rather than heavy.

And when equanimity becomes established, the mind learns to remain peaceful without needing to control everything.

Gradually, something very beautiful can happen.

From a soft mind to a clear mind, as the practice deepens, we begin to discover that effort itself can soften. We do not need to force the mind into silence.

We do not need to suppress thoughts. We do not need to chase away sensations.

Instead, we allow the mind to become so peaceful and unified that unnecessary mental activity naturally becomes quieter by just letting go.

We are not trying to create silence by force.

We are cultivating the conditions in which silence can naturally appear.

When the mind becomes tranquil, it can become clearer.

When it becomes clearer, we begin to see thoughts simply as thoughts.

Feelings are simply feelings. Sensations are simply sensations.

There is less identification:“my thought.”“ my problem.” “my feeling.”

Instead, there is simply observing.

And when the mind does not need to continuously react, construct, judge and comment, there can be moments of profound inner silence.

This silence is not dullness. It is not unconsciousness. It is not sleep.

It is a bright silence — a mind that is quiet yet awake, still yet clear.

We may describe this as a luminous mind.

The important point is that we do not need to grasp at this state.

The moment we say, “Ah! I have reached the luminous mind!”

The mind has already begun to move again.

So our practice is wonderfully simple: Observing, Knowing, Softening, Letting go.

Remain present with effortless!

In the beginning, some effort is necessary. We make the effort to sit. We make the effort to establish mindfulness. We make the effort to return to the meditation object. But eventually, practice can move from doing to being.

From holding the meditation object, to allowing the luminous mind to be naturally present.

From letting the mind peaceful, to allowing peace to reveal itself.

From controlling experience, to observing experience flows without resistance.

Do not measure the state of meditation!

Do not ask:

“Am I progressing?” “Have I reached jhāna?”“Why am I still having thoughts?”

“Why is somebody else meditating better than me?”

These questions themselves create activity in the mind.

Instead, you only need to be willing to meet the mind exactly as it is.

If the mind is restless, know restlessness.

If thoughts appear, know thoughts arising and passing away.

There is nothing needs to be done, simply remain relax!

The Brahmavihāras give us a particularly beautiful gateway into deep meditation because we begin not by fighting the mind, but by befriending the mind.

Mettā says: “May I be at peace.”

Compassion says: “May suffering be understood and released.”

Muditā says: “May goodness and happiness be appreciated.”

Upekkhā says: “Let things be balance in non-clinging and non-resistance.”

Eventually, these are no longer merely sentences. They become qualities of consciousness. The heart becomes soft. The mind becomes clear.

Thoughts lose their power. And awareness becomes increasingly mindful in the present. It becomes something we are allowing to unfold. Additional with three qualities: Patience. Gentleness. Curiosity.

Be patient with your mind.

Be gentle acceptance of all experiences.

And remain curious about what happens when stop interfering with experience.

Perhaps, gradually, we will discover that beneath the noise there is quietness.

Beneath the tension there is softness.

Beneath the confusion there is clarity.

And beneath the constant movement of the mind, there is a natural capacity for silence, stillness and luminous awareness. We do not need to manufacture it.

We simply create the conditions and allow the mind to reveal its own nature.

May all of us through these ten days become a time of deep healing, purification, wisdom and freedom.

May our mettā become boundless.

May our compassion become wise.

May our joy become light.

May our equanimity become unshakable.

And may the practice lead each of us, step by step, from effort to ease, from agitation to stillness, from darkness to clarity, and from clinging toward freedom.

Let us begin this journey together — quietly, gently, and with an open heart.

May all of you each day moving from Mettā → Karuṇā → Muditā → Upekkhā →wholesome mind → clear mind → silent mind → luminous mind → effortless awareness → letting go/Nibbāna.

Sādhu, sādhu, sādhu.