Mein Internetzugang hier reicht leider nicht für ein paar schöne Fotos. Aber lasst es euch gesagt sein: Es ist paradisisch! Und einfach Einfach. Entgegen der Gewohnheit ist der folgende Text in Englisch. Aber so schwierig ist's ja auch nicht zu verstehen. Ein Auszug:
A tigersnake is in my garden. 2 days ago in the morning I went out of my solitary hut just to breath the fresh air when I suddenly saw a 2m long tigersnake about 10m away. I was somehow shocked and at the same time very curious about the snake, I rushed into my hut to make some photos from a secure distance, but my moving was information enough for the snake to find a short way out of 'my garden'. (This was the third tigersnake I saw in the last few days.) After this experience I did my running exercise and every time, when I saw a dark, thin and long stick or a moving shadow on the side of my eyes, I was a bit scared: it could be a snake. Even when I carefully scan the path before me while I'm running, there is this fear. So: I have to trust more my actual experience of seeing than my phantasies!! It's a very good exercise, and I'm pretty successful with that. (When I'm thinking while I'm running, there are no snakes at all.)
So now, miraculously, I've been beamed to Kangoroo Island, south of Adelaide, for an 18 days solitary retreat in the wilderness. It's a Tibetan property nearly in Nowhereland, one hour drive to the next proper supermarket. On Google map the island doesn't look like a big island, but it's about 150km long. Heidi, who looks after the retreatens, is doing the shopping once a week, so I've to learn to manage the food. At home it's quite easy to go to the supermarket (WEZ) and buy just as it's needed. Not here so – and I tend to order more than nessesary - “just in case...”.
There are 5 well built and solid solitary huts, mostly hidden in the wild bush. 10 min fast walking distance away stays Prasadavati and between us is someone, who is just preparing his 3 years retreat. That's all. And bush, bush, bush and Wallabies, Kangoroos, Tigersnakes, Goannas (1m Lizard), Echidnas (Anteater), black scorpion
on my carpet, lots of different birds, black Cochatoo … (There is a big spider in my room, waiting for a victim. I'm watching him!) Old and young, dead or just borne. No one to see, no one to hear. But bush and some unsealed roads.
I haven´t felt bored for a minute, but the opposite: It feels, the day is still too short.
I'm reading and studying a lot. First I had to finish 2 novells: P.D. James (just boring!) and Pride and Prejudice (in English!! - I so enjoyed and was relieved: there was a happy end!!). I've nearly finished Maitreyabandhu's book “Life with full attention” and I'm studying “The Essential Sangharakshita”. And in the evening I'm reading now “Atemschaukel” from Herta Müller. I think there will be already a translation into English, but I wonder how it is possible to translate it properly. It's a peculiar and demanding language, but at the time easy to read. Great literature.
Und ein Nachtrag in Deutsch:
Ich bin so froh über mein ebook. So habe ich eine Menge zum Lesen dabei, ohne die Kilos Gepäck mit mir rumschleppen zu müssen. Ist so schon immer hart an der Grenze.
