In a mountain villa surrounded by rustling trees and chirping birds, the Happifuru Club began a new adventure: a three-day “mindfulness retreat. It was a journey away from the everyday and toward the inner universe.
On the morning of the first day, the participants' faces were a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, even the flow of time seemed different here. The words of Henry David Thoreau echoed in my mind. Every time I go deep into the forest, I meet a new part of myself. We, too, had embarked on an exploration of our own uncharted territory.
The first session of the retreat was a meditation called “Poetics of Breathing. Participants closed their eyes and slowly became aware of their breath. Breathe in. Breathe out. In this simple act, the providence of the universe seemed to reside.
In the teachings of Zen, there is a phrase, “Ordinary mind is the way. It means that the ordinary mind of daily life is the path to enlightenment. But how difficult it is to become aware of this “equanimity”? Our minds are always caught up in regrets of the past and fears of the future, and we tend to turn our eyes away from the only reality that is the present.
As the meditation deepened, the participants' faces gradually softened. It was as if an inner storm was calming down. The French philosopher Gaston Bachelard said, “In the moment there is eternity. In this silence, we may have experienced a moment of eternity that transcended time.
In the afternoon session, we did a work entitled “Kaleidoscope of the Senses. Blindfolded, we touched, smelled, and listened to various natural objects. By blocking out the sense of sight, subtleties of the senses that are usually unnoticed come vividly to the fore.
One participant sensed the mystery of the universe in the texture of tree bark, while another heard a melody of distant memories in the sound of the wind. As the poet William Blake said, “In a grain of sand you see the world, in a wild flower you see heaven. To be aware of the wonders in the everyday is the essence of mindfulness.
The morning of the second day began with “moving meditation. Participants proceeded along the mountain path in a slow walking meditation. With each step, we became aware of the sensation of the soles of our feet touching the ground, the air brushing our skin, the chirping of birds, the rustling of trees, and everything else.
This experience makes us question what it means to be present in the “here and now. The philosopher Martin Heidegger proposed the concept of “Dasein. It is not merely “being,” but being conscious of one's own existence. Through this walking meditation, the participants became vividly aware of their own “presence.
The afternoon session was a work called “Creation of Silence,” in which participants were free to create during two hours of complete silence. Some painted, some wrote poetry, some sculpted with clay. Without exchanging a word, each immersed himself or herself in the world of creation, listening to the inner voice.
The works created in this silence were surprisingly powerful and full of profound expression. It was as if from the fertile ground of silence, the flower of creativity bloomed en masse. This reminded me of John Cage's famous work “4 minutes and 33 seconds. His insight that infinite music can be found only in complete silence was beautifully embodied here and now.
On the final day, the participants' faces were surprisingly serene, and their eyes held a quiet glow. The final session, “Journey to the Inner Universe,” was a meditation using Guided Imagery. They closed their eyes and explored their own inner landscape in their imagination.
During this journey, some participants reconnected with nearly forgotten memories from their childhood, while others experienced a dialogue with their future selves. The words of psychologist Carl Jung come to mind: “To know oneself is to know the universe. To know oneself is to know the universe. Each participant was able to glimpse the vastness and profundity of his or her own inner universe.
The retreat concluded with a time of sharing with everyone. How could we verbalize our experiences that left us speechless? But as we began to speak, words gushed forth like a fountain. It was full of surprise, emotion, and new insights.
The three-day mindfulness retreat thus came to a close. However, this is not the end, but a new beginning. The seeds of stillness and creativity began to sprout within each participant.
It is precisely this moment that the Happifuru Club aims for. To get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and listen to one's own inner poetry. And to express that experience in the form of creation. This retreat was a small but sure light on that path.
Mindfulness and creativity. We experienced firsthand that these two seemingly contradictory elements are in fact deeply connected. It is in stillness that the richest fountain of creativity springs forth. We must find that spring and have the courage to draw from it. That is the first step toward becoming a true creator.
Now, why don't you listen to the silence within and let yourself be carried along by the waves of creation that well up from there? Surely, there is a poet within you that you have not yet discovered.