Conversation

          Since I've got ten minutes to go on the time paid for on this machine, I thought I'd tell you about the one conversation I've had here.

          A guy came and sat beside me at lunch. He was a guy I'd met, but of course had hardly spoken to, on the Holy Isle. He's twenty five. He's French of Madagasgar extraction and lives in a Dzong in London. (If I have another conversation, I'll ask him how he got there!)

          Anyway, after meditating for only forty minutes a day and in group meditations, he signs up for three months on the Holy Isle in the middle of winter. You had to sit on your own for six hours during the day there and go to two services at either end. He said the first two weeks were very hard!!

          The boy in the programme Amateur Pilgrim went into solitary in one of St Antony's caves in Egypt and the first two weeks were murdering him and then in the last week he started getting into it. You should remember this is they through you into jail and leave you in solitary. After two weeks you'll be fine.

          Towards the end of the retreat, (I didn't find out how long!), the power cut on Arran hit them and there was no heating. He said they made hot water bottles from heating water on the wood stove. The heating came on thirty minutes before they left!!!

            I know how hard it is to sit there saying mumbo jumbo to yourself ..... e