In December of 2011, I went on a Buddhist retreat. Of the spiritual formations I’ve been in, it’s the most blissful and enlightening. However, because of the other events it coincided with the first time, I can’t say I absorbed its fullness (it is what I was talking about in this entry).

So when John invited me again last month, I made sure I’d go with the right frame of mind (which includes abiding by “the no cellphone, no gadget” rule, something I didn’t do a good job of last year).

It was in Pearl Farm (again) in Davao. It’s considered Davao’s best. To me, it’s still good but after being there a hundred times, there are other spots that make Samal Island interesting like the Monfort Bat Santuary Cave (people who genuinely know me who I call “my friends” know my fascination with bats). I didn’t realize that it’s a Guiness-certified place for the most number of Bat inhabitants . Another is Hagimit Falls. I wish people living within the vicinity would realize that they have to take better care of this Jewel.

But Pearl Farm’s poshness or the novelty of the island amounts to nothing compared to what one experiences in a cave where all the meditation takes place.

Wearing only red/orange robes while meditating, you’ll experience life... talking “with” you.

No two people obtain the same insights. And they say that if your insights are so crystal clear you could write them down, you had none actually. You can only loosely describe it.

I don’t know what mine was/were. But I had a sense of ecstasy about myself and my life approach. I think I get it. I’ve simplified everything which boils down to: Do only what’s important and meaningful. If it’s not important and meaningful and you’re doing it, stop. If it’s  important and meaningful and you’re not doing it, start.

It’s not as easy to do as it sounds. It takes a lot of resolve, discipline, applications that work, and a lot of incessant self-questioning like “why am I here?”. Overtime, I think I became an adroit practitioner of doing-only-the-important thing.

And sometimes, it’s almost effortless.

After a taxing first day in the city, I left for Samal Island. There, I met the other enlightenment-seeking participants from all over the world of various disciplines...science, business, finance...you name it.

After dinner, I went to the beach. On a hammock, I started and finished Her Pilgrim Soul, an entry I intend to publish in the next couple of days. I had a blast doing it I forgot about the time.

I hopped off to go to my room. A few steps after, I looked up to the naked moon on a cloudless night. Then, I was startled by the “crawling” sensation of something on my right foot. It was a crab. I smiled. I looked around and made sure there were no Koreans to squash  the poor thing. Then I looked at the time.

It was midnight.

See! Even my memory stores only what’s important and meaningful.