Solitude

’d wanted a life of physical activity and adventure

but rather than cling to what I’d lost, I focused on developing my mind instead

During the next four years, the inner light almost flickered out

She returned to the States but came back to share my one-room shack

The deep connection I felt was as much with the people as with the land

serve the community in a positive way

peak spiritual experiences are inherently transient

The depression and the grief for what I’d lost eased only when I discovered Buddhist meditation practice

I couldn’t explain what I was going through, and she finally left me.

I sank deeper and deeper into darkness, clinging to the dead memory of what had been a living flame