As his two-year-old son makes dog noises in the background, Alejandro Julien uses a cybernetic simile to explain why lakeside residents should take advantage of an opportunity to learn age-old wisdom from a revered American scholar.
“It’s like hacking your own mind,” he explains. “Aren’t you tired of certain thought patterns?
“People are coming from all over the world just to learn from this guy,” he continues, referring to Geshe Michael Roach, the keynote teacher at the seven-day Wheel of Life retreat starting Wednesday, July 18, at Monte Coxala Spa in San Juan Cosalá. Julien, a producer of the event, studied under Geshe Michael.
“We’re expecting about 100 people—students and teachers—12 hours a day in this premium hotel and spa. I’d want to tell people who live in Ajijic, ‘Don’t take it for granted that Geshe Michael is coming practically to your own house.’ You can come on a day pass that includes three meals and full access to the retreat and hot springs.”
Santiago Cumplido, a local opera singer and artistic director of the retreat, explained that the schedule of sessions consists not only of teaching sessions given by Geshe Michael, “the first westerner to receive this title [geshe, an academic title],” but also various types of yoga and meditation and workshops in art, singing, dance, cooking, mantras and more.
“Everything is in English,” he explained, “and there are translations using headphones available in many languages—Spanish, Chinese, Russian, German and more. The highlight is the teachings of Geshe Michael from a book he translated.”
Julien explained that a large cache of Tibetan books, many of them ancient, have traveled the world and are now being translated, digitalized and scanned as part of the Asian Classics Input Project, which Roach helped launch after 25 years of Buddhist monastic study in India. The director of that project, John Brady, is also coming to the retreat.
“This is the eighth time we’ve had the retreat in Mexico,” Julien said. “In previous years it was in the Hotel Real de Chapala and other places, such as Mazamitla.
“Many other teachers, including a shaman named Don Jesús, are also coming. Don Jesús was once featured in a National Geographic documentary.”
The retreat is for people of all ages, he explained. “My mother is coming and the parents of some friends are coming. Some of the people attending are very successful; others want to save the world; or they are searching or bored. But they all have a good heart.
“It doesn’t matter when you learn these lessons. The philosophy is very useful for life. It’s a map of things you should realize before you die. If I’d learned this when I was younger, I would have saved myself so many problems.”
Organizers said the whole seven days at the spa with all the events and meals costs around $US1,000 dollars. Day passes, which cover from 7 a.m. until night time, and include everything but a private room at the hotel, cost 1,700 pesos (about 87 U.S. dollars).
For information on “Understanding the Wheel of Life” retreat, see asianclassicsinstitute.org/#upcoming-events-2018.Information on day passes and other options at acimexico.org/link-more-optionses.
Monte Coxala Spa, Rafael Osuna Oriente 300, Fraccionamiento Raquet Club, San Juan Cosalá, Jocotepec.