My modest dream

A few days ago, rambling around the Internet, I came across this idyllic Tibetan Buddhist monastery on the outskirts of the reputedly hippie village of Órgiva, in the mountains of Granada, southern Spain. Apart from its remoteness and the beautiful scenery that surrounds it, what enamoured me to this place were the little huts, equipped with "just the bare essentials: bed, meditation seat, altar, shelf, running water, gas stove to heat up meals or tea, wood burning stove, shower and simple toilet", that they rent at an extremely affordable rate to those wishing to do a meditation retreat. [Update 29/10/07: They are actually quite expensive. They've changed their website now, but when I first saw it it made you think that the stated price was per week, when in fact it is per day!] Another thing that I liked was the fact that you can just go on your own, for as long as you like, not as part of a scheduled retreat. You are are not required to attend group celebrations or whatever Buddhist stuff they do. As long as you respect others you're free to live your spirituality as you wish. At least that's what I've understood.

I dream of a place that would be just like that but non-denominational. I mean really non-denominational. A place where there would be no norm from with to deviate, where non-belief, idiosyncratic spirituality and doubt would be not just tolerated, but welcomed wholeheartedly; where I (for this is all about me) could speak my mind and heart out without expecting some enlightened being to save me from my spiritual ignorance. A place where one could find solitude as well as company, where there would perhaps be some group meditations which one would be invited to attend. (Why is it that discipline is so often a essential part of retreats? Is it really a good thing for my spiritual life to be treated like a child at school or a prison inmate only with more obligations?). In this ideal place there would always be someone to talk to, perhaps some kind of resident spiritual counsellor, who wouldn't be delivering wisdom to the ignorant, but providing a warm, accepting and sympathetic ear. There wouldn't be teachers, gurus, hierarchies, truths. Only people, with their yearnings, faith, lack thereof, angst, insights, beliefs, fears, worldviews and feelings. And all of that would be respected and listened to.

I'm not asking for much, am I? Does anyone know of any such place? If not, why don't we create it (apart from not having a penny and not even knowing where to begin)? If you are filthy rich and don't know what to do with your money, why not sponsor my project? We'll look for a nice plot of land in some mountainous area, and we'll build the first humanistic monastery! It would become a sanctuary for those that, while feeling the need to incorporate spirituality into their lives, cannot follow any religions or spiritual teachers any more, only their hearts. Anyone interested? No?