After returning from celebrating Christmas with Master last year, I vowed to try harder to practice this year. First of all, I vowed to attend all the two-day retreats at the Surrey Center on the third weekend of each month, and also to take my wife and children to the one-day retreat on the first Sunday of each month.

Last year was a difficult one for me, since I became lazy several times with my meditation, and kept trimming it down to two hours because I woke up late. I would also miss the two-day retreats, putting lesser matters first.

At one two-day retreat, a brother told me that there would be a three-day retreat over Easter. As soon as I heard this, a thought flashed through my mind that it was too soon and that I would never be able to go. As soon as I had this negative thought, I told the brother and vowed to "definitely" attend the retreat. So it was settled in my mind.

Later I kept my vow and did come to the retreat. As soon as I set foot in my car in the morning, I knew that I had done it! I enjoyed three whole days of meditating, reading, learning and watching Master's videos in the embrace of Her wisdom and love, along with copious amounts of delicious food and cakes, advanced tai chi exercises, and plenty of hearty laughter. The Surrey Center, with its peaceful and harmonious atmosphere, is truly a heavenly place for relaxation and spiritual practice.

The first four sessions of the retreat were a struggle, as I kept falling asleep during the sound meditation, my body ached and I kept changing position. Although my mind was completely scattered in ten different directions and chattered uncontrollably, I patiently continued.

The baptism of Sound and Light fills initiates' faces with spiritual radiance during the three-day retreat at Surrey.

Afterwards, I finally tasted the sweet nectar of blissful samadhi. I sat in a chair, where normally I would fall asleep because it was too comfortable, but my whole body was full of energy. I meditated and my mind was single-pointed and concentrated. Everywhere I looked, there was Light. During the Sound meditation, my body was relaxed and happy and I enjoyed sitting in the Sound peacefully and lovingly, and experienced its tender infusion. After that session, all of my inner and outer struggling disappeared, and I became joyful and confident while looking forward to the next session.

One of the brothers at the retreat had a wheat allergy, and so the cooking team brothers and sisters carefully prepared wheat-free food at each meal for him. On the last day of the retreat, one of the sisters prepared a trifle, dessert containing cakes covered in custard and topped with cream and fresh strawberries! She made two enormous bowls, enough for about fifty people. We all made slurping noises and rubbed our stomachs as we lined up for our share of the dessert. Then the brother who was allergic to wheat came excitedly into the kitchen, but looked slightly disappointed when he saw the trifle. We suggested that the meditation might have cured him of his wheat allergy. So he took a large helping of trifle and started to eat, and amazingly enough, remained fine! Each of us gasped, "It's a miracle. He's cured!" as we rolled around, laughing loudly!

The 2002 Easter retreat at Surrey was a fun and happy time with my true spiritual family. I experienced so much joy and blessing through the retreat that I can hardly wait until the next one! When I got home, I felt that I was really full of love and understanding, and my practice was on a high for many, many days afterwards.