"Solitude- Alone, But Not Lonely"

"The solitude of nature brings a touch of melancholy or sadness to the mind. Alone with the trees and wind and the birds, ants, and wild animals, you naturally begin to reflect more deeply. As your view of what is meaningful becomes more vast, your sense of melancholy deepens. You may notice something ironic: sitting quietly alone, you may feel less isolated from the world than you do when you're busily engaged in the hustle and bustle of your everyday lives.

Some people feel a strong attraction to this unfamiliar feeling of melancholy -- and others, a strong urge to run away. In either case, the important thing is to appreciate our underlying sadness. It is a hint of a deeper intelligence that is normally obscured by the distractions of daily life. In solitude, this natural faculty of our mind comes out of an almost dormant state. Looking out at the natural beauty around us, we realize how much there is to appreciate beyond the narrow focus of ego - and how meaningless is our madly driven life.

The many distractions that we usually find so significant become less important or pointless. We see how, instead of entertaining us, they generate the hassles of gathering and maintaining, and how this endless cycle of busyness ties up our intelligence. In solitary retreat, we can put our intelligence to better use: We can use it to achieve something of true and lasting benefit for this life. Spending time in solitude allows many positive qualities to break through the crust of mundane mind - and all of them point to the source of true happiness and freedom from suffering. This is our natural birthright.”

- Dzigar Kongtrul, "It's Up to You"