The family retreat organized by CM Pittsburgh in September on “Dhārmic Living with The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly” welcomed eighty participants of all ages from Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Washington, D.C. The beautiful early autumn weather showered its blessings upon the attendees making all the outdoor activities happen as planned!
The retreat activities, all led by Vivekji, featured inspiring discourses, silent reflection sessions, and group discussions for the J-CHYKs, CHYKs and the adults. There were Bala Vihar sessions and activities for children. Other planned group activities included nature walks, outdoor games, garba, and a recreated Escape Room! Sri Ganesha Chaturti celebrations were also weaved into the agenda. On the inaugural evening, each family was given a ball of clay to make their very own Lord Ganesha idol, for which they performed pūja and ārati, followed by visarjan on the final day of the retreat!
In his uplifting discourses, Vivekji highlighted the role that self-development plays in the Dhārmic way of dealing with relationships. Vivekji beautifully elaborated on the specific messages relevant to the topic from three of our scriptural texts. While Vivekji offered a philosophical perspective by quoting from the teachings in the Īshāvāsya Upanishad, he also offered practical perspective in dealing with different personalities in relationships by quoting from the Bhagavad Gita and Chānakya’s Nīti Śāstra. He then talked about how clarity in our scriptures generates conviction, which then translates into confidence when dealing with relationships.
After a rejuvenating and a reflective weekend for the BMI, the families left positively charged, and the children said that they could not wait until next year to return to the family camp!