Sekhem Guidance for Forty Days of Meditation

Protecting Concentration Through Discipline

During the forty-day discipline, keep the eyes lowered and avoid making eye contact with the other participant. Even when moving toward the kitchen or passing through a shared area, lower the gaze. Eye contact can carry a message and disturb concentration.

Do not read, look at a mobile phone, or keep the phone on. At sleeping time, follow the guidance given for going to sleep. There may be an early morning initiation and another in the evening, and there may also be an additional morning initiation after meditation. The timing can vary.

When the guides enter for initiation, remain with the practice. Do not look to see who opens the door, greet them, or become distracted. Continue sitting and meditating, preferably in a chair when first waking. The initiation is carried out quietly, and the day begins with meditation.

A bottle placed outside the door when it is empty will be refilled and returned. The same arrangement applies to the Mata bottle. The guides may also come during the day to check on the practice.

Questions, concerns, experiences, and bodily difficulties can be shared with the guides. Speak only with them during the retreat rather than coming together with the other participant. Keeping the two participants separate helps prevent comparison, judgment, and thoughts such as, “I am not having anything happen, while the other person is doing better than I am.”