Ever since I came back from my retreat, people have asked: So did it live up to your expectations? Did it yield what you anticipated? Questions like this make me smile. I don’t smile at the interviewer, neither do I think these questions are inappropriate. From a Western point of view, they are extremely normal. However, they make me smile, because these questions are inherently western. Out of every experience we want to gain something measurable, or substantial. Preferably, we have set the standards in our mind before experiencing, so we can evaluate and measure to what extent they lived up to our expectations.
So when I say that I didn’t have any expectations and that I didn’t set any goals, but just wanted to be and see with an open mind, I get blank stares. East meets West. To be honest, that could be regarded as a goal if you like, but it’s outcome is not measurable, because there is nothing to compare it with. And that is the whole concept of measuring, comparison. We compare what we know with that we don’t.
Spiritual life is in that sense not measurable, because it surpasses all we can measure. It’s a hard concept to grasp for sure and that’s why we often fall back on our own rulers.