Interview with Mischa Fong
Mischa Fong, who lives in California, attended the Teen Camp retreat at Deer Park Monastery in 2016. The Mindfulness Bell asked Mischa about his experience at the retreat.
What did you enjoy about being at the teen retreat at Deer Park Monastery? What was it like to be without a cell phone for five days?
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Interview with Mischa Fong
Mischa Fong, who lives in California, attended the Teen Camp retreat at Deer Park Monastery in 2016. The Mindfulness Bell asked Mischa about his experience at the retreat.
What did you enjoy about being at the teen retreat at Deer Park Monastery? What was it like to be without a cell phone for five days?
My experience at Deer Park was undoubtedly the best five days of my year. It was a time when I was encouraged to forget about the excitement of society and find a way to be content with nature, the monastery, and the people around me. The truth is, the excitement that can be found in these three things is so much more than that of society, and if you find it, you will be totally content, cell phone or no cell phone. When the camp was over I did not have the same interest in my phone anymore. It took me a while before I got back into it. The best five days of my year were spent without one of the things I thought made me most happy.
Since the retreat, in your daily life at home and school, are you using anything you learned at Deer Park? How is it making a positive difference in your life?
Retreats at Deer Park are a refreshment for your way of thinking. After retreats, I don’t get caught up or frustrated over stuff as much. For example, sometimes on the bus to school, someone next to me might be on their phone and unaware that they are in my space, or they might just be doing something to bother the people around them in whatever way. Rather than use this as an excuse to complain about my bad luck, I sometimes (not always but sometimes) remember to be mindful, and to make sure that I don’t do that to the people around me. This helps me get rid of my frustration as well as feel better about my actions.
What do you suggest to teens who are caught up in the excitement of society and can’t go to Deer Park? What could they do to be more content with life?
If you REALLY can’t make it to Deer Park, you can try any number of practices to step forward on the path of wisdom. One that I think is incredibly mind opening is this. If you get the chance, sit back in school and watch your classmates. Just observe the way they interact and try not to judge. This is important. If you judge them, you will not be looking at the situation open-mindedly and you will not get the full benefits of this practice. As a spectator on others your age, you will learn a lot about them, as well as yourself.
