What is the Purpose of Retreat?

Usually, when I am not very busy and have time, I will go on retreats for two to three months in a year. But when I am busy I will make it a point to go for at least a month. This is to improve and recharge the practice that I have established back in Tibet. It is my way of continuing the practice on training my mind for an extended period of time and also to improve my meditative experience.

Recently when I expressed that I was planning to go for a retreat, it seemed that some of my students sympathized that I needed the time to be away. Some said that since I deal with people’s pain and suffering on a regular basis, I might want to be free from all those demands for some time. It seems that the general understanding of a retreat is an escape from the daily activities of life and a temporary haven for relief. Like the analogy of pouring cold water over a container of bubbling hot water, to many going on a retreat means a temporary period to be away from the daily stresses of life and a short-term solution to one’s basic problems which is beneficial only for this life.

This is completely different from my understanding and purpose of a retreat.