Upon becoming a nun, Sister Mary Elizabeth has said : From then I lived like a hermit. We had two recreation times a day, about half an hour, when we could speak, otherwise you were on your own in your cell. You never worked with anybody, always on your own. I wonder if it is any where like in a Buddhist meditation retreat where one isn't encouraged to speak but meditate most of the day, either sitting or walkng. Even when eating during breakfast or lunch, one may quietly say a prayer and proceed to eat quietly and mindfully. Solid food is not encouraged after lunch; so, dinner is not in the timetable. Chores to be done like washing the plates or sweeping the floor is an individual affair and again done quietly and mindfully. There is no real talking unless it is with the monks to report and discuss the experiences one has during meditation. The only recreation perhaps is at night when a monk gives a dharma talk. Sister Mary Elizabeth was a nun of the Carmelite order, an ancient order of the Roman Catholic church. She had since left the order after falling in love and getting married to a monk.
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