He has passed more than six years in deep retreat, including a traditional “Great Retreat” of 3 years, 3 months, and 3 days in silence and meditation, from 2000 to 2003, in a hut in the Arizona desert.
When asked about any inner achievements and realizations, he prefers the Tibetan approach of not talking about things which cannot be proven to others, saying only that he has been “very fortunate.” He does like to say that his personal practice has made him “the happiest person I know.”
Upon completion of the Great Retreat in 2003, Geshe Michael wrote a personal letter to all of his major teachers, and to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, describing special experiences that had occurred to him since the age of 16. In this letter he also described his intention of engaging in a period of spiritual partnership with Lama Christie McNally.
The tradition of a spiritual partner in Buddhism is 2,500 years old, and was followed even by Lord Buddha himself. It is allowed even for the ordained under special circumstances, including initiation from ones personal Master, which Geshe Michael had received a number of times. This type of partnership, utilizing the interaction of male and female energy, is stated in many scriptures throughout the history of Buddhism to be necessary for attaining enlightenment within a single life.
