“Dark retreat” (muntsam) — a form of solitary retreat that usually takes
place in a cabin or cave and may last up to a few years — is known to a
number of different schools of Tibetan Buddhism and Bon. Tenzin Wangyal
Rinpoche, the only Bon teacher resident in the United States, discusses
sensory deprivation as a means of stimulating the brain with R. Clay Reid,
Professor of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School. This event was presented as part of the Brainwave Festival held by the Rubin Museum of Art, dedicated to the art of the Himalayas.