This project explores asceticism and architectures that facilitate deprivation, rooted in Tibetan culture and practice. It explores how architecture can support these practices, proposing the sacrifice of consumer pleasures to turn toward more internal, spiritual pleasure.
By limiting access to light, sound, or comfort, spaces can lead users to confront their internal state rather than external gratification. For instance, a dark retreat physically isolates the individual from distractions, allowing their thoughts and sensations to sharpen in the absence of outside stimulation.
The spatial form is based on the 7-step process of Tibetan dark retreat practice. Different spaces for each type of body practice, allowing participants to move between rooms as they progress. The first step is purification, where the ascetic needs a room to take a shower and change into clean clothes to physically purify themselves. This is followed by the external practice, involving offerings of flowers and candles. The internal practice consists of reciting mantras to purify all defilements. Next are the body and speech practices, where ascetics sit in the five-point body posture while attempting to visualize their mind. Finally, participants receive further instruction from teachers on how to integrate their insights into daily life. The last step is vision practice, which involves gazing into the clear sky—facing west in the morning and east in the afternoon.
