BRC Newsflash - January 2020
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The Buddhist Retreat Centre |
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Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
For people of all religions |
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Dear Retreatant BRC Newsflash: 3 January to 2 February 2020 |
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| Starry starry night | Image: Tsunma Tsondru | |
“Joy Does Not Simply Happen To Us, We Have To Choose Joy And Then Keep Choosing It Everyday”- Henry Nuowen, Catholic mystic and writerDuring the euphoria of the Springboks’ victory as world rugby champions, I was struck by a comment made by an elderly man who was at the celebratory parade of the Boks in Durban. When asked by a CNN anchorman what this occasion meant to him, he answered, quite simply: “This has given me a moment of joy.” As South Africans we all felt that sense of joy for “being stronger together”. I was moved by his comment as, indeed, an entire population - young and old, brown, black and white, had come together to share in these moments of exhilaration. We all hanker for such happiness in our lives. In Buddhist psychology, two types of happiness are described. Tara Brach, in her talk on Happiness Is Possible states: “There is the Worldly happiness which is linked to a cause and is dependent on the way things are. Provided we hold such happiness lightly, to feel a sense of joy for the things we like, it can be wholesome. It helps to open our body, our heart and mind into a receptive quality of well-being and contentment. But we need to hold them lightly though, which is not usually the case. |
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| Jasmine | Image: Rudene Gerber | |
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Then, there is Happiness that just happens on its own ( “Happy for no Reason” - Sukkha in Pali). This relates to a deeper inner contentment that is less dependent on the way things are, and which endures, regardless of circumstances. This, according to the Buddha’s teaching, is the happiness we should cultivate, strive for and nurture.” Brach continues: “There are two synergistic pathways to well-being. The first is bringing a full presence to and embracing the difficult, instead of trying to avoid or push it away. The second concerns the ways we seed the grounds of happiness by gladdening the heart, in a process of intentionally dealing with and neutralising our inherent evolutionary negativity bias.” Happiness or moments of joy are possible says Brach when she states: “We often look at our lives, at what is ahead, at how we are going to get through the day, in a serious and grim manner. However, we also need to learn to fixate not just on what’s wrong, but also on what’s right. To also allow in goodness, beauty and generosity.” |
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| High and dry with a new thatch | Image: Lien Duvenage | |
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An Ixopo moment of joy The Blue Swallows have returned this summer to the BRC and have already laid three eggs. What a joy to see the eggs nestled in their nest which is an architectural and engineering marvel. The male swallow collects tiny pellets of mud from the banks of our streams. These are carried in their beaks to the nesting site where the swallows build their nest in which to to lay their eggs - just as we do our homes, brick by brick, pellet on top of pellet, into a complex, inverted domed structure in the belly of which tiny, soft grasses and feathers are bedded down - a cosy nursery for its chicks. Years ago, we studied the construction of these natural breeding sites and decided to build additional ones, closely following the codes of practice in the natural holes, but in areas we considered safer from predators, such as mongoose, genets and snakes. We were ecstatic when these man-made holes attracted more Blue Swallows to nest on the property. This came to the notice of the Wildlife Society of South Africa which appointed the BRC a Custodian for this exquisite rare bird. |
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| Green hills home the blue swallows | Image: Chantelle Flores | |
Forty years on....As we approach 2020 and our 40th anniversary, we reflect back on what we have accomplished at the BRC this past year. Chrisi and I would like to thank all our friends who have generously supported our fund-raising appeals for the paving of the entrance road, and the rethatching of both the library and studio roofs, the refurbishment of all the Lodge rooms and the Quarters - projects that would have been impossible without your generous support. We would also like to thank our teachers who have so willingly offered their wisdom, expertise and time freely to nurture the Dharma seeds I planted some 50 years ago when I arrived in Ixopo and began putting in the infrastructure on a barren, eroded piece of farmland. We always say that our retreatants are the connective tissue that keeps the Dharma wheels turning and the energy flowing at the Centre. Thank you for your ongoing loyalty, friendship and support. |
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| Going with the flow - Lodge construction 40 years ago | Image: Louis van Loon | |
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To our dedicated BRC team and management, Lien Duvenage, Rudene Gerber, Colin Kemery, Lambro Koutsoyiannis and June Atkinson who keep the Centre running so smoothly, we extend our warmest thanks. Credit too must be given to our talented cooks, Lindiwe Ngobo, Dudu Memela and Lungi Mbona whose meals are renowned, to our maintenance expert, Mdu Zikodi and his excellent team and to Engakheni Mbanjwa and her dedicated team, thank you for doing such a sterling job. We also must thank Tokozani Nene for his friendship and wise counsel, Rob Pooley for attending to our bees, Chris Dalzell for the one thousand indigenous trees he has planted at the BRC over the last 20 years, Ixopo Readymix Concrete for the tons of gravel they have donated to the Centre and Steve McKean of Conservation Outcomes for his work in helping to preserve our Blue Swallows. Our BISA Committee deserves a special mention of thanks: Pam Evans, Chris Dalzell, Rob Havemann and Rosemary Turner support us with their wise counsel, financial advice and numerous skills to ensure that the BRC continues to flourish. To Chrisi, my wife, where would I be without her? Thank you! We take this opportunity to wish you and your families a happy new year. Choose joy whenever you can. Live kindly; walk gently on the earth, Louis |
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There are still a few spaces left on the following retreats in December:
Grounded in space: A weekend of tai chi and chi kung |
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| Moments of joy |
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Forthcoming Retreats: 3 January to 2 February 2020People often yearn for an opportunity to recalibrate their lives and to spend some time in quiet reflection among like-minded people. The BRC provides such a refuge - where silence is a precious commodity - and where people meet to engage in a range of talks on Eastern and Western philosophy and psychology. The January programme offers a varied and interesting range of retreats from a formal, silent 6-day Vipassana retreat where you can plumb the depths of your mind, to an ashram-style weekend with chi kung, meditation, chanting, yoga, and healing therapies to gently kickstart the new year. Getting to know the birds and trees at the BRC will be a time for communing with nature, the rare Blue Swallow, and the pretty-in-pink flowering Cape Chestnut. Out to lunch and going vegan will also give you the opportunity to embrace a more conscious way of eating, while you can explore traditional South African healing on The Way of Ubuntu. Alternatively treat yourself to a personal retreat where you can wake up to bird song, walk in the morning mist, rake the sand garden, listen to the wind chimes and meditate in the company of the mossy Buddha. |
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| Path to the Buddha Boma | Image: Chantelle Flores | |
Time To Reminisce, Reflect And RefocusGently kickstart the new year on an ashram-style, loosely structured retreat offering chi kung, yoga, chanting, meditation and healing therapies. There will be a talk by Adamas Incendia on healing negative behavioural patterns on the first night. The Centre is yours to enjoy and provides a sympathetic space to reflect on the things that crowd one’s life. Awakening The Writer In You: The Art Of Writing From The HeartThis writing workshop will suit anyone with a creative itch to scratch, even if you don’t have a story in mind. Whether your intention is to write a personal memoir, fictionalised novel or simply to renew your creative fire, the retreat will give you the tools and insights to accomplish your writing goal. Getting To Know The Birds And Trees At The BRC: 160 Birds Of A FeatherJoin us for a weekend of identifying some of the 160 species of birds at the BRC including the summer residents, (the rare Blue Swallow, Emerald Cuckoo and Knysna Turaco) and getting to know the indigenous trees, wild flowers and butterflies that abound there. Help expand our indigenous forests by planting your own tree - to live a more sustainable, eco-conscious life. Vipassana Meditation: How To Realise Ever-Present MindfulnessVipassana (Insight) meditation is based on mindfulness which is always available, everywhere - ‘to see things as they really are’. This silent retreat is an invitation to beginners and experienced meditators to practise Vipassana using the traditional Buddhist method of Ajhan Tong. Participants are welcome to deepen their practice by joining the subsequent 4-day meditation retreat. A Vipassana Retreat: The Search For TruthVipassana (Insight) meditation uses mindfulness to search for the mental and emotional patterns that cause suffering. The aim is not merely to overcome suffering, but to learn how to wake up and be fully alive in the present moment. This 4-day silent retreat is an opportunity to deepen your meditation practice. Happy Healthy Yoga: Kickstart The New Year With Yoga For Health And HarmonyJoin this yoga retreat - suitable for all levels of fitness - where we will enjoy a sequence of extended yoga sessions comprising dynamic vinyāsa, yin yoga, yoga nidra, mantra and more, to unlock, expand and restore vitality. The Way Of Ubuntu: Exploring Traditional South African HealingParticipants will experience a traditional South African healing ceremony during which they will learn to connect with their Ancestors, their Dreams and one another. The ceremony will involve a plant cleanse, using medicinal plants to cleanse the spirit and open the heart. Included will be a discussion on “African cosmology”, the understanding of ancestors, plant medicine and dreaming. This retreat is suitable for all therapists, healers and those with a desire to heal South Africa. Out To Lunch: Going Vegan With Wholesome FoodThis retreat is ideal for those who want to make the change-over to a plant-based, healthy lifestyle. Learn how to create your own “Buddha” bowls bursting with veggie flavour, sunshine salads and mouth-watering vegan burgers. Combined with sunrise yoga, meditation and pilates, this retreat offers you the opportunity to be inspired. The Enjoyment Of Being Still And AloneEnjoy some serene “alone” time on a Self-Retreat in the beautiful, indigenous setting of the BRC with chi kung, meditation, communing with nature, enjoying the vistas of the velvet Ixopo hills, and relishing the delicious vegetarian food for which the BRC is justly renowned. |
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| Chiming in the new year | Image: Lisa De Venter | |
About the BRCPerched on a ridge at the head of a valley in the Umkomaas river system in KwaZulu-Natal, the Buddhist Retreat Centre looks out on a vista of indigenous valleys, forests and rolling hills receding like waves in the blue distance. Here, for thirty-nine years, people of all religions and none have come to experience peace and tranquility. It is a gentle, sympathetic space where one can be still and get in touch with oneself and reflect on the things that crowd one's life. The BRC was voted by CNN as one of the ten best meditation centres in the world. CNN Travel awarded another feather in the BRC’s cap by voting it as one of the ten best spiritual centres in South Africa, recently. The BRC was awarded Natural Heritage status in 1995 under the auspices of the Department of Environmental affairs and received a certificate to that effect signed by President Nelson Mandela for turning an eroded farm into the natural paradise it has become - thousands of indigenous trees were planted by retreatants under the supervision of Mervyn Croft - with 160 species of birds, including the Blue Swallow, otter, deer, antbear and indigenous forests. The Centre was also given the special status of “Custodian of the Blue Swallow” for its work in preserving the breeding areas of this endangered bird. The BRC facilitated the founding of Woza Moya, the community-based NGO, located in Ufafa Valley, nineteen years ago, on the estate. Their vision is for all people in the community to be healthy and productive, to live in a safe and clean environment, with good access to services and social justice. The Centre continues to support the organisation in a variety of ways by contributing Dana, sponsoring their Directors, trainers and visitors' accommodation, and showcasing and promoting their wonderful crafts in the shop such as the sock monkeys, cushions, bags, scarves, beanies and stationery. The Woza Moya Crafters are local women who receive ongoing training and support to enable them to create these unique and charming best sellers. This year as a result of retreatants' Dana (Generosity), the BRC was able to donate R 24,000 to Woza Moya to further enable their good work among the community and to help support the 50 children who attend the Woza Moya play school. Become a friend of the Buddhist Retreat Centre (a non-profit organisation) and find out more about the BRC's Paid-Up-Yogi and Sangha Friends’ projects which help to ensure the continuity of the Centre. Thank you for the abundance that has flowed to the BRC in the form of Paid-Up-Yogis and Sangha Friends’ contributions which have enabled us to refurbish the bathrooms in the Lodge, tile the entrance to the dining room and install a tea station in the Lodge for those hot cups of milo on the cooler misty nights. We are grateful for the truck-load of indigenous trees, herbs, seedlings and plants, a new granite kitchen server, a new canvas parasol for the outside umbrella, kitchen utensils and crockery, garden tools, books for our library, beautiful beige towels, soft new pillows, Woollies duvet covers, a coffee plunger, a marvellous collection of illustrated books on the Sumie tradition, some of which have been long out of print, a beautiful silk scarf for Louis from Sikkhim to use during the Chinese tea ceremony, Elsa Pooley's book on flowers for the library, a generous donation towards installing LED lights to reduce our energy consumption and stunning photographs from Andrew Brown, Marc Kornberger, Tsunma Tsondru and Lennart Eriksson and "Fairlady" magazine featuring the BRC. The Centre received a generous donation of tables, crockery, ceramics, pillows, cushions, curtains and lanterns, as well as boxes of seedlings, indigenous trees, fruit, cheese and olives, two beautiful stone bird baths, a new fire pit for meditation under the stars and a new noticeboard. The recently donated mahogany table and chairs and table cloth in the studio have enhanced the room enormously and the beautiful side tables, coffee tables, headboards and bunk beds have finessed all the rooms. We welcomed two new power drills, garden tools and the high-back oak chairs for our meditation hall and generous donations towards the re-paving of the entrance road to the BRC. A recent donation has enabled us to fix the leaking pantry roof and replace all the beds in the Quarters. We are very touched by your appreciative letters, emails, support and friendship towards the BRC - your spiritual home from home. We would like to acknowledge and thank all those friends who supported our thatch-fundraiser: Bill Oliver, Eric Warburg, Ilze Bruggeman, Willem Marais, Ashleigh Grenville, Annie Scott, Adel Stein, Elouise Blessie, Pene Hyslop, Rowena Naidoo, Maryke Prinsloo, Melanie Polatinski, Kashturie Singh, Marcia de Kock, Catherine Anderson, Dianne Franklin, Kesh Govinder, Desh Govender, Sadie Ramdass, Margie Blewitt, Merusha Lindy, Nicky Fuhner, Rosalind Bastard, Wessel Moolman, Jane McIntyre, Lisa Yuille, Lauren Daniel, Karen Chitton, Louis Payne, Sandra Gavin, Bridget Thorne, Bridget Jacobs, Debbie Sorour, Myra Triegaard, Sandie Rogerson, Alex Clark, G Raise, Rodger Walters, Jack Schmitter, Immie Mostert, Glen Meyer, Debbie McCusker, Natascha Prussen, Warren Shaw, Richard Chippindall, Xenia Ayiotis, Alex Schubert, Evelyn Heunis, Anisa Gordon, Jill Nocton-Smith, Lou Schoeman, Rosemary Turner, Joan Mackinnon, Racuni and Claire Naidoo, Sugen Govender, Catherine Cooper, Linda Barlow, Rajiv Tudge, Dorian Haarhoff, Sajida Letang. Chrisi Visit our website for further information, directions, image gallery etc. |
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