BRC Newsflash - December 2021

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The Buddhist Retreat Centre

Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

For people of all religions

BRC Newsflash: December 2021

Dear Retreatants,

• Attached newsletter for The Centre for Purposeful Living
• A chance to be part of the BRC family
• Max Weier’s qigong retreats are filling up fast. Don’t miss this opportunity to practise qigong with the master.

There Is A Story In Every Leaf: Celebrating Nature

With the rising mist, the gentle rains and spring meeting summer, there is so much renewal at the BRC. The hills have greened up, the king protea is in bloom and the white pear is in pearly pink florescence. November is a beautiful time at the BRC with an abundance of wild flowers emerging in the grasslands. This energy and flowering seem to be infectious - so many BRC friends have offered their time and expertise to help on the land in some way.

Chris Dalzells’ “Gardening for Happiness” retreat in July kickstarted the general upgrading and renewal of the gardens , and we haven’t stopped since.

Horticulturist Corinna Botoulas and Lucky Tumelo recently spent time at the Centre eradicating aliens from the grasslands and forests and clearing the old kraal at the bottom of the Gavin Relly walk. Their efforts have transformed that area into the natural beautiful space it always was half a century ago. We hope to install a bench and sun dial there for some quiet musing in the valley. Corinna was joined by botanists, David Styles and Anne Heiduk, who explored and identified the variety of flora abundant in the grasslands. To their delight, they discovered a rare flower, Asclepias Disparillis and found the largest forest Double Barrel Grapevine they have ever seen. All were volunteering their time to compile a list of species for the Centre which we hope to circulate to all retreatants.

Resident staff member, Deanne Fouche, has taken our vegetable garden to a new level by nourishing the soil - with a harvest of strawberries, flowers for sunshine salad bowls, pumpkins, spinach and fennel adding a healthy boost to our meals. Our recycling programme under her vigilant eye is fully operational.

Landscapist, Ryan O’Connor and Lucky Zuma spent a week sprucing up the garden beds and eradicating weeds and aliens.

Nicky Crookes donated 120 clivia earlier this year and advised on their planting and location. The clivia obliged with a stunning display of orange and yellow in September. The Bamboo Grove created by Lien, Cosmos and Mzafane is well established now with bamboo benches and walkways. Mdu Zikode prepared the nest sites for the Blue Swallows ahead of their marathon flight to South Africa for their summer sojourn, and we are pleased to say they are ‘home’, with one nest already refurbished and newly laid eggs. All this activity endorses the end goal we have in mind – to create spaces at the Centre where people can tune into the healing power of nature. This also rhymes with the initial vison that I had for people to experience the energies that spurred early man to explore the wonders and promise of nature to enrich the mind and lead a more meaningful life. As Eckhart Tolle writes in his remarkable book “A New Earth”: The first recognition of beauty - in nature - was one of the most significant events in the evolution of human consciousness.” With the impact of the Corona virus and its aftershocks, there is a positive spinoff. People are beginning to comprehend how modern life has dislocated us from the natural world and they are realising how important it is to find a new way of being. With the BRC recently proclaimed a nature reserve, we are hoping to see more people enjoying the natural spaces to find healing and balance. You just have to tune into it and feel the story in every leaf and flower. With affection, Louis
Cosmos Memela in charge of the gardens		Image: Angela Buckland

 Oh, What A Lovely Garden

Spending some special moments in BRC’s gardens is such a privilege - quiet time and reflection, breath-taking views, and being “present in the moment”.

During the past few retreats at BRC, it has always been a treat appreciating the natural spaces that BRC has to offer, from the stunning gardens to the grasslands and forested valleys below and beyond. It is such a calming experience, a time to recharge and rejuvenate the batteries. Springtime marks a new season, a chance to offload past experiences, and begin anew. And so, in keeping with this theme, a few weeks ago, I decided to get involved with the BRC gardens. Accompanied by my “green-fingers” gardening assistant, Lucky Zuma, we spent three days of weeding, trimming, and planting indigenous slips into the gardens that surround the meditation hall, Zen garden and the Lodge. As always, the hospitality by the ‘BRC family’ was superb enabling us to get on with the various gardening tasks.

“The natural connections between humans and the environment are most evident in those geographies which store high biodiversity and are also the territories and homelands of Indigenous Peoples. We should not only celebrate nature, we should also celebrate its guardians, the most powerful partnership for the sustainable future of our planet. Celebrating nature, can be a time to remember that the long-term sustainability of nature - the basis of our life - also depends on the practices and values of people who have been interacting with nature, used, valued and safeguarded its resources and services for time immemorial. Indeed, the guardians of nature.” This extract from WWF, reinforces that our natural environment is so pivotal to human existence. The principles of Buddhism echo the above statement, and as a result, the BRC continues to showcase this ‘celebration of life’ on a regular basis - from its charming gardens, extending out to the surrounding natural landscape of this special property. Proclamation of Protected Area/ Nature Reserve status on part of the BRC property is another exciting step in safeguarding the biodiversity of the severely threatened Mistbelt Grassland environment for future generations, especially for the local communities surrounding BRC. It is hoped that ownership and responsibility will come from local communities in protecting this land, whereby future generations will benefit from these protected natural assets, such as clean water resources, reduction of valley erosion, etc.

It was a wonderful experience to get one’s ‘hands dirty’, assisting with the upkeep of the BRC’s gardens. Next time you are wandering in the gardens, or in the grasslands below, remember to breathe deeply and appreciate your connection to the earth. And maybe next time, join me in getting your hands dirty too!

Ryan O’Connor

Now And Zen: Reboot, Recharge And Retreat

There is no better place than the BRC to rejuvenate the body and mind with nature, meditation and movement to guide you into presence and stillness.

All health protocols and Covid-19 regulations are in place - with social distancing, sanitizing and masks - for your safety and well-being.

There are still a few spaces left on the following November retreat:

At Ease In Mind And Body: An Introduction To Qigong
Weekend | 19-21 November
Qigong is an ancient Chinese practice that boosts one’s health and longevity. Through gentle, slow and flowing movements, it integrates and harmonises one’s bodily functions and states of mind, strengthens the internal organs and skeletal structure and encourages good posture. Included in this retreat is the ancient Taoist qigong meditation for inner peace and tranquillity.

Conducted Retreats December 2021

Grounded In Space: A Weekend Of Tai Chi And Qigong

Alex and Jeremy Lister-James | 3-5 December
Based on the Chinese philosophy of Taoism, tai chi is rooted in balance and flow, stillness within movement, and reflection during action. Just like the shape of the Taijitu - the symbol of yin and yang - every movement is based on circles. Al Huang, in Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain, suggests: “Stop the words and start the doing.” With gentle movements and focused mind, we will teach a short sequence of yang-style tai chi, complemented with simple qigong exercises and movement-within-stillness meditation. Tai chi has been described as “learning to move with the wind and water in the course of everyday life”.
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A Neurosurgeon Probes Wellness And Performance: Psychoneuroimmunology

Ian Weinberg | Weekend | 10-12 December
In a series of talks and Mindfulness meditation sessions, we will explore the chemistry which mediates the effects of mind states on the body: psychoneuroimmunology or PNI. The talks and demonstrations will show that we can attain optimal wellness and performance by getting to know our temperament and personality traits; by being more present-minded; and through sensible, informed ways of living and behaving.
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Shibuie - When Beauty Happens Accidentally: Sumie And Raku – Japanese Brush Painting And Pottery

Ingrid Adams and Jess Merle | 4 days | 12-16 December
Shibuie is the ancient Japanese concept of Accidental Beauty in which the artist is just one ingredient in a number of dynamic interacting natural processes, the outcome of which is delightfully unpredictable, but strangely beautiful - not ego-driven or deliberate. Ingrid will teach the classical Japanese brush painting techniques (Sumie) as these are applied to traditional subjects, such as landscape, bamboo and flower studies - as well as contemporary subjects. We will use the genuine, traditional materials: solid pine-soot ink, a hollowed-out slate to liquefy it, a deer-hair bamboo-stemmed brush and absorbent mulberry paper. Tools will be provided, but sets can be purchased (R850) from the BRC. Each retreatant will receive a bisque-fired tea bowl to sumie-decorate and glaze. Jess will then fire up the kiln after which we will watch the magic as the pots emerge from their ordeal.
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Open The Heart And Still the Mind: Ending The Year With Kindness, Compassion And Joy

This retreat is full: Sue is offering an Easter retreat from 14-18 April 2022

Sue Cooper | 7 days | 16-23 December
This annual “Open the Heart and Still the Mind” 7-day intensive silent retreat is an integration of Buddhist wisdom and practices with psychology. Through mindfulness and compassion practices we will establish a calm and grounded embodied presence, creating a reliable foundation from which to cultivate a brave, compassionate and joyful heart and mind. These qualities of consciousness allow our thoughts, speech and actions to move beyond habitual fear, self-doubt and anticipatory dread, so that our choices become informed by open-hearted, appreciative awareness and compassionate wisdom. The extended time in silence will provide an opportunity to process the year and to discover new perspectives and more courageous and joyful ways of being.
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Stalking The Moment: Being Home 24/7 - Christmas At The BRC

Tsunma Tsondru | 3 days | 23-26 December
Be here now. Rest in the moment. Catch the ungraspable moment. How do we do that when life keeps tumbling us along like a sand grain in a river? When all is in dizzying motion, where is 'the moment’, where is ‘here’? Take time out at the BRC over Christmas to slow down into the moment. You can find your true home in the here-now. With sitting and walking meditation, we will stalk the elusive moment. We will discover how to recognise our 'home', and we will see that we are in fact at home always. The retreat will be held in Noble Silence, with time for journaling, reflection, and fireside talks.
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Three Wise Medicines For Living Your Life In The New Year

Tsunma Tsondru | 4 days | 29 December-2 January 2022

The spiritual life is first of all a life. It is not merely something to be known and studied, it is to be lived - Thomas Merton

New Year is a good time of the year to take stock and contemplate our moment-to-moment, here-and-now reality in all its fullness. It’s a traditional time for clarifying our motivations, and for starting afresh with new intentions. A time, in other words, to reboot the system. Give yourself the gift of time over this New Year period to collect the Three Wise Medicines of gratitude, ahimsa and contentment, to reflect on the past year, and uncover how you can best live your life in the coming year. During this time together we will let our body, speech and mind fall silent through the practice of meditation and silence. In working with the Three Wise Medicines, there will also be time for writing and contemplation, walking and ceremony especially outside in nature. We will welcome the New Year with a lantern-lit perambulation around the Buddha, chanting, ringing out the old year with an ancient Chinese temple gong and welcoming the New Year with a Tibetan bell.
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A Personal Self Retreat

People 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. 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, meditate in garden of the Bamboo Grove.
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Ixopo Is Calling

We are looking for a person who has some time on their hands to help out in the office once a month for 5 to 10 days. You would need to have basic IT skills and a knowledge of excel. The work would entail receiving guests and general reception duties. For more information about remuneration, accommodation and the perks of being in the Ixopo environment, please email: bookings@brcixopo or call 0824668306.

About the BRC

Perched 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 tranquillity. 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.

Recently, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife granted the BRC “Private Nature Reserve” for the conservation of the rare Blue Swallow and Mistbelt Grassland.

The BRC facilitated the founding of Woza Moya, the community-based NGO, located in Ufafa Valley, twenty-one 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 by showcasing their crafts in the shop and sponsoring their trainers and consultants. The Woza Moya Crafters are local women who receive ongoing training and support to enable them to create these unique and charming best sellers.

Please continue to support the BRC by becoming 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.

We have been very touched by your appreciative letters, emails, support and friendship towards the BRC - your spiritual home from home.

Chrisi

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