Updated BRC Newsflash - May 2022
|
|
||
The Buddhist Retreat Centre |
||
|
Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
For people of all religions |
|
|
BRC Newsflash: May 2022 Dear Retreatants, |
||
|
|
||
| Starry starry night | Image: Tsunma Tsondru | |
Wesak Greetings!On the full moon of May, Buddhists all over the globe will be celebrating the Buddha - this auspicious time being the centre point of recognising the Buddha as a great being and teacher. Like with all other religions interpenetrated with myth, it is sometimes difficult to separate fact from myth. But what matters here is that this time marks the very beginning of the Buddhist tradition. Wesak honours the birth of the Buddha and is an opportunity to deepen your own spiritual journey and path. As Antony Osler says so eloquently: “We are all custodians of some kind of spiritual tradition or way of life…. custodians of the Dharma, each of us in our particular way.” Wesak is an annual Buddhist celebration honouring the Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment and Death, all of which are traditionally associated on the full moon of May. It usually consists of traditional teachings, chants and meditation, a shared meal and distribution of gifts to the poor. A form of "Buddhist Christmas”. Stephen Coan has written a beautiful message below capturing the spirit and mood of Wesak in Ixopo which has been an annual celebration for forty two years. |
||
 |
||
| Lantern-lit path | Image: Tsunma Tsondru | |
|
“Late on a May afternoon driving the twisting R56 as it ascends the southern side of the Umkomaas valley, the sinking sun backlights the autumn grasses growing by the roadside rendering their seed heads blush-pink. It’s a familiar sight at this time of the year for those on their way to the Buddhist Retreat Centre to attend the annual Wesak retreat held under the full moon of May (or the closest weekend thereto) to commemorate and celebrate the birth, enlightenment and death of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, ‘the awakened one’, 2500 years ago. The retreat follows its typical programme of sitting and walking meditation with talks and reflections in the studio around the fireside, but the real heart of the retreat is the ceremony which takes place in the evening, beginning in the meditation hall before moving outside into the gardens for a traditional circumambulation of the Buddha statue. The ceremony in the hall has taken various forms over the years - in 1992 Antony Osler, who led the retreat with Louis that year - handed out sayings and poems to be read aloud by retreatants as they sat in a large circle, one reader passing a candle to the next. Here’s a poem from Ryokan read on that night: At night, deep in the mountains I sit in meditation. |
||
|
|
||
| (En)chanting verses | Image: Tsunma Tsondru | |
|
In 2005 Louis kindly invited me to join him in leading the Wesak retreat and, barring an odd year or two, we have done so ever since - Antony joined us in 2010 for the Wesak retreat marking the centre’s 30th anniversary; only fitting as he was its first resident manager and teacher back in 1980. Over the last few years the ceremony in the hall has coalesced into a set pattern: a period of silent meditation followed by a reading of the relevant chapters from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Old Path, White Clouds describing the Buddha’s enlightenment. Then we go outside into the cool (if not cold) May evening where scores of plain brown paper bags half-filled with sand and planted with a candle light a path to and around the Buddha statue. As the retreatants leave the hall each is given a lit stick of incense as they form a single line, one behind the other, and walk the illuminated pathway into the garden towards the Buddha statue and, as is the tradition all over the world, circumambulate the statue three times. After the final turn each person places their incense stick in a bowl at the statue’s feet, bows, and steps back to form a group facing the Buddha. When all are gathered together we chant some Pali verses and these are likely followed by English versions of the Heart Sutra or the Metta Sutra. Then silence. On a clear night - not always guaranteed at Ixopo in May - the moon shines full and the star-spangled haze of the Milky Way is a silver scarf thrown across the sky. If you are lucky you might hear the call of an eagle owl. Gradually, one by one, or in small groups, people move away towards the studio. Tea and cake awaits – even the one the Buddha ate. The silence closes in again as the retreatants wend their way to bed. The candles around the Buddha still aglow.” Please join us for Wesak from 13-15 May. With Metta Louis |
||
 |
||
| Chibini valley | Image: Katherine Fillmore | |
Now And Zen: Reboot, Recharge And RetreatThere 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. |
||
 |
||
| Saffron robed butterfly | Image: Katherine Fillmore | |
There are still a few spaces left on the following April retreat:Vinyāsa Yoga And MeditationHannelize Robinson | Weekend | 29 April-2 May |
||
|
||
| Forest tulips | Image: Jason Ross | |
Conducted Retreats May 2022
Come As You Are: Secular Buddhism, Existential Philosophy And Psychotherapy. Can Buddhism Effectively Treat The Struggles We Face In Life?Jason Ross | 5 days | 3-8 May It is often our personal struggles that bring us to a retreat setting. But, is Buddhism meant to serve as a form of therapy? This retreat will explore the potential meeting place between Secular Buddhist practices, Existential Philosophy and Psychotherapy. We will explore methods such as Vipassana and Korean Zen meditation as a means of better understanding the nature of our own minds and the relationships we have formed with the struggles we are facing. The retreat will include yoga, meditation, philosophical reflection, therapeutic discussion and short periods of essential noble silence.
|
||
 |
||
| In the shade of the bodhi tree |
Image: Katherine Fillmore | |
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 forty two 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-two 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. We have been very touched by your appreciative letters, emails and friendship towards the BRC - your spiritual home from home. Thank you to all of you who continue to support our work in Ixopo with monthly and Paid Up Yogi contributions and donations, with gifts, or with skills and time. And, of course, everyone who comes to the Centre keeps us open and viable. We are deeply grateful for your generosity towards us; it encourages us to continue Louis’ beautiful vision and legacy for the future. Please continue to support the BRC by becoming a friend of the Buddhist Retreat Centre (a registered non-profit organisation) and find out more about the BRC's Paid-Up-Yogi and Sangha Friends’ projects. Chrisi Visit our website for further information, directions, image gallery etc. |
||
|
| Share:
|
||
|
The email was sent to: |
||
