Updated BRC Newsflash - July 2022
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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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BRC Newsflash: July 2022 Dear Retreatants, |
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| Bodhi diorama | Image: Gavin Naicker | |
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Stephen Coan led the full moon of May Wesak retreat with such grace and wisdom. His reflections are beautifully rendered below. Doing What The Buddha DidWhen the Buddha died at the age of 80 he hadn’t named a successor, there was no last testament, no will. Asked about this shortly before his death he became almost petulant: what more do you want of me, what more can I give you? ‘The teaching is the true refuge. Every person must make the teaching their own refuge. Every person should be a lamp unto themselves.’ He died a few weeks later and his final words were: ‘Everything is impermanent. If there is birth there is death. Be diligent in your efforts to attain liberation.’ In essence what the Buddha is saying is ‘don’t put me up on a pedestal, look at the teachings - and don’t just take my word for it, test them for yourself.’ Here we are, two thousand five hundred years on and that challenge remains. An interesting slant on all this can be found in Herman Hesse’s novella Siddhartha published in 1922 and translated from German into English for the first time in 1951. Hesse died in 1962. By the 1970s his book had come a cult hit and still remains in print. Hesse’s story is a simple one: Siddhartha, son of an Indian Brahmin walks out of his otherwise undemanding and pleasurable life in order to find purpose and meaning. A spiritual quest, in other words, and one in which he is accompanied by his friend, Govinda. The two are dissatisfied by the teachers and teachings they encounter but one day they come across the Buddha teaching at the Jetavana Grove outside Shravasti. Govinda finds what he is seeking in the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path and takes refuge. Here the tale takes an unexpected turn: Siddhartha doesn’t. |
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| Eyes horizontal, nose vertical | Image: Angela Buckland | |
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Siddhartha has a conversation with the Buddha. He says he accepts everything the Buddha’s has to say, he accepts he is enlightened, but he still has a problem: ‘There is one thing that this clear worthy instruction does not contain; it does not contain the secret of what the Illustrious One himself experienced – he alone among hundreds of thousands.’ In the Zen Buddhist tradition the story of the Buddha’s enlightenment is dispensed with very quickly: the morning star rose and the Buddha got enlightenment. That’s it! What more do you want? The brevity is pertinent: get on with your own enlightenment. Rather like Siddhartha in Hesse’s book, experience it for yourself. The 13th century Japanese Zen master Dogen on coming home from an extended pilgrimage to China greeted his followers with these words: ‘I have returned home with empty hands. I retain no trace of Buddhism. I say only this: my eyes are horizontal, my nose vertical.’ Their position in meditation. The word ‘zen’ means meditation, the basic Buddhist practice common to all traditions. When you take to your cushion, your chair, your bench and commit to following the flow of the breath you are doing exactly what the Buddha did. That’s how he found enlightenment. Simple. Difficult. No trace of Buddhism. Breathing in, breathing out. Off you go. With Metta, Stephen Quotations are from Thich Nhat Hanh, Old Path White Clouds, Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha, Parallax Press, 1991, p.548 and p.560 (slightly amended). Herman Hesse, Siddhartha, translated by Hilda Rosner, Picador, 1974, p.28. Philip Kapleau, Three Pillars of Zen, Rider, 1988, p.290 |
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| Zendo | Image: Lisa De Venter | |
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. |
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| Saffron robes | Image: Sean Laurenz | |
There are still a few spaces left on the following June retreats:Iyengar Yoga: Nudging The Body Into Shape And HealthJudy Farah | 2 to 7 days | 24-26 June/1 July The upsurge of interest in the ancient practice of yoga attests to its proven physiological and psychological benefits. This retreat is suitable for beginners and for those who may have practised other forms of yoga. It is an introduction to the Iyengar method. For those who wish to consolidate their practice to a deeper level, the additional 5-day retreat is strongly recommended (26 June to 1 July). |
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| Buddha boma | Image: Angela Buckland | |
Conducted Retreats July 2022
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| Stupa hill |
Image: Angela Shaw | |
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. We are deeply grateful for your generous gifts to the Centre this year: new beds and bases, office chairs and a desk, bathroom towels, indigenous trees and seedlings, books for our library, a generator, a garden bench, clothing and Dana for our staff - and so much more.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. |
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