BRC NewsFlash - June 2017
|
|
||
The Buddhist Retreat Centre |
||
|
Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
For people of all religions |
|
|
|
||
|
Dear Retreatant BRC Newsflash: June 2017If Only...No matter how fortunate you are, you can always find something that would make you happier - if only … The Buddha tackled this ingrained discontent with our present situation in his Four Noble Truths - the spring board to all his other teachings. The First Truth simply states that circumstances will not always turn out to be to your liking; what you get is not always what you had hoped or wished for. We have decided that that is troublesome….. |
||
|
|
||
|
Image: Chantelle Flores |
||
So - does Happiness Ever-After only happen in fairy tales?The Buddha compared the presence of Dukkha in our life to a cart that is hard to push around because its axle needs to be greased. He then told us how to operate a grease gun to ease this problem in his Eightfold Path. This does not mean you don’t have to push around carts anymore: you have simply made it easier to do so. This extended the meaning of Dukkha as it had been understood in the east for centuries before him to include psychological, emotional and mental disorders as well and smart ways of dealing with them. I love this about the Buddha’s philosophy: you are not asked to believe anything. Indeed, you are urged to use your innate common-sense and apply that to his teachings: can we verify what he says in our own, direct experience? If so - let’s get on with it! |
||
|
|
||
 |
||
|
Image: Chantelle Flores |
||
|
There are still a few spaces left on: |
||
Forthcoming Retreats: 2 June to 1 July, 2017The June programme highlights the importance of working towards a condition of holistic well-being - a state of wholeness that includes multiple aspects of ourselves - a complex of physical, emotional and mental elements, all of which interact and which we consider to be “me”. This “me” had a beginning, a birth, acquired a name and ID number, is male or female, and harbours lots of memories of past happenings: experiences that were once “me” - now gone forever. The Buddha therefore suggested that we don’t read any more into ourselves than that: there is no mysterious other entity hiding out there, somewhere …. Radical, eh? Liberating? |
||
|
|
||
|
Images: Chantelle Flores |
||
|
The up-coming BRC programme lays emphasis on keeping the physical aspect of ourselves in good order. Our mind and emotions don’t work well if the body is subjected to stress. In his early yogic training, the Buddha had subjected his own body to severe tests and deprivations to establish the extreme boundaries of what it is that is minimally required to keep ourselves in optimum physical condition. It became part of his Middle Way: neither over-indulge nor deprive yourself of the nourishments you need to maintain a robust state of health. In its modern western context, physical exercise has often been taken to another extreme: body awareness and image have become all-important - ends in themselves. The retreats give participants the opportunity to look and feel good in ways that have been tested and fine-tuned in eastern philosophies and yogic lifestyles for centuries. Join us for yoga to nudge you into shape, chanting for joy and walking for poise and balance and soulful star-gazing. |
||
 |
||
| Image: Chantelle Flores | ||
Discovering The Power Of ChantingThe healing power and expressive nature of singing appeals to all aspects of our being, and can elevate us to blissful states. Come and enjoy the wonder of the human voice. Health Retreat: Discover Your Best SelfDr Kaz’ holistic, transformational retreat will help you to create a balance in the realms of your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Astrology: Mapping Out Your Inner BlueprintLearn how the cycles of the celestial world affect you personally and how your unique blueprint - your birth chart - can help you live to your fullest potential. The Yoga Of FoodEnjoy 3 days of yoga and food, exploring the yogic approach to diet, and learning the principles of preparing nutritious plant-based food. Iyengar Yoga: Nudging Your Body Into Health And ShapeThe retreat is suitable for beginners and those who have practised other forms of yoga, and aims to take us out of our sedentary lifestyles towards health and vitality. Iyengar Yoga: Deepening Your PracticeFor those who wish to consolidate their practice to a deeper level, these additional 4 days are strongly recommended. Walking The Sacred Way: Poise, Grace And Presence In WalkingThe essential art of walking - this most ordinary activity of daily life - has been degraded into mindless, extreme exercise. As we change this conditioned mindset, we can restore the poise and elegance of our body-mind. |
||
|
|
||
|
Image: Chantelle Flores |
||
|
Chrisi |
||
|
|
||
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 more than thirty six 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. In 1989, the BRC was awarded Natural Heritage status by President Mandela for turning an eroded farm into the natural paradise it has become with 160 species of birds, including the Blue Swallow, otter, deer and indigenous forests. The BRC facilitated the founding of Woza Moya, the community-based NGO, located in Ufafa Valley. It continues to support the organisation in a variety of ways. Recently, thanks to your Dana, we were able to donate R17,000.00 to Woza Moya. Thank you for making this possible! Thank you too for the amazing gifts and abundance that has flowed to the BRC over the last two months in the form of beautiful Thankas, woven carpets, curtains, ornaments, Tibetan artifacts and furniture for our refurbishment in the Lodge, PUY contributions and other donations, trees, herbs and plants, books for our library. We have been so touched by your gifts and appreciative letters and emails. Visit our website for further information, directions, image gallery etc. |
||
| www.brcixopo.co.za | 039 834 1863 | 087 809 1687 | 082 579 3037 | 031 2095995 |
||
|
The email was sent to: Technical and e-marketing support by: |
||
