Generosity is the first of the Paramitas (Perfections) and the most highly praised of the Buddha’s teachings, because it gives rise to the other quintessential qualities of virtue. This altruism is evident in the way our patrons and donors respond so spontaneously to the needs of the Centre - needs that are not catered for in the rates we (reluctantly) charge for food and accommodation.
Generosity is the first of the Paramitas (Perfections) and the most highly praised of the Buddha’s teachings, because it gives rise to the other quintessential qualities of virtue. This altruism is evident in the way our patrons and donors respond so spontaneously to the needs of the Centre - needs that are not catered for in the rates we (reluctantly) charge for food and accommodation.
Experience the character and wisdom of the Dalai Lama and discover why he inspires millions of people of all creeds to live more meaningful lives in harmony with each other and the planet. Filmed during a rare visit to the UK, this fly-on- the-wall documentary follows the Dalai Lama as he shares his spiritual and humanitarian message with the West.
We will show this film at The 35th Annual General Meeting of the Buddhist Institute of
The BRC sits on 300 acres of hills which Alan Paton, in the opening paragraph of his seminal book, Cry the Beloved Country, describes as lovely beyond any singing of it. Yet in 1970, these three hills had become sterile; they had eroded and were covered with steekgras, American bramble and Australian wattle plantations. That is how I acquired it for the purpose of establishing the first Buddhist meditation centre in South Africa.
Lucy Draper-Clarke recently conducted a retreat, "FindingEase: Returning to ourselves through yoga and meditation", at the BRC.
Click on the link to read her article: http://www.heart-mind.co.za/2015/03/finding-ease.html
The BRC is clearly photogenic. The producers of the SATV 2’sEastern Mosaic filmed at the BRC recently. You can watch the evocative episode by clicking the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKNqoaicfC4
Generosity is the first of the Paramitas (Perfections) and the most highly praised of the Buddha’s teachings, because it gives rise to the other quintessential qualities of virtue. This altruism is evident in the way our patrons and donors respond so spontaneously to the needs of the Centre - needs that are not catered for in the rates we (reluctantly) charge for food and accommodation. Thank you to Dave Paterson, Kim Darke, Linda Van der Nest, Melanie Wicks, Barbara Day, Annegret Rood, Peter Wellman, R. Brownath, Rosemary Turner, Stephen Coan, Antony Lavoipierre, Pam Evans, Kushy Ramjathan and Jack Schmitter, for your continued generosity which has enabled the ongoing refurbishment and upgrading of the Centre.
The treasured Bodhi (“Enlightenment”) Tree, donated by the Myanmar Buddhist Association, is flourishing in our Buddha Boma thanks to Chris Dalzell who has sourced the other seven trees associated with the Buddha’s life and teaching, and to our Patrons Annegret Rood, Dena van der Berg, Gerrit and Helen Vogel, Rob Haveman and Verna du Preez who helped make this project possible. We need to particularly single out Dave Paterson who has taken on the Boma project with gusto and expertise, and enabled the central pavilion to be set out under his supervision, and the supporting columns to be erected. Next year we will see much more progress on the roof, the rock garden, and the waterfall and lotus pond – hopefully in time for the Boma’s opening at the most important event in the Buddhist calendar: Wesak in May.
Thank you everybody!
Chrisi
LA VALLEE BLEUE, Afrique du Sud L'un des dix meilleurs centres de méditation du monde, selon CNN, se trouve dans les montagnes du KwaZulu-Natal, au-dessus des méandres de la rivière Umkomaas. Dans ce parc de 120 hectares, de multiples chemins mènent au nirvana : au détour d'un sentier, croiser une hirondelle bleue ou contempler la vallée qui s'efface dans toutes les nuances de bleu. Comme dans les autres centres de méditation bouddhiste, on peut y pratiquer l'assise tranquille, en silence, en observant sa respiration - guidée par des enseignants -mais ici il est aussi possible de s'exercer seul. D'autres types de stages permettent également d'explorer la pensée et la philosophie bouddhistes ou de pratiquer la pleine conscience pendant des cours de cuisine, de tai-chi, de poterie, de percussions ou de photo. Autant de manières d'accéder au Grand Tout en se reconnectant à soi-même. Buddhist Retreat Center, Ixopo. www.brcixopo.co.zaParis Vogue in their current issue, features the BRC as La Vallee Bleue. The picture is of the valley below Nilanda Rocks. (Download the article )
The producers of Master Chef SA rewarded contestants in this popular cooking competition with a visit to the BRC, where Louis told them about the eastern philosophical principles of vegetarianism. They then tasted our food to make them aware of how fabulously tasty and nutritious this Ahimsa (“harmless”) food can be. Their visit was featured in episode 8 of Master Chef SA on SATV 3 recently.
Unfortunately, John Peacock is not well enough to teach at the BRC in March 2015. We wish him a steady recovery and hope that he will be able to visit the BRC again later in 2015.
Jonathan Preboy and Anna Scharfenburg: January 5 – 9 & May 29 – 31
Rob Nairn and Lucy Draper-Clarke: March 24 – 29 2015
Lama Marut: April 30 – May 3 2015
Anthony Shapiro and Louis van Loon conduct another workshop in Cape Town on