BRC Newsflash - February 2020

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The Buddhist Retreat Centre
Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa		For people of all religions
Dear Retreatant BRC Newsflash: 31 January to 1 March 2020
SOS: The BRC is looking for someone with administrative and IT skills to help in the office for the month of January. Please call Chrisi: 0824668306 Forthcoming retreats from February 2020 to January 2021 have been updated on our website: www.brcixopo.co.za The BRC printed brochure February 2020 to January 2021 will be posted at the end of January Quiet Food and Plentiful: The Big Book Of Buddha Food are available in the shop. They can also be posted to you. Please contact the BRC office Teacher's Dana. Without our retreatants' support and attendance, there would be no BRC, and without our teachers, the Centre would be unthinkable. In keeping with ancient Buddhist tradition, the Dharma is offered at no charge, and teachers are not paid a fee for their teachings. Some teachers rely solely on Dana for their living expenses. We therefore encourage you to offer Teacher's Dana (Generosity) from your heart at the end of your stay, with an awareness that it is your generous financial support/ Dana which enables our teachers to continue offering their teachings at our Centre Join Christopher Dalzell on a magical 11 day tour of the gardens of Singapore and Thailand from 3-14 February 2020. The tour takes in some of the great gardens of the world plus visits to temples and old cities in Thailand. Contact Chris for an itinerary and costing. Poster attached with contact details Don’t miss the article on the BRC in Odyssey Magazine’s December feature: The Art Of Retreating Woza Moya Ixopo: Sustainability Through Friend-Raising Twenty years ago, come April 2020, Woza Moya was launched at the BRC by Executive Director, Sue Hedden. Now a thriving community-based organisation, improving the lives of close on 10,000 people in the Ufafa Valley Community, Woza Moya has gained a global reputation. Celebrating 20 years, Sue is travelling around South Africa (in Cape Town in March and in the UK in May) telling the Woza Moya Story, meeting old friends and making new connections. Please invite Sue to your home, a coffee shop, school, community hall, church, club house, where 4/40/400 people are gathered. By bringing friends together, and then friends of friends - having fun, sharing the Woza Moya Story, touching hearts - retelling our story and generating goodwill - will help us to make significant connections to raise the funds to remain sustainable. Nowadays it is ALL about who you know! Please contact Sue on:

Becoming Buddha - 1983		Image: Louis van Loon
The Art Of Retreating Meditation: Is it as inane as watching the grass grow? When I was busy building the Buddhist Retreat Centre, a friend of mine was puzzled and asked me why I would want to do something like that. To spend so much time, energy and money on building a lovely country resort and invite people to sit quietly on black cushions, doing nothing - just watching their breath. “This, surely, was as loony as watching the grass grow,” he said. He was a dynamic businessman and very successful in running a string of clothing factories and shops. I had created one of the primary architectural and structural engineering consulting practices in South Africa, with branch offices in other parts of Africa. To him, the idea of withdrawing from such achievements and reflecting on the deeper meaning and purpose of life was a waste of time. He wanted to advance and expand - not retreat or withdraw. A similar dilemma happened 2500 years ago when Siddhartha Gautama, the future Buddha, decided to become a mendicant yogi rather than wallow in the luxurious life that awaited him as the son of a wealthy landowner in Northern India. Siddhartha’s father had been told by a yogi that his son would become one of the greatest Gurus of all time. Even so, this was bad news for dad. He had visions of his son succeeding him and expanding his empire - not abandoning it for some nebulous nirvana. We all come across similar choices at some stage in our lives even if they are not quite as dramatic as that. It often happens when something painful pounces on you. This may lead you to some reflection: is life just a relentless succession of random and painful experiences alternating with pleasant ones, or is there a larger purpose lurking behind them that you need to uncover to make it all meaningful?

Pine-needled path		Image: Steve McCarruch
This is what happened to me when I was still very young. I experienced the very painful years of the Second World War in Holland when my family, along with most Dutch citizens, was reduced to poverty. Although I did not know it at the time, this is where I believe my journey into Buddhist philosophy started: in Suffering (Dukkha) - the First of the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths. The other Truths spell out the psychological processes and mental disciplines that can be learnt to enable us to deal with Suffering wisely and effectively. That is why the Buddha’s philosophy has endured so vigorously for 25 centuries. It tackles the most fundamental human experiences - the ones that underlie our everyday lives: the way we emotionally and mentally deal with needs and wants; our likes and dislikes and the way we delude ourselves and misunderstand situations, deliberately or otherwise, and helps us to navigate our way through circumstances, particularly the unpleasant or challenging ones and, in doing so, to get to know ourselves - and the world - at greater depth. So - what does it mean to retreat - to me and to Chrisi, my wife who has been at my side for almost 33 years? And to the thousands of people who have experienced, often for the first time, what it is like to sit on a black cushion for half an hour or more, letting go of the thoughts that randomly and relentlessly elbow their way into your awareness - only to return almost immediately? The Retreat Centre offers a range of retreats to equip us with powerful mental and psychological tools to bring clarity in these issues. They range from those investigating Buddhist thought and philosophy, through to meditation; as well as those featuring bird watching, cooking, pottery and photography. At first glance the latter might appear to be unrelated to Buddhism, but even these retreats will contain some element of mindful awareness, refracting the chosen subject matter through a Buddhist lens.

Labyrinth - navigate the way		Image: Chantelle Flores
People from all walks of life come to these retreats with a variety of motivations and expectations. Perhaps they want to deepen their meditation practice, to take some time out from a hectic working life; to reflect on a tense domestic situation; to consider the trajectory of their lives; to make a decision about a way forward. Maybe they just want to learn how to take a good photograph or prepare a great vegetarian meal. Each person will have a different reason for going on a retreat. Different paths will have led them to this place. The thirteenth century Zen master Dogen advises: “Take the backward step and turn the light inward.” It’s a good description of the retreat experience, particularly those with a focus on meditation. This is not a selfish practice, as Dogen says elsewhere, “To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to perceive oneself in all beings, to be enlightened by all things. To be enlightened by all things is to remove the barriers between oneself and others.” There is a story about the famous psychiatrist and thinker Carl Jung. A patient called urgently wanting an appointment for the next day. However, Jung already had a booking for that time so an appointment was made for a later date. The next day at the preferred appointment time the patient was walking in the park when suddenly he came across Jung sitting on a park bench. The patient became angry. “You told me you had an appointment!” “I do,” said Jung. “With myself.” We all need to make an appointment with ourselves from time to time. To re-connect with who we really are; to maintain balance; to recharge exhausted batteries. To make time to go on a retreat is a necessary and healthy step for anyone.

Children's retreat - snow buddha - 1986		Image: Louis van Loon
A few thoughts on retreating “Take the backward step and turn the light inward”. The BRC provides the space for that backward step, for the light to turn inward. During a retreat everything is designed to allow that process to occur - this is “time out” from daily activities. A weekend retreat typically begins with an introductory talk on the Friday evening and ends with a guided loving kindness meditation in which one deliberately projects kindness and compassion to all beings, including ourselves. A retreat has a dynamic all of its own - and this dynamic will be different for each person - but, like a good film or a book, it will probably have a beginning, a middle, and an end. The overall experience can often be cathartic. Attending a retreat is not only making a commitment to yourself, but also to the other people who have come. There is a collective, supportive energy generated during a retreat, especially in a meditation retreat held in Noble silence which creates the psychological space, to better enable us to “turn the light inward”. Such silence allows us to experience our inner self more fully; to drop the masks and the various other defences we often employ in our day-to-day interactions with others and also gives us the chance to better experience the world around us: the sounds of birds, the creak of trees in the wind. Raindrops. Noble silence allows one the precious release from the incessant internal dialogue that never seems to stop, not even in our dreams. Many expect that a retreat will automatically be a blissful experience. For some it may be, but as with anything in life, there are no guarantees. If you are not comfortable with yourself in daily life you won’t suddenly find yourself in some magically transcendent state simply by going on a weekend retreat. As Jon Kabat-Zinn points out: “Wherever you go, there you are”. Sitting on a meditation cushion, breathing in and out, there is no escape from who you are. That is not always a comfortable place to be. Like it or not, you are forced to confront the reality of your own circumstances.

Walk the path		Image: Angela Buckland
So choose the retreat you wish to attend with care, with a sense of where you are right now, what you are looking for and what you need. Retreats demonstrate in a surprising variety of ways how we can harness the clarity and calmness to boldly engage our world of experience, both the rough and the smooth, and act creatively and compassionately within it. Indeed, it is our primary task in life to navigate our way through these difficult processes wisely and in doing so, to get to know ourselves at greater depth than would be the case if we ignored them or pretended, they did not exist. When I first envisioned the BRC fifty years ago, I intended it to become a space for people to experience what it is like to just be still and to disconnect from the daily routine of life. To simply sit and tune into whatever happens - to wake up - even if it is just a pigeon calling in the Erythrina tree outside the meditation hall. The Centre has become all that, and more, to the thousands of people from all over South Africa and the world who have visited. Many feel enriched by their experience and able to carry that spirit forward in their relationships with their families, their friends and colleagues and all those they meet along the “Great Way” as it is called in the Zen tradition. (Feature in December’s edition of Odyssey Magazine) Live kindly, Louis
There are still a few spaces left on the following retreats in January: Mindfulness everywhere: A Vipassana retreat Jonathan Preboy and Anna Scharfenberg \| 17-19 January; The search for truth: A Vipassana retreat Jonathan Preboy and Anna Scharfenberg \| 19-23 January; Happy, healthy yoga: Kickstart the new year with yoga for health and harmony Margot McMaster \| 24-26 January

Summer salad spread from Plentiful: the Big Book of Buddha Food		Images: Angela Shaw
Forthcoming Retreats: 31 January to 1 March 2020 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 - and where people meet to engage in a range of talks on Eastern and Western philosophy and psychology. The February programme Is all about restoring the inner balance of the heart, mind and body through the practice of tai chi, yoga and meditation. Alternatively 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 and meditate in the company of the mossy Buddha.

Cat bliss		Image: Veronica Peacock
Out To Lunch: Going Vegan With Wholesome Food This retreat is ideal for those who want to make the change-over to a plant-based healthy lifestyle. Learn how to create your own ‘Buddha bowls’ bursting with veggie flavour, sunshine salads and mouth-watering vegan burgers. Combined with sunrise yoga, meditation and pilates, this retreat will leave you energized and inspired. Debbie Rich and Sascha Türk \| Weekend: January 31-February 2 Read more... Moving Meditation: Cultivating The Four Energies Of Tai Chi Originating in ancient China, tai chi is one of the most effective exercises for health and well-being of our body and mind. This retreat is for beginners and seasoned practitioners - for many, it starts somewhere and continues as a life time journey. Brett Vallis \| Weekend: February 7-9 Read more... Firm Centre, Open Heart One of the principal aims of meditation is to experience greater warm-heartedness - towards others and oneself. On this retreat, we will be cultivating the inner strength that supports and protects the heart so that its natural kindness and compassion can illuminate our lives. Ajahn Sucitto \| 6 days: February 12-18 Read more... Reclaim Your Power: A Journey To Inner Balance In trying to keep up with the ever-increasing pace and demands of our lives, we are left exhausted and stressed. On this retreat, we will fortify our spirit and embrace our personal power, and allow our light to shine brightly again. Heike Sym \| Weekend: February 21-23 Read more... Freedom Through Somatic Practices: A 5-Day Transformational Retreat Of Somasensing™, Intuitive Yoga And Wholefoods This retreat will be an immersion into holistic practices that will help you to restore well-being, shift embodied patterns and negative habits. For those who are ready to take healing into their own hands, this is an ideal opportunity to be your better self. Yasmin Lambat and Nicholas Luqmaan McLean \| 5 days: February 23-28 Read more... A Neurosurgeon Probes Wellness And Performance 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. Ian Weinberg \| Weekend: February 28-1 March Read more... The Enjoyment Of Being Still And Alone Enjoy some serene “alone” time on a Self-Retreat in the beautiful, indigenous setting of the BRC with chi kung, meditation, communing with nature, enjoying the vistas of the velvet Ixopo hills, and relishing the delicious vegetarian food for which the BRC is justly renowned. Mid-week Read more..

Tsondru in the mist		Image: Rudene Gerber
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 tranquility. 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. The BRC facilitated the founding of Woza Moya, the community-based NGO, located in Ufafa Valley, nineteen 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 in a variety of ways by contributing Dana, sponsoring their Directors, trainers and visitors' accommodation, and showcasing and promoting their wonderful crafts in the shop such as the sock monkeys, cushions, bags, scarves, beanies and stationery. The Woza Moya Crafters are local women who receive ongoing training and support to enable them to create these unique and charming best sellers. This year as a result of retreatants' Dana (Generosity), the BRC was able to donate R 24,000 to Woza Moya to further enable their good work among the community and to help support the 50 children who attend the Woza Moya play school. Become 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 which help to ensure the continuity of the Centre. Thank you for the abundance that has flowed to the BRC in the form of Paid-Up-Yogis and Sangha Friends’ contributions last year which enabled us to complete major projects such as rethatching the library and studio roofs, repaving the entrance roads, refurbishing all the Lodge rooms and bathrooms and replacing all the beds. This year we are aiming to turn two more rooms into ensuite bedsitters. We are very touched by your appreciative letters, emails, support and friendship towards the BRC - your spiritual home from home. Chrisi Visit our website for further information, directions, image gallery etc.
www.brcixopo.co.za \| 087 809 1687 \| 082 579 3037 \| 031 2095995 Share: \| Follow us:
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