BRC Newsflash - January 2023

view it online \|

The Buddhist Retreat Centre
Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa		For people of all religions
BRC Newsflash: January 2023 Dear Retreatants,
Max Weier will be teaching at the BRC from 28 February to 23 March 2023. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn qigong and meditation from a great master. His retreats are published on our website www.brcixopo.co.za. International teachers, Jonathan Preboy and Anna Scharfenberg, are offering a 10-day Vipassana retreat from 9-19 January 2023. Book soon as spaces are limited. Venerable Chamtrul Rinpoche will be returning to South Africa and will lead a retreat “Tibetan Dream Yoga: The Practice Of Lucid Dreaming” from 24-26 March 2023.

Buddha Rupa		Image: Lennart Erikkson
Compassion For Others Must Bring Yourself Along I am sure we are all looking forward to new horizons with 2023 just around the corner. This year has been a capricious and challenging one, with anxiety and stress levels unusually high. The one predominant factor has been that although we have coped - just - we are not refuelling ourselves and paying enough attention to our own welfare; we feel we have not flourished. It is only by taking care of oneself ,that compassion for others is possible and is complete. Self-compassion as in “love your neighbour as you would love yourself’ can easily be confused with self-interest, and self-indulgence, but there is a place for self love in our daily lives at all levels of our of being. By taking time to pause and reflect on how you are doing, and being more alert and responsive to how you have been is a way to refuel. Otherwise, one will soon come to standstill, incapable of doing anything for yourself and for others.

Bath time		Andrew Brown
At the end of all our retreats at the BRC, we conduct a loving-kindness or Metta Bhavana meditation which emphasises the need to include oneself in one’s wish for the happiness and well-being of others. This traditional Buddhist Metta practice is crucial in reducing negative emotions towards oneself and towards others and generating forgiveness and tolerance. As we reflect on this past year at the BRC, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for the loving-kindness that has come our way. This is the true spirit of the Dhamma where goodwill that comes one’s way is gratefully received and then passed on to others. It is thanks to all our teachers, patrons, Board members, friends and retreatants who have supported us so generously and loyally that the BRC continues to be a reservoir of these noble sentiments. We wish you and your families health and well-being. Tread lightly into the new year, With affection, Louis, Chrisi, Lien, Perseverance, Shaun, Mdu, Enkakeni and the BRC family

Louis van Loon in conversation		Image: Richard Pakleppa
Louis van Loon in conversation recently with film producer, Richard Pakleppa of Breathe Films who is making a documentary film on the BRC, its founding and history, entitled Bodhi Is Light – Impressions of the Ixopo Buddhist Retreat Centre. Since opening its doors to the public in 1980, creating and sustaining the BRC has been the work of many hands. Administrators and dedicated supporters have given many years of their lives to developing the Centre. Teachers from South Africa and across the world have brought wisdom teachings which inspired many. Some went on to start retreat centres in South Africa and abroad. Zulu women and men built and maintained the BRC over three generations…and many, many more contributions have enlivened this unique space. It is a unique story.
Now And Zen: Reboot, Recharge And Retreat There 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.

Raindrops on the grass		Image: Andrew Brown
There are still a few spaces left on the following December retreats: A Neurosurgeon Probes Wellness And Performance: Psychoneuroimmunology Ian Weinberg \| Weekend \| 9-11 December In the last of a series of workshops which Ian has presented over the past 13 years, he will explore the chemistry which mediates the effects of mind states on the body: psychoneuroimmunology or PNI. The talks and demonstrations will show how one’s state of mind informs our immune system and how we can attain optimal wellness and performance by being more present-minded. Read more Sumie And Raku – Japanese Brush Painting And Ceramics Ingrid Adams, Kate and Nina Shand \| 4 days \| 12-16 December Shibuie is the ancient Japanese concept of Accidental Beauty. Ingrid will teach the classical Japanese brush painting techniques (Sumie) as these are applied to traditional subjects, such as landscape, bamboo and flower studies - as well as contemporary subjects. The kiln will be fired up by Kate and Nina, after which we will watch the magic as the pots emerge triumphantly from the scorching heat (Raku). A candle-lit Chinese Tea Ceremony will be held on the last night. Read more Mindful And Intuitive Eating Xenia Ayiotis \| Weekend \|16-18 December Food and eating can be a source of great joy, but it can also be a source of great suffering and struggle. This retreat is based on a combination of the principles of Mindful Eating And Intuitive Eating and also draws on techniques from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy that enable us to become aware of - and manage - the sometimes destructive patterns and habits around food, eating and our bodies. The focus is on creating a healthy relationship with food, using a non-judgemental and compassionate approach Read more The Four Immeasurable Gifts At Christmas Tsunma Tsondru \| 3 days accommodation \| 23-26 December Christmas is a time of the giving of gifts. All birthdays are honoured with gift-giving. Usually these gifts are of ‘things’. Yet, the very best gift we can give is not anything tangible or material. It is to definitively take away the suffering of oneself, and of others.The Four Immeasurable Gifts are the ultimate gift. They are boundless equanimity, loving kindness, compassion, and joy. Read more

Crack of dawn		Image: Tsunma Tsondru
Conducted Retreats January 2023 indicates retreats held in Noble Silence Time To Focus And Tune Into 2023: Gently Kickstart The New Year With Qigong, Hatha Yoga, Meditation And Healing Therapies Tsunma Tsondru, Kugan Naidoo, Brett Vallis and Deborah Don \| Weekend \| 6-8 January It is difficult to make decisions about important issues in your life when you are immersed in them. You need some distance from them, physically and psychologically to see them clearly for what they are. Only then, can you gain a fresh perspective. So, if you feel you need a gentle, uncluttered space to tune into what lies ahead for you in 2023, this largely unstructured weekend will prove useful. Deborah Don, a qualified Self-Esteem Coach and massage therapist, will be offering healing therapies by appointment. Experience what it is like to "just be". Read more Ten Day Vipassana Retreat Jonathan Preboy and Anna Scharfenberg \| 10 days \| 9-19 January The retreat starts with an introduction on Monday evening and follows the original Stages of Insight for ten full days of meditation. The aim of insight meditation is to understand reality, to see things as they really are. The main tool of insight meditation is mindfulness: mindfulness of body, feelings and mind. Retreatants are required to practise approximately ten hours per day (between 5 am and 10 pm), follow the Buddhist precepts and maintain respectful silence throughout the retreat. The BRC staff and teachers will provide their whole-hearted support, including daily reporting, loving-kindness meditation (Metta) and Dhamma talks. Maximum 12 students. This retreat will overlap with the weekend retreat (13-15) and the week retreat (15-19). Read more Vipassana Meditation: How To Realise Ever-Present Mindfulness Jonathan Preboy and Anna Scharfenberg \| Weekend \| 13-15 January Vipassana (Insight) meditation is based on mindfulness, which is always available, everywhere, without limit or cost. The challenge is how to realise it. The answer was provided by the Buddha. He taught ways to cultivate mindfulness that lead to insight and awakening. This retreat is an invitation for beginners and experienced meditators to practise Vipassana using the traditional Buddhist method of Ajahn Tong. For beginners it is a simple and direct technique to start meditating and for experienced meditators, it is a skilful method to deepen their insight. The weekend will be held in silence. Read more A Vipassana Retreat: The Search For Truth Jonathan Preboy and Anna Scharfenberg \| 4 days \| 15-19 January Vipassana (Insight) meditation uses mindfulness to search for the mental and emotional patterns that cause suffering. The aim is not merely to overcome suffering, but to learn how to wake up and be fully alive in the present moment. This four-day retreat is an opportunity to deepen meditation practice using the traditional Buddhist method of Ajahn Tong. Meditators are encouraged to stay for the entire course but may also stay for a shorter time and beginners are welcome to learn how to start Vipassana meditation. The retreat will be held in silence. Read more Gardening For Happiness: The Basics Of Gardening Chris Dalzell \| Weekend \| 20-22 January They say that 'your life begins the day you start a garden'. If you are looking for some green thumb inspiration and motivation, join Chris for a weekend where you will learn the practice and art of gardening, plant identification, plant selection of trees, shrubs, ground covers and bulbs. He will show you how to prepare a flower bed and how to lay out your plants, and how to plant trees and other plants and their maintenance. He will advise on plant propagation and more. Come and celebrate the BRC's gardens and its green spaces. Read more The Way Of Ubuntu: Exploring Traditional South African Healing John Lockley and Nomusa Mthembu \| 3 days \| 27-30 January Participants will experience a traditional South African healing ceremony over three days during which they will learn to connect to their Ancestors (bones), Dreams, 'Umoya' (spirit) and one another. Included will be an in-depth discussion on 'African cosmology' and the understanding of ancestors, plant medicine and dreaming. Retreatants will learn one of the most ancient and misunderstood cultures in South Africa today - the Sangoma medicine people - the monks and nuns of Southern Africa. The retreat will focus on educating people about South African traditional spirituality and also lead participants on a spiritual journey to rediscover their own ‘soul’ or what is termed ‘umoya’ in Xhosa/ Zulu culture. This retreat is suitable for all therapists, healers and those with a desire to heal South Africa. Read more A Personal Self Retreat: Walk Into Stillness 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. Treat yourself to a personal retreat. Venessa Muller will be in situ to offer guided meditation mid week. Read more

BRC vegetable garden		Image: Chantelle Flores
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 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, a new refrigerator, bathroom towels, indigenous trees and seedlings, books for our library, a generator, garden benches, 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.
www.brcixopo.co.za \| 087 809 1687 \| 082 579 3037 \| 031 2095995 Share: \| Follow us:
The email was sent to: \|