Updated BRC Newsflash - August 2019
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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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Dear Retreatant BRC Newsflash: 2 to 30 August 2019 |
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The new BRC calendar of retreats from May 2019 to April 2020 is published on our website. You will find it at www.brcixopo.co.za |
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| Buddha statue | Image: Lennart Eriksson | |
ReminiscencesIn March next year, we will be commemorating that moment, 40 years ago, when the BRC expected the first retreatants to arrive. Therefore this may be a suitable occasion to indulge in some reminiscing about those early days. I had decided to follow the pattern of retreats that had been adopted at other centres in the western world - in England and the USA. These, in turn, were adaptations of the kind of retreats offered in countries such as Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka - where the founders of these Centres had experienced their first Vipassana retreats. At our first weekend retreat in March 1980, Antony Osler and I decided we would take turns to present the topic we had set ourselves: "An introduction to Buddhist philosophy and meditation". It was not very promising. Only one retreatant turned up. She had two teachers. We took it in turn to take her through the principles of Samatha, Samadhi and Vipassana meditation practice. She was very gracious and stayed. Nowadays, we have 30-45 people attending most weekends. With World Yoga Day celebrated recently, Mindfulness everywhere, meditation and retreat centres throughout the world, we in the southern tip of the African continent were certainly ahead of these developments when we offered meditation, yoga, tai chi and Buddhist philosophy in the 80’s. Those of you who knew the Centre in the early days will recall that the library was where all the talks were given. It is a cosy space, but with only enough room for a maximum of 9 people. As attendance increased, we had to build the studio to accommodate bigger audiences. The wattle and daub rondavel now houses all our library books, and with its newly thatched roof is a lovely space to relax, read and reflect. |
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| The library | Image: Chantel Flores | |
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When I bought the land in 1969, there were no indigenous forests, only some straggling wild wattle forests; there was no infrastructure, no water and no electricity. Now there are lush indigenous forests, walking trails, otter, deer, porcupine, birds, meadows, grasslands and wildflowers. When I built the dam - what a marathon - I had to secure a payloader to start the project, and could only hire one in Durban which meant that I had to drive it from Durban to Ixopo. I was stopped by a curious traffic cop who asked me if I had a permit to drive a payloader. How did I wriggle out of that? He told me to turn straight back to Durban, but I reasoned with him that the distance to my destination was equal to the distance of going back to Durban. He shrugged his shoulders and waved me on. Once I arrived on site, I started to excavate the area where two natural streams converged at the bottom of the hill below the Lodge. The streams joined other streams further down the valley which interestingly join the Umkomaas river which exits into the Indian Ocean. We originally drank the water from the dam, unfiltered, until someone with sharp eyesight pointed out - quite rightly - that he could see a lot of organisms in the water which I had been happily drinking for months! We then had to make another plan for water and called in a water diviner who located suitable places to tap into fresh ground water. To this day, our drinking water is potable and very tasty and comes from our boreholes. The giant pine trees which I have been berated for planting 49 years ago, have become old friends. But knowing that they would fall by natural attrition, we have planted a friendly line of yellowwood trees behind them (thanks Mervyn Croft) to take their place. So in time Pine-Needle Walk will become Yellowwood Trail. Already the yellowwoods have reached the pines half way up. |
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| Louis on a scaffold sculpting the Buddha statue | ||
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The 5 meter Buddha statue which I constructed some 30 years ago initially stood out too prominently on the barren landscape - and people wondered why I had built such a big statue. I am not sure. But nowadays it is embraced and almost hidden by the accepting trees round it. So time marches on. There are 108 curls adorning the head of the Buddha. As the quaint traditional story goes, on the night of the Buddha's enlightenment while he was sitting under the Bodhi tree, snails took pity on him and collectively decided to settle on his shaven head to protect it. I made a latex mould of a snail which I filled up with cement mortar and continued to make 108 "snail-curls" which were then glued onto the head of the Buddha - as it stands today. Interestingly, Ajahn Sucitto who commemorated the Buddha statue upon its completion, will be returning in February next year to teach a 6-day retreat. Vegetarianism was an oddity in South Africa when I started the "Vegetarian Society". I can recall the unpalatable meals of dense nutbake and asparagus tart. Nowadays everyone is going green or going vegan with books being launched like “ Vegetables Unleashed” and T-shirts urging you to "Eat Your Greens!”. Meatless Mondays are the norm, and the fast-food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken has debuted vegan fried chick'n - without chicken - called “Imposter”, while other major food suppliers are at the forefront of providing meat-free alternatives. It feels good to have contributed in some small way to the meatless revolution. Our cookbooks still sell well with people commenting that they never knew that vegetables could be so tasty. Many of us remember the 12 Thai boys who together with their coach were stranded in a flooded cave a year ago. Recently, they marked the anniversary of their rescue by attending a Buddhist merit-making ceremony in Tham Luang. This got me thinking about the concept of merit. The Buddha said that our good deeds will earn us good fortune in the future. This merit is compounded if you also pass it on to others who are in greater need than yourself. Such a gesture of transferring goodwill to another will further contribute to your good karma in an ever escalating swell of benefit to everyone. Conversely, negative actions on our part will gather repercussions in our next life. Perhaps we should keep this in mind in our everyday lives and try to make a difference in other people’s lives where we can. Live kindly, Louis |
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| The dam | Image: Chantel Flores | |
There are still a few spaces left on the following retreat in July:
Finding And Keeping Your Centre. Taking care of ourselves in order to be of service to others |
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| Flavoursome fare - from Plentiful: The Big Book of Buddha Food | Image: Wanda Hennig | |
Forthcoming Retreats: 2 to 30 August 2019People 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, and to learn yoga, chi kung, and tai chi. The August programme will prepare you to embrace the second half of the year with ease, with retreats offering meditation, healing relaxation, restorative yoga and dance. Alternatively, do your own thing: 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. |
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| A flair for flavour |
Image: Wanda Hennig | |
Compassionate Communication: Listening With Your Whole Being. Speaking From Your Deepest AuthenticyThis retreat invites you on a journey of direct experiencing, sensing and being through the Dyad enquiry practice (meditation in pairs). The Mindful awareness of a practice partner increases the ability to stay present and in the moment. It is not only a method to strengthen awareness, but also to deepen interpersonal connection, and enjoy more loving, compassionate relationships. Healing therapies for health and harmonyFor those of you who want to do a personal retreat and recharge your batteries, Deborah Don will be at the Centre offering her healing therapies and treatments by appointment. Sound therapy, massage, energy balance and self-esteem coaching will be on offer. Working With The Elements: An Enquiry Into Ourselves And The World Around UsIt is only when the elements are in balance that there is harmony; when they are out of balance there is dis-harmony and dis-ease. In this retreat we will use the Tibetan schematic of the 5 Elements - earth, water, fire, air and space and, by becoming familiar with them, learn to observe our mind-body states in relation to the elements. Healing Relaxation: Opening And Relaxing The Heart And MindHealing relaxation is a simple, highly practical, yet profound programme which helps people repair the strains and tensions resulting from the conditions of modern life, and prevents them from developing in the first place. In this retreat we will explore the benefits of developing calmer states of mind and learn effective relaxation, visualization and breathing techniques. Delicious Wellness: How To Make Your Body Your Best FriendIn this workshop, you will learn to access your Body Wisdom through a gentle, but powerful self-enquiry process which will help you to shift years of baggage, trauma and pain so that you can create a foundation for true wellness. A Neurosurgeon Probes Wellness and Performance: PsychoneuroimmunologyIn a series of talks and mindfulness meditation, we will explore the chemistry which mediates the effects of mind states on the body and show that we can attain optimal wellness and performance by getting to know our temperament, and by being more present-minded and through sensible, informed ways of living and behaving. Dharma Circle: Mid-Week MeditationMeditation practice equips us with the capacity to deal calmly and effectively with the many challenging circumstances that inevitably come our way in life. On this largely unstructured self-retreat, join us for meditation, chanting and chi kung and a chance to be simply present, from one moment to the next, in the tranquil surroundings of the BRC. The retreat will be held in an atmosphere of introspection Nia Technique: How To Appreciate Your Body Through Music, Movement And DanceLearn why Nia is a lifestyle practice that strengthens your ability to sustain body-centred awareness and vitalises your nervous system. Nia is more than just a cardio dance fitness class. It makes you fit for life. Authentic Ayurveda: Restorative Yoga And Mindful CookingEnjoy the revitalizing and rejuvenating effects of both Ayurveda and restorative yoga, and learn the art of preparing a dosha-balancing meal. Be your own healer by learning how to incorporate the therapeutic properties of food, herbs and spices into your daily routine. The Enjoyment Of Being Still And AloneEnjoy some “alone” time on a Self-Retreat in the beautiful, indigenous setting of the BRC with chi kung, meditation, communing with nature, and enjoying the delicious vegetarian food for which the BRC is justly renowned. |
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| Winter vista | Image: Navie Green-Thompson | |
You are invited to our AGM - 14 August 201939th Annual General Meeting of |
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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 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 R24,000 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 which have enabled us to refurbish the bathrooms in the Lodge, tile the entrance to the dining room and install a tea station in the Lodge for those hot cups of milo on the cooler misty nights. We are grateful for the truck-load of indigenous trees, herbs, seedlings and plants, a new granite kitchen server, a new canvas parasol for the outside umbrella, kitchen utensils and crockery, garden tools, books for our library, beautiful beige towels, soft new pillows, Woollies duvet covers, a coffee plunger, a marvellous collection of illustrated books on the Sumie tradition, some of which have been long out of print, a beautiful silk scarf for Louis from Sikkhim to use during the Chinese tea ceremony, Elsa Pooley's book on flowers for the library, a generous donation towards installing LED lights to reduce our energy consumption and stunning photographs from Andrew Brown, Marc Kornberger, Tsunma Tsondru and Lennart Eriksson and "Fairlady" magazine featuring the BRC. The Centre received a generous donation of tables, crockery, ceramics, pillows, cushions, curtains and lanterns, as well as boxes of seedlings, fruit, cheese and olives, two beautiful stone bird baths, a new fire pit for meditation under the stars and a new noticeboard. The recently donated mahogany table and chairs in the studio have enhanced the room enormously. We welcomed two new power drills, garden tools and the high-back oak chairs for our meditation hall and generous donations towards the re-paving of the entrance road to the BRC. 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. |
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| www.brcixopo.co.za | 087 809 1687 | 082 579 3037 | 031 2095995 |
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