S a t i p a n y a
August eReminder
Dear Friends
I hope this eReminder
finds you all well and happy!
You can now see
the full 2010 calendar as a table
and a
full description of courses on the web.
http://www.satipanya.org.uk/
Tip o’ the Day below
The Tough Nut
Diary:
July has been a good month here. The
dryest since we came and the sun has been out.
The year before last we hardly turned off the heat and sometimes the
temperature in the morning was -5 degrees Celsius. This year we have rarely
needed it - so far.
And the meadows
this year have truly blossomed all sorts of wild
flowers. I've given up trying to remember their names. When I try to add one to
my list, one drops off the end. I'm staying at the level of appreciating their
delicate colours and shapes.
There is still
work to be done around the stupa. Someone sent me an articles
about moles. It seems the EU banned the use of strychnine, there has been a
plague. It's a great time for mole catchers. There's always
winners when there are losers. All ours have vacated the property! But
we still need to put some sort of guard against them around the stupa. So we
are now once again going through the process of the 'Planning'.
I'm still not
getting very far with the island. But luckily I came a across a neighbour who has turned what was wild field into a
mini-park. I've asked her to come and see if she can 'do something'. She is
very willing to do it and as an offering. On top of this, we are still stuck
for a statue. Getting one purposely sculpted is proving fiendishly costly.
The Mahasi
Summer course is all but full. And I am very gratified that so many people are
coming and many are staying for more than one week.
Last weekend
four young lads were racing up and down a hill at the bottom of our valley. It
was like machine gun fire for three hours each of the weekend afternoons. A neighbour had contacted me to ask how it affects us and
said she had complained to the Council. I said it was the probably the wrong
tack to try and stop them, but maybe something could be done to lessen the
noise. I went to see them. As I walked into the entrance of their property -
it's a small holding - the mother was cutting back the ivy on the house. The
first thing she said was a complaint about the noise. So I had no problem
introducing the topic. 'In fact that's what I have come to talk about.'
She offered a cup of tea and fortunately the lads finished and came in. Four very virile young blokes. Anyway once I told them I
hadn't some to stop them riding, but to see if anything could be done about the
noise, the agro in the room fell a couple of degrees. They told me the bikes
were within the law and could be ridden on the roads at 90 decobel.
That might not mean much to you, but let's say it penetrates. I asked what
their parameters were and they promised me three
hours on Sat. and Sun. and one evening a week. I said, 'Emmm.' I then told them there had been a complaint. The
mother wanted to know whom. She tried a few times. I said it didn't matter. 'I
just want you to know that the five or so households along the valley are
in the line of fire.'
One of them said, it wasn't that loud. I
said, 'Well it's ok for you. You're wearing a helmet and your
doing it.' It didn't seem to occur to him that it might be different if you
were trying watch TV. Or as in our case, people who
were escaping the noise and turmoil of the city to come to a quiet country
setting.
I left wondering what would come of it. The next day the mother was
driving along the road and stopped to tell me that they had decided that they
would only ride for two hours on Sunday. She then 'demanded' as a quid pro quo
that I tell 'the people' who come to the Satipanya to acknowledge drivers. It's
so rude not to wave. And not to wear hoods. 'We don't know who these people
are.'
I thought I had the better of the of the
bargain. And felt grateful for such accommodating neighbours,
although I'm sure they had other reasons for practising
elsewhere.
So there you have it. If you need to walk along the road while on
retreat here, do acknowlegde
drivers when they pass you - and don't look like a hoody!
Announcements:
·
Facilitator - time again to
put out the search for someone to come an assist and
cook. Time to start indefinite. If you are interested, you'll find details
here: http://www.satipanya.org.uk/
·
·
Book of Karuna (Compassion): Every morning
before the metta chant, I would like to mention anyone who is suffering from a
serious illness, mental or physical, anyone who is dying and those who have just
died. If you know anyone in one of these conditions, you can email me and say
something about the person that will be read out. e.g.
the type of illness, how long they have to live, when they died. They will be
read out for a week and then you would need to email again if you wanted us to
continue.
·
·
Mahasi Group in
If you live in the
Hove/Brighton area, don't forget there's a regular meeting at the
The Full Calendar for the 2010
Courses run by Bhante Bodhidhamma
Mahasi Course
Twelve
week roll-on, roll-off course.
Minimum
stay eight days.
Start
dates: Saturdays:-
28 Aug &
11 Sept. especially
N.B. Start now
restricted to listed Saturdays.
Alternate
Sun. possible for established meditators.
A challenging
course easily modified for beginners.
See
Beginner’s Testimonials on website.
You are
encouraged to stay for more than one week.
Courses run by Noirin
Sheahan
Day Course
Sun.
3rd Oct.
Arrive 09.30.
Finish 17.00
Please bring
food to share.
Part of the
month long Mediation in Daily Life Course.
Non-participants
and beginners also welcome.
Mahasi Course
Fri.
8th –
Sun. 10th Oct.
A weekend
schedule.
Mindfulness Course for Stress Reduction
Fri. 15th – Weds 20th Oct.
The practise of Vipassana forms the basis for 'Mindfulness
Based Stress Reduction' (MBSR) which has been shown to have a beneficial effect
on health, and to reduce the anxiety and depression associated with physical
illness and other life challenges.
This course will introduce the full range of practices involved in MBSR,
combining these with the Mahasi noting technique. The latter helps sharpen our
awareness facilitating deeper insight - participants can deepen their
mindfulness practice by attending Mahasi meditation retreats at Satipanya or
elsewhere.
Thus, this course helps people to
take care of their physical and emotional health more wisely, as well as
providing an introduction to Buddhist spiritual practice.
Day Course
Sun 24th Oct.
Arrive 09.30. Finish 17.00
Please bring food to share.
Part of the
month long mediation in daily life course.
Non-participants
and beginners also welcome.
Courses run by Bhante Bodhidhamma
Making Friends with Death
Sat. 30th Oct to Sun. 7th Nov.
A less vigorous Mahasi course.
Time to contemplate death and dying
and to
share our understanding and feelings with others.
Autumn Mahasi Course
Sat.
20th to Sun.
28th Nov.
The usual
schedule and format – see website.
Courses run by Noirin
Sheahan
Mindfulness Course for Stress Reduction
Fri. 3rd – Weds.
8th Dec.
(Please
note, NOT Thurs.9th)
Please
see blurb above.
Courses run by Bhante Bodhidhamma
Day Course
Sun. 19th Dec.
Arrive 09.30. Finish 17.00
Please bring food to share.
Kick Start/Top
up
Xmas Retreat
Thurs. 23rd to Mon. 27th
The
first day will be a normal retreat schedule though we shall rise at 5.30.
The
second day, Xmas Day, is a contemplative day looking at the qualities of
gratitude, renunciation and generosity.
Retreatants
will be asked to speak for a (very) short while on a virtue chosen by them.
The third
day is communal. There is a walk – weather permitting - and a DVD.
Xmas
menu will be close to the traditional fare!
New Year Retreat
Weds. 29th to Sun 2nd
The
first day will be a normal retreat schedule though we shall rise at 5.30.
On
the second day, the Eve, we will see in the New Year. We hope to have a bonfire
(small). A day to reflect on the past year, plenty of time to
oneself.
New
Years Day is communal with a walk – weather permitting - and a DVD.
Tip o’ the Day
The Tough Nut
I’m sure
you know what your own ‘tough nut’ is.
I know a little
about ‘tough nuts’ since I took a couple of cars apart in those
halcyon days when I had nothing better to do. You have to apply WD40 and
sometimes a bit of welly.
There’s
usually habit – unwholesome, of course – we retreat to when things
go bad or even a bit off. It could be around eating or sex or drugs or sleep or
alcohol or any number of more or less unwholesome pursuits. But we begin to
realise that it doesn’t deal with the original problem and it becomes an
obsession and addiction and so a problem in itself. It can become an escape
route so entrenched that it will probably be the last to be filled out and
transformed.
There are many
self-help books, therapies and systems such as the Twelve Steps that are used
for alcohol and drug addiction. But here I’m addressing a more
‘normal’ level of addiction. Even though I say normal it can be
equally tenacious. Even giving up that extra piece of toast can bring tears to
the eyes.
As meditators
we know that the key lies in tanha, wrong desire and craving. It’s
catching the moment that it arises, before it gets a head of steam in action.
That is the key to overcoming it. Once we’ve even budged a foot towards
the biscuit tin, it’s difficult to pull back. ‘Just
one!’ We’re easily fooled.
This is why that
bright mindfulness is so necessary. It catches the arising of a desire. Right
mindfulness is accompanied by calmness. So there’s no rush. There’s
time. We can inwardly stop, watch and feel the energy
rise and wait patiently till it subsides.
When we know
the conditions for such desires to arise; when we know when, where and/or with
whom; that’s when we prick the inner ears, gather the inner resolution
and stand firm.
It is also good
to have some ploy to remove oneself from the scene of possible folly. Some wholesome distraction. Listen to music, read a book,
watch good TV, call a friend. Of course, there is the danger of suppression, if
we don’t find time to investigate it in meditation. Perhaps the best ploy
is to take the ‘dog’ for a walk. It gets us away from the object of
desire and allows us to ‘vipassana’ the mental state.
And should we
find ourselves dashing along the addictive escape route, let’s at least
not be routed! What then is required? Persistence! Dogged perseverance!
Finally, please forward this email if you
know someone who may be interested. Thanks.
Metta
Onward!
Bodhidhamma
E-address: bodhidhamma@satipanya.org.uk
Satipanya
Buddhist Retreat, White Grit, Minsterley,
Tel: 01588
650752
For information
about Satipanya courses see website: www.satipanya.org.uk or
email: manager@satipanya.org.uk
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want to receive this monthly bulletin, please email: unsubscribe@satipanya.org.uk
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