|
(Difficulty reading text? Press Ctrl +)
: Sunday 21 April!
Noirin here, back from my winter retreat in Scotland where I stayed in a lovely woodland lodge beside the Deveron river - a very beautiful and peaceful setting for a personal retreat.
All quiet here at Satipanya during March, though that's all about to change as we open for the Spring-Summer retreat on 30th. From then till mid-September we're hoping for lots of people walking mindfully around the meadows or deeply immersed in the ongoing Dhamma lesson of embodied awareness.
That's the hope anyhow. But apart from April and May, Barbara has noticed that bookings are slow, which has us a bit worried. It's also proving difficult to recruit assistants. Bhante has heard of similar drop-off in numbers at other retreat centres this year. Hopefully our fears will all be proved wrong.
Following on from Bhante's note on Navalny last month,
here is a
letter
that manifests his impeccable integrity.
Treasurer's Report 2024
Richard Benjamin : Treasurer to the Trust
Over the last twelve months we have seen a good uptake for courses, with numbers approaching pre-Covid levels, and significantly fewer cancellations, all of which is very promising.
We are still planning for Bhante’s impending retirement, with Noirin taking over much of the management of the centre at the moment. The Trustees continue to discuss options for taking on a residential manager, though getting planning permission to build on the land adjoining the Centre has proven to be a problem. As such we are looking at the possibility of buying a property in the nearby towns of Bishops Castle or Shrewsbury or possibly in one of the local villages. This could double up as a manger’s residence and also as a local Vihara and meditation centre.
Needless to say this would be a costly process, but the Trustees are very much committed to ensuring the future of Satipanya for many years to come and as such they feel the expense will be worthwhile.
As Noirin and Bhante approach retirement we have welcomed support in delivering retreats from lay teachers Carl, Hui and Mark, and in the coming year we will be exploring other teachers who may want to come and teach here. This does also bring some added expenses so, at the end of retreats, we will be appealing for donations from participants to help to cover teacher’s costs.
Many thanks, again, to all who donate at the retreats and all those who donate in support of the centre. The finances will be made public on Companies House and the
Charity Commission
website soon.
Future donations will go to support our new appeal for a Vihara.
As always, a request for you to consider a regular donation if you have not given one before. And if you are already giving, a small addition would be gratefully received.
You can donate single and continuing gifts via PayPal:
https://www.satipanya.org.uk/donations/
£1.00 a week is a worthy gift!
However, if you prefer to offer by way of Internet Banking the details are below.
(Don’t forget to click on Gift Aid if you have a given us a form or wish to have your donation Gift Aided. You can download the form from the Donation page and email it. No need to sign.)
Metta
Richard Benjamin
Treasurer on behalf of the Trustees.
For a one off donation:
CURRENT A/C.
Account Name:
Satipanya Buddhist Trust
Account Number:
11 44 54 05
Sort Code:
40 34 31
Bank Address:
HSBC, 42 Courtenay Street, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 2EB, UK
International Bank Account Number:
GB69HBUK40343111445405
Branch Identifier Code:
HBUKGB4166W
For regular donation no matter how small:
DEPOSIT A/C Bank Mandates only:
Account Name:
Satipanya Buddhist Trust
Account Number:
91 49 81 34
Sort Code:
40 34 31
Bank Address:
HSBC, 42 Courtenay Street, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 2EB, UK
International Bank Account Number:
GB32HBUK40343191498134
Branch Identifier Code:
HBUKGB4166W
Announcements
Spring Daily Life Course:
This year's on-line study-practice course focusses on the Seven Factors of Enlightenment. It will be led by Noirin and further information is available
here
. Contact
Noirin
to register.
Northwest area Satipanya Sangha:
Anyone living in the northwest, particularly in Chester, Manchester, Liverpool and surrounding areas who would like to explore options for practicing together please contact
Martin Ratcliffe
who hopes to form a local group.
Join us for your daily meditation - 06.00, 09.00, 14.00, 16.00 and 20.00 sits.
Info.
An informal meditation group meets on a monthly basis via Zoom for a full day of meditation. Email Magda for details at
[email protected]
This fortnightly collaborative study group has just finished
studying the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta
, as set out by Joseph Goldstein in his
46 part discussion on the Dharma Seed site
and in his book
Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening
, and are moving on to studying
the
jhāna
s, as taught by Rob Burbea
, in order to better understand this mainstay of the suttas, and how they contribute to the practice of vipassana. We
warmly extend an invitation to any practitioner
who would like to join us. Currently meeting on the second and fourth Sundays of each month at 10:30am - midday. Please contact
[email protected]
for further information. (By the way, please try again if you've emailed to attend and haven't received anything back, Carl has been particularly busy lately.)
Join 20.00 to 21.00 on the Sunday closest to the Full Moon. Bhante gives a short dhamma talk, followed by a 30-min sitting, refuges and precepts and we end by reading and chanting the metta sutta.
For date of next Celebration.
Opening to the Impact of the Climate Emergency:
Following on from the Zoom with Gwen Sanderson and Bhante Bodhidhamma in September last year, there are two options for ongoing engagement:
-
Gwen Sanderson is facilitating monthly
Climate and Dhamma Conversations
which are held using
Zoom
. Email
Gwen
for further information or to register.
-
Noirin Sheahan has set up a Satipanya
Forum
focussing on the
Six Maxims
(ethical training to prepare for the social and environmental consequences of climate change - see tip below). Contact
Noirin
for further info or to register.
Every morning at puja we call the names of those who are sick or dying, or are having a hard time.
Every evening at puja we call the names of those who have something to rejoice.
Satipanya Courses
Coronavirus:
Requirements for visiting Satipanya.
We are asking everyone to take an antigen test before setting out in their journey to Satipanya and not to come if the test is positive.
Vipassana as taught by the Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma
The Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma, one of the most influential vipassana insight meditation teachers of the last century, developed techniques to help us maintain moment to moment mindfulness from the instant we awake to the instant we fall asleep.
This leads not only to spiritual insights into our true, unborn-undying essence, but also, equally important, to the purification of the heart. So that we not only become wiser but more caring, generous, joyous and compassionate.
Applying the techniques on this retreat we follow a robust schedule, but meditators can modulate their practice to fit their level of experience, even absolute beginners. The accent is on relaxation and curiosity, rather than striving and concentration. And regular teacher contact, daily Q&A and personal interviews ensures students are supported throughout.
The retreat ends with advice on how to bring the practice into ordinary daily life to enhance our relationships and give spiritual meaning to our work and everyday tasks.
Assistants Needed
N.B.
All the courses are serviced by assistants.
As assistant you have the opportunity to serve others. It can be a way of
expressing gratitude for the gift of Dhamma. Although the morning is mainly
taken up with breakfast preparation and cooking, the rest of day is for
practice.
You can
see
the menus here
(PDF).
As an assistant, we do not expect payment of the deposit or make a donation
because you have kindly offered your time.
However, your commitment is essential, for the course would be very difficult to
run without an assistant and may indeed have to be cancelled.
If you are interested, follow this link:
Course
Assistant
For info. about retreats and teachers see website:
www.satipanya.org.uk
See drop down menus: especially About Us, Teachings and Retreats
Would you like to come and assist on a course?
See
calendar on website
for up-to-date assistant need.
The 2024 Calander is available for courses into September.
You can apply any time, but please only when you are certain.
If you fail to receive a monthly NEWSBYTE, please look in spam, or reestablish the
email by filling in the
MAILING LIST form
at the bottom of the front page of the website.
Many thanks.
Finally
, please forward this email if you know someone who may be
interested. Thanks.
|
