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Personal Retreat
Our house in Bishops Castle "Sativasa" is now open for bookings.
See below and
here
for further information.
Full Moon Observance
How do we get to experience the transcendent consciousness?
Sunday 10 August
Satipanya London Sangha
Satipanya London Sangha is a growing community of friendly and supportive meditators meeting in-person every month in a peaceful community garden near King's Cross station for group sits and lighthearted discussions.
If you'd like to attend upcoming meetings in London and practice vipassana in the tradition of Mahasi Sayadaw then join our WhatsApp group using
this link
and say hello, or
email Maz
if you have any questions.
See below for Retreats
I hope you are all having a joyous time! It is summer after all. You may notice that the Tip is not about joy. But these are troubled times and my mind sometimes wanders into the present conflicts.
We have just bought a bungalow in Shrewsbury. That's where I am going to retire to. It will also be a meeting place for local members.
So the situation is changing here. Interesting enough a little faster than I had planned. In fact I am a year ahead of my target which was to leave in my eightieth year. Now it will be next year before summer.
You will have noticed the new teachers and there are two or three more next year hopefully. I would still like there to be a continuous twenty four week programme from spring to early autumn. One of the main reasons for the centre was to offer the possibility of a full twelve week retreat. The Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw said that if nothing 'happens' in ten weeks, nothing will. You need a break. If you add a week at the beginnning to settle in and a week at the end ot cool off then that makes the full twelve weeks. I hope you devote a long period of time to the practice at some point in your life!
As you may know, many centres had a dip last year in attendance and it was our experience that set us to send out a questionnaire. Happily the numbers are back up this year. It remains a mystery. But we will be setting out some time for experienced people who want to come, but to practice at their own speed and intensity.
Hope to see you all here in the goodness of time!
Announcements
Our retreat house in Bishops Castle "Sativasa" is now open for personal retreats. Suitable only for established meditators. Come for a week or longer.
Retreats are self catering so the first day might need to be spent shopping, cooking etc. See
here
f
or more info. To apply email
Bhante
or
Noirin
.
has been published as an
ebook
,
kindle
, paperback (being edited) and can be dowloaded as a
PDF
. Based on Noirin's Daily Life courses over previous years and supplemented by students' reflections, the book offers a study-practice guide to the Buddha's teaching on Mindfulness of Body, Feeling and Mind. Many thanks to Therese Caherty for editing. Further info
here
.
Meeting in London
Maz, a fellow Satipanya meditator, is looking to see if others are interested in setting up a London based group once a month to meet in person and practice together in central London, or a location most convenient for those who are interested.
If interested email Maz and let him know which areas in London are most convenient for you to meet:
[email protected]
Join us for your daily meditation -
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 collaborative study group is currently 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
vipassanā
. 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 10:20am - around midday. Please contact Carl at
[email protected]
for further information.
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 2025 Calander is available for courses into September.
You can apply any time, but please only when you are certain.
War!
Bhante Bodhidhamma
Not the summeriest of subjects! But the whole appalling situation in Gaza and the pitiless game that Presidents Trump and Putin are playing in Ukraine plus the polarisation social media is expert at developing, has prompted me to revisit this whole area of conflict.
St.Thomas Acquinas, the Medieval philosopher, developed the rules for a just war and what the limits were within the war. These form the basis for such international laws as the
Geneva Conventions
. With so many conflicts, each with their own reasons, it might be good to have some guidance that allows us to take a considered position. For there is always the danger of wisdom being over clouded by anger and grief, which may be understandable but biasing our judgement. Here we must distinguish between being partial and judgemental from being impartial and judicious. This does not mean we become stonehearted! Quite the opposite for it gives the heart freedom to express itself fully without moral regret.
Thanks to AI:
1. Jus ad Bellum (Conditions for going to war):
Just Cause:
The war must be a response to a wrong suffered, such as defending against aggression or restoring a violated right.
Legitimate Authority:
The decision to go to war must be made by a recognized authority, like a government, not by private individuals.
Right Intention:
The purpose of the war must be to achieve good, such as restoring peace or justice, and not for personal gain or aggression.
Last Resort:
All peaceful options, like negotiation and diplomacy, must be exhausted before resorting to war.
Probability of Success:
There must be a reasonable chance of achieving the intended just outcome through war.
2. Jus in Bello (Conduct during war):
Proportionality:
The force used in war should be proportionate to the wrong being addressed and should not cause more harm than necessary.
Discrimination:
Attacks should be directed at legitimate military targets, minimizing harm to civilians, emphasizing the need for careful consideration, restraint, and a commitment to peace even amidst conflict.
These guidelines seem pretty straight forward, yet when we take the reasons given by both sides into consideration, it can be very hard to make a fair judgement.
And in the midst of all this there is the knotty problem of whether the ends justify the means. What position do we take? Anything is allowable to achieve a just end. Or are there moral boundaries that must not be crossed?
We don’t have to come to a conclusion. We can keep our minds open. But once we are clear, we should do whatever little we can to express our understanding.
This, of course, can bring us into conflict with friends and family so it is also important to come from a position of equanimity, careful to realise when we are being aggressive rather than assertive. We need to actively listen to the other and accept that we might have to agree to disagree. It is when polarisation is fuelled by self-righteous anger – moral outrage! that we give cause for personal wars!
Calendar at a Glance
Calendar
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Many thanks.
Finally
, please forward this email if you know someone who may be
interested. Thanks.
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