orchard sangha newsletter september 2009
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Orchard Sangha Newsletter September 2009TRANSCRIPT
Newsletter 6 1 September 2009
The Orchard Sangha Newsletter
Rumi wrote “Somewhere out beyond right and
wrong there is a field; I will meet you there”.
Spending time with relatives over the bank
holiday I realised how limited the
understanding of “right and wrong” can be, an
understanding springing from our own “view”;
which in turn springs from our experiences.
How elusive is that field between right and
wrong. What I do know and feel deeply is that
practice is the path to that field, and part of the
practice is deep listening. I hope you enjoy the
beautiful words of Krishnamurti on page 6,
who also said “Listening is an art not easily
come by, but in it there is beauty and great
understanding.” Words no doubt to ponder on
as the festive season approaches and more time
is spent in the company of friends and relatives.
In this issue we have some wonderful
inspiration and poetry from Sonia, John and
Marion plus a report on the Summer
Celebration. You will also find Sarah’s
reflections on Ad’s summer retreat and Sonia’s
advice on Healing Requests.
In metta
Sandra
Contents Page
Editorial and Poems by Sonia 1
Sangha News 2 & 3
Advice on Requests for Healing 4
Inspirations 5 & 6
Autumn Programme and Ad’s 7 & 8
Summer Retreat
Interconnectedness by Marion 9
Contact Details 10
Cracking, shaking, breaking
This form, my body.
Can you see the Diamond Point?
___________
Stars , wrapping my being
Stretching to meet this ocean
Of limitless origins.
Becoming,
Vanishing I.
___________
Pulsating,
Arriving,
Passing,
Oh, Gone.
Pulsating,
Shining,
Vanishing,
Oh done.
AH
Poems by Sonia
Newsletter 6 2 September 2009
Summer Celebration
As the dawn gently blossomed into day a
small but perfectly formed group began to
gather at The Orchard. Students came from
as close as minutes away and as far as
Devon, Scotland and even Hong Kong!
There was renewing of old acquaintances
and forging of new. Conversation flowed
easily and even the sun shone, enabling
lunch to be taken outside (too hot for me – I
eventually retreated to the coolness of the
conservatory). Lunch – well what can I say?
Everyone did us very proud. The food was
excellent with the table almost groaning
under the weight of the offerings.
Although no formal programme had been
arranged events slotted into place beautifully.
The afternoon found us eagerly anticipating a
performance by Amy and her father Brian on
guitar. Amy had a spot at a local festival and
we were to be the dress rehearsal. As Amy
began to sing mouths opened and eyes
widened. I have often heard voices described
as “pure” and I know now exactly what is
meant. Classically trained, Amy surely has a
great future ahead of her. We didn’t want her
to stop and when her final song came, sung
in Welsh and French, it had a purity and
depth of feeling that was felt by all.
Absolutely magical.
Then Barbara noticed that Brian was
strumming Big Yellow Taxi. There followed
a glorious few minutes whilst we all joined
in (or tried to) with Joni Mitchell’s hit,
together with Scarborough Fair and one or
two others. It served to prove that what we
lacked in memory we made up for with
intention.
Later in the afternoon Jo gave a
demonstration of a straight sword form of
Tai Chi (see Jo’s explanation on page 3).
To round off a wonderful day, there was a
solstice bonfire nurtured by Steven - an
excellent Fire Keeper - and some chanting
led by Elizabeth from Devon.
Newsletter 6 3 September 2009
FINANCE
1. Donation
Anna Jones and Anne Mackintosh, on
behalf of the recently disbanded Healing
Shiatsu Practitioners Group, recently
presented Ad and Sonia with a generous
donation for the Orchard Sangha. Grateful
thanks are sent to Anna, Anne and all the
HSPG members for their support.
2. Bursary
Now that Sonia and Ad's Autumn
programme is out can we remind
everyone that there is still plenty of
bursary money left for those who have not
yet taken advantage of this. The bursary
can be used for both Sonia's and Ad's
workshops. Enquiries please to Gini at
My contribution to this year's Summer
Gathering at The Orchard, apart from cake
of course, was to perform the straight sword
form of Tai Chi which I have been learning
for some time. Several difficulties
presented themselves in this endeavour - I
had never performed in front of an audience
(albeit a sympathetic and supportive one),
on my own, or on uneven ground.
This form is called Chen Family Taiji
Straight Sword and has been handed down
through generations of the Chen family in
China. I was drawn to it for its grace and
balance, a meditation in movement where
the body and sword become one. I have not
learned it through any theory but by
repetition of the movements in the same
way as I learned the Chen style long form in
Tai Chi. To help the memory each set of
movements is given a name: homage to the
sun, separate the grass to seek the snake,
wild horse leaps over stream, black dragon
sways its tail. Not only are these names
beautiful in themselves with their reminders
of ancient teachings, but as I repeat them in
my mind as a mantra to focus my attention,
they have an inner symbolic resonance
whilst connecting me to natural and
mythical worlds: pluck the stars and change
the constellations, falling flowers, eagle and
bear battle with their wits, blue dragon
comes out of the water. Straight sword has
now become an extension of my Tai Chi
practice.
Jo
Newsletter 6 4 September 2009
REQUESTS FOR HEALING
In the medicine Buddha meditation the
first aspect to contemplate and to adjust is
our motivation. The text says ’Reflect on
our illness and pain and on the illness and
pain experienced by others and generate a
strong desire to be free of pain and
suffering and to help others to be free of
pain and suffering’.
This is asking us to meet and to know the
inevitable truth that there is suffering, to
be moved yet not overwhelmed by this
truth. This in turn cultivates compassion,
which is the ability to experience the
suffering of others plus the ability to do
something about it. This reflection on the
pain and suffering experienced by
ourselves and others is not meant to be
depressing, on the contrary it can foster an
unshakeable desire to be of service in
whatever form is possible.
The second sentence recognizes that this is
quite a task and that we need some help to
be able to support others in time of shock,
despair and pain: ‘As an effective means
to do this, we will commit ourselves to
invoking the healing forces within us,
embodied in the Medicine Buddha, to the
means of actualising these forces and to
those who are able and willing to support
us in this process’.
This takes into account that we alone have
limitation and if we do not want to feel
overwhelmed or inadequate when faced
with the suffering of self and others, we
need to train ourselves, to find a suitable
practice, teacher and friends who will
support us in this journey.
Here, what is offered is the practice of the
Medicine Buddha but there are many other
practices which will do just as well.
I would like to share what I do when I
receive a request for healing or when I
hear of yet another tragedy.
First I make sure that I am in a wholesome
state that is not tired physically or
mentally, that I am openhearted and in a
good frame of mind.
Depending on my circumstances I can
choose from the various ways of sending
support to those in need.
• Throughout the day I hold the person in
my mind-heart and from time to time I
stop briefly and mentally and say ‘may
this being be well and happy and free
from suffering’, if I know their name
then I say their name instead of this
being.
• At the end of formal practice I dedicate
the benefit of my practice to their well
being, again I repeat mentally the
sentence above together with their name.
• Any moment of joy or positivity I might
experience during the day I offer it to
their well-being.
• Or I do a full practice of M.B dedicating
and include those in need by name,
repeating one to three mantras per name.
My understanding is that the power of the
joining of mind-intention will support
those who meet challenging times in their
life so just one thought coming from an
open heart can be transformative. It does
not have to be elaborate.
It is a natural response one has towards a
loved one; here the practice is to extend
the same loving attention to someone who
you may not know.
I remember Namgyal Rinpoche asking us
to give him news of how the person was
doing. Are they better, worse? Do they
need to be taken off the list? Again a few
words of feedback would be enough.
So I would like to invite anyone who feels
that they can and would benefit from this
practice of responding to a request for
healing to join the Blue Healer Minds.
Simply give your contact to Sarah Hill
([email protected]), you can join or
ask to be removed from the Blue Healer
Minds at any time according to your
circumstances.
If anyone has a personal question
regarding this practice I would be happy to
help. In this case send your question,
anytime, directly to me:
Sonia ([email protected]).
Love,Sonia
Newsletter 6 5 September 2009
INSPIRATIONS
Reflections on the Holy Island Tai Chi
Retreat May 2009
Located off the west coast of Scotland near the
Isle of Arran, Holy Island has an ancient
spiritual heritage stretching back to the 6th
century when the Celtic Christian Saint Molaise
made a small cave his hermitage. Since then the
Island has served many different owners and
functions. In the 1970’s it became a wildlife
sanctuary and the east side of the island still
acts as a nature reserve and is the home to rare
breeds of goats, sheep, ponies and over 20
species of birds. In 1993 Holy Island was
acquired by Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche a
Tibetan Buddhist master in the Kagyu tradition
and Abbot of Samye Ling Monastery in
Dumfriesshire.
This heralded the beginning of The Holy Island
project with the aim to create and support an
ecologically sustainable environment where
individuals can develop and experience inner
peace regardless of their background or spiritual
tradition. Only two areas of the island are
occupied: The Centre for World Peace and
Health stands at the north of the island and the
Inner Light retreat for women lies to the south.
The path which connects them takes in beautiful
sea views and a series of inspiring Tibetan art
images carved and painted onto the rocks. The
Peace centre, run entirely by volunteers, was
our base for the teaching.
We set sail from Adrossan Harbour in wet and
blustery conditions which persisted and made
for an exhilarating jet boat ride over to Holy
Island. When we arrived we were met by the
volunteers who had a welcome hot and tasty
lunch waiting for us. All of the meals provided
throughout our stay were nourishing,
wholesome and prepared with love and care.
We then had time to unpack and settle in before
meeting in the Peace Hall with Ad for the first
Tai Chi session. The Peace Hall opened its
doors to groups in 2003 with the aim of
facilitating peace and well being. In 2006 it
staged a ten day Tibetan Buddhist Drupchen
ceremony led by a group of 20 Tibetan and
Indian lamas and monks.
The energy inside the Peace Hall felt very
light and spacious and you could feel the
support of all the wholesome practice that had
taken place creating an atmosphere in which it
was a joy to practice Tai Ji. We started and
ended each session with a ritual in which we
bowed in recognition and respect to those
who enabled us to receive the teaching and to
each other in gratitude for the gift of sharing
and supporting each other in the practice. For
the first few days we concentrated on the 5
elements form and this provided me with the
opportunity to explore in greater depth
movements I had already practised. For some
of the other people in the group it was their
first introduction to Tai Ji. As the week
progressed we began to expand out into the
circle forms; here everybody reached a point
where they were moving into unknown
territory. By this time the group had begun to
relax more into “not knowing” and cared less
about getting it right fostering an atmosphere
of playfulness allowing the energy to begin to
flow freely. This attitude was summed up
when Ad asked us if we were clear about
what we were doing and one of the group
answered that she was confused but happy.
Each day Ad taught a morning and afternoon
session and in the evening the group came
together informally to do light practice and
share their experiences. This provided a space
to open up and explore our experiences in an
intimate non judgemental space. There were
lots of questions about meditation which we
fed back to Ad and from which he gave us a
very inspiring talk about the attitude with
which we approach meditation and shared
with us ways to cultivate an atmosphere of
loving kindness toward ourselves and others.
Outside of the teaching it was interesting for
me to listen to the others relate their
experiences of the practice. Some who were
new to Tai Ji spoke of taking time to sit back
and rest and how just watching the grace,
fluidity and joy expressed in Ad’s movement
helped them to feel uplifted. Rob who also
worked as a volunteer on the island told me
that this was the one course each year he
attended due to the quality of the teachings
and Ad’s presence. Jenny told me how
although she only has the chance to attend
Ad’s teachings once or twice a year she draws
on the wisdom and support she has received
from him daily. It felt deeply inspiring and
Newsletter 6 6 September 2009
supportive to connect with people who had
never visited The Orchard but who shared a
love and appreciation of the practice and
helped me to cultivate a wider more
expansive view of the practising Sangha.
Between Tai Ji sessions we were given time
to explore the island. Watching the animals
roam freely in their natural habitat amongst
the beautiful wild flowers played against a
backdrop of changing light and weather acted
as a real support in bringing the mind to rest
in a state of peace and tranquillity. For the
first couple of days the weather was good but
towards the end of our stay conditions began
to worsen. On the evening of our departure
the wind was so strong and the sea so rough
that the jet boat was unable to land at the jetty
giving us an unexpected extra nights stay on
the island.
Sitting around in the dining hall with Rob and
Dougie on the last night Rob asked us to go
over a move he wanted to practice. During the
teaching he had sensed that understanding this
move would help his practice but it would be
another year before he would receive further
teaching. His enthusiasm and thirst for
exploration was infectious and we were happy
to share with him what we knew. Soon we
were scattering tables to clear space. Luckily
the dining room was empty except for a
curious observer who joined in our
exploration. I feared that the frantic activity
that ensued would confuse rather than help
Rob. After a few times going through the
move though he began to get the feel of it and
a look of satisfaction spread across his face.
I felt a real sense of joy in this spontaneous
sharing of the practice. I also felt an immense
sense of gratitude at being able to access Ad’s
teachings more regularly.
Before bed I spent some time relaxing in the
library and the realisation dawned on me that
Rob asking the question was far more
important than him grasping the move. He
had helped me to see that the Tai Ji is not
about getting the moves right it is more an
ongoing exploration fed by curiosity. The
moves allow us to open out and connect with
others in an attitude of acceptance. Here we
can allow whatever needs to arise to enter into
the minds awareness where we can work with
it skilfully. This realisation helped to bring
more spaciousness and joy into my practice.
The following morning the sea was calm and
the sun was shining which made for a very
pleasant jet boat ride back to the Isle of Arran.
As we made our goodbyes at Ardrossan I felt
deep tenderness and gratitude towards the rest
of the group for what we had shared and a
real appreciation to Ad and the volunteers on
Holy Island for facilitating such inspiring
teaching.
“I do not know if you have ever examined
how you listen; it doesn’t matter to what,
whether to a bird, to the wind in the
leaves, to the rushing waters, or how you
listen in a dialogue with yourself, to your
conversation in various relationships
with your intimate friends, your wife or
husband….
If we try to listen we find it
extraordinarily difficult, because we are
always projecting our opinions and ideas,
our prejudices, our background, our
inclinations, our impulses; when they
dominate we hardly listen at all to what is
being said….
In that state there is no value at all. One
listens and therefore learns, only in a
state of attention, a state of silence, in
which this whole background is in
abeyance, is quiet; then, it seems to me, it
is possible to communicate.
…………real communication can only take
place where there is silence.”
Krishnamurti (1968)
Newsletter 6 7 September 2009
Autumn Programme ’09 at The Orchard Dharma Centre
with Sonia Moriceau and Ad Brugman
Here is a summary of the dates for the autumn retreats at The Orchard
24th
– 27th
September
Introduction into night practice
With Sonia
3rd
– 4th
October
T’ai – Ji practice
With Ad
5th
– 30th
November
Period of courses and personal retreats
5th
– 8th
November
Compassionate Involvement
With Ad
12th
– 22nd
November
Opening the heart, transforming the
mind
With Sonia
26th
- 29th
November
The Four Noble Truths
With Ad
Autumn retreats with Sonia abroad:
10th – 15th October
Five Elements and how to
transform destructive emotions
Info:
www.vegetarisches-hotel.ch
For bookings: contact Sabine
Isler on [email protected]
Further details are now on the websites: www.soniamoriceau.org and www.touchingstillness.co.uk
REFLECTIONS ON AD’S SUMMER RETREAT
What follows is a personal reflection on
the experience of receiving the beautiful
and inspirational teachings on Metta and
Right Thinking from Ad during his
summer retreat in June.
I arrived with a busy mind and with many
questions surfacing; ‘What stories do I
create in my mind that block my ability to
receive loving kindness?’ ‘What part does
attachment to identity play in this?’ ‘Is it
possible to go completely into the feeling
of friendliness through being in nature,
through being in spaciousness?’ ‘Can I
fully receive the friendliness and know I
deserve this?’ The teachings Ad gave took
me into a beautiful, tender journey to
doing just this, to fully receiving
friendliness. They also enabled an
investigation into seeing where blocks and
difficulties lie.
As I ‘came home’ and settled at The
Orchard I moved gently into watching
what the mind was doing, seeing where the
habitual story went, just seeing it and
recognising it, not judging it but rather
experiencing again how the story always
has the potential to change through the
practice of mindfulness. Together we
explored how, when we apply
mindfulness, the hooks to habitual stories
and blocks can and do withdraw so that we
are no longer caught in them. I was also so
Newsletter 6 8 September 2009
struck by the realisation that I can actively
choose to no longer get caught up in them
because, when I ‘come back’ and choose
presence, they simply lose substance. Then
came the remembering that, of course, the
stories have no substance at all when
mindfulness is applied; the objective
watching without getting involved, really
meeting the story full on, clearly seeing it
but with a kind of detachment, reaching a
place where there is no ‘I’, only then, it
seems, can there be true letting go.
As Ad guided us to deliberately direct the
mind to explore these teachings more
questions arose; ‘What am ‘I’ holding on
to?’ ‘What purposes do the stories ‘I’ hold
serve?’ ‘What do ‘I’ gain or get from
them?’ ‘What does this tell ‘me’ about
identity?’ On waking early the next
morning, these reflections arose;
‘Where there is spaciousness, there is
openness and there are no stories. In
moments of spaciousness in the mind,
there is warmth and love, the heart
opens and there is peace and stillness.
There is light rising, beautiful rainbow
light. There is emptiness for fragments
of time, suspended yet moving gently
in space. A cloud passes through, a
stuck storyline, familiar and gripping.
Thoughts resound like voices so loud
and so clear. Gently noticing yet not
grasping, the cloud passes through.
Not doing supports this in some way
that is not yet clear. Light rises once
more; peace gracefully comes. The
cycle begins once again as a shadow
covers the sun.”
The preciousness of life and being in awe
of life were a fundamental part of Ad’s
teachings. The importance of existing in
awe at the miracle of this life and not
focusing on the limits we have which, in
turn, lead us far away from Right
Thinking, resonated deeply within me. The
experience was of gently facing the truth
of how easy it can be to reinforce such
limits and negativity all of the time rather
than to appreciate and celebrate the
preciousness of life. The contrast that
exists when the mind comes from a place
of generosity, metta, compassion and
renunciation rather than from greed,
aversion, hatred and delusion became
more and more evident. For example,
when I found myself going into judgment
of self or others, I felt sharp contraction.
When I went fully into compassion and
friendliness, I felt openness and
spaciousness. Expanding or ‘fattening’ this
spaciousness and letting go of contraction
and contortion sounds so simple and, in so
many ways it is! Yet, it is also not easy
and I guess this may be in part because of
more old stuck storylines!
I realised and learned so many things
during the retreat that it is hard to keep this
reflection succinct and brief and simply to
share a window into these learnings and
realisations. What I am remembering now
and what feels important as I draw this
piece to a close, is how connected I felt to
each person as we sat together, enquired
and learned together, embraced silence
together and as we shed tears and laughed
together. Ad spoke about relationships
being so central to the Buddha’s teachings,
about how much we need others because
they are our teachers. The ways in which
others react helps us to come back, to learn
more and more. I am so grateful for the
opportunity to grow in relationship with
others, in fact, I increasingly appreciate
that we only really grow in that way. This
remembering brings forth an image of the
lotus flower, which grows from the dark
watery mire but is unstained by it – a
symbol of such purity and letting go as it
reaches towards the light. As I open my
view, I see a lake filled with lotus flowers,
with each one reaching towards the light.
Thank you Ad, for supporting our growth
from dark towards light.
Sarah
Newsletter 6 9 September 2009
An experience of Interconnectedness
In a wonderful moment
At one of Sonia’s workshops some years ago
I fully experienced the total ease of loving kindness for the first time
And wrote a poem about the beauty of this moment.
Now, after having been Sonia’s student for a few years,
I attended one of Ad’s workshops
For the first time
And again – and yet in a new way - I wander in awe and see the beauty
Around me
And of the teaching that both teachers are so generously giving us.
Coming from the same source
Embodying different aspects
Offering both
So that it can be one
They allow me to experience the interconnectedness of everything
The richness and beauty of the dharma, of life.
Going back to my poem from back then
I can see Sonia’s teaching, Ad’s teaching and the Sangha’s teaching in it.
Who wrote the poem?
In a difficult moment I meditated with Sonia’s picture in front of me
Making contact with her
Connecting with her.
With the opening of the heart to Sonia
I strongly felt her support
And
Something else happened, too.
Ad appeared in front of me and supported me.
The sangha appeared around me and supported me.
We were all breathing together
Witnessing together what is
Offering calm, love and acceptance to each other.
Moment from moment
I breathe in and out
And I know that
You breathe in and out
And that ultimately there is simply
Breathing in and breathing out.
May all beings be well and happy and feel connected with the breath of oneness.
In gratitude – Marion , July 2009
Newsletter 6 10 September 2009
MOMENTS OF ZEN
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky tyre.
Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.
Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of mortgage payments.
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat
and drink beer all day.
If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
Some days you are the bug; some days you are the windshield.
Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
A closed mouth gathers no foot.
Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
Never miss a good chance to shut up.
The most wasted day of all is one in which we have not laughed.
� Contact Details E-�
Offers of assistance - Gill - [email protected] or on 01981 241315 Healing Requests to Blue Healer Minds - Sarah on [email protected] Bursary Fund - Gini at [email protected] Finance - Jo on [email protected] or on 01432 890312 Website - Tony on [email protected] or 17 Goodwood Mansions, Stockwell Park Walk, London SW9 0XY. Newsletter - Sandra - for comments and contributions – at [email protected] or on 013873 70787 (and if there is anyone out there with DTP skills who would like to offer their services to the newsletter, please do get in touch!)