Orchard Sangha Newsletter May 2009

6
The Orchard Sangha Newsletter New Shoots, New Growth As spring begins to turn into summer, and the season of new growth and vision transforms into blossoming and fruition, I reflect on how heartening and inspiring it is to receive the contributions for the newsletter. Practice can move us deeply and touch the very core of our being; it can sometimes make us feel vulnerable and sensitive. To be willing to undertake the sometimes difficult task of expressing those feelings, those experiences, in words and then to share them with us all is very special indeed. So thank you to all those who have contributed to the newsletters, and to The Orchard for holding the space that nourishes this unfolding. Ad Ad’s operation went well. He returned from hospital earlier than expected and is now recuperating back at The Orchard. Many thanks to all those who held him in their thoughts. Inspirations – Rinpoche’s Story Here is where I make an apology. The last issue contained Rinpoche’s Story, which came from Sonia. Unfortunately I omitted Sonia’s name from the final copy so, my apologies Sonia. In metta Sandra Contents Page Editorial and 1 This Precious Human Birth Sangha News 2 & 3 Inspirations 4 Insights in the Spring by Tony Birch 5 Poetry Corner & Contact details 6 This precious human birth A star hurtles through space a vessel of luminous radiant light Its destination unchartered journeying on a voyage of discovery Into the depths of an infinite ocean of possibility and potentiality Oblivious to its inevitable doom it is magnetically drawn towards a formless void Caught in the web of its insatiable appetite resistance is futile Frustration gives way to exhaustion, capitulation, resignation and surrender The release and letting go of effort yields transformation engendering acceptance and joy Perpetual motion gathering momentum a cosmic dance of mutual attraction Form spiralling around an invisible axis enacted on the stage of spaciousness Driven by love in perfect harmony Meeting and merging a fusion of opposites as form and emptiness embrace Fulfilment, Completion, Union Compression, consumption, extinction, expansion An orgasmic explosion of bliss and awareness bathing the universe with light Stardust navigated by karma condenses into form the genesis of life Within a distant galaxy on the outer reaches of the expanding cosmos Inside a small blue planet orbiting its golden sun Life consciously witnesses itself unfold Peace to all beings May all beings be well and happy and free from fear John

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Orchard Sangha Newsletter May 2009

Transcript of Orchard Sangha Newsletter May 2009

Page 1: Orchard Sangha Newsletter May 2009

The Orchard Sangha Newsletter

New Shoots, New Growth

As spring begins to turn into summer, and the

season of new growth and vision transforms

into blossoming and fruition, I reflect on how

heartening and inspiring it is to receive the

contributions for the newsletter. Practice can

move us deeply and touch the very core of our

being; it can sometimes make us feel

vulnerable and sensitive. To be willing to

undertake the sometimes difficult task of

expressing those feelings, those experiences, in

words and then to share them with us all is very

special indeed. So thank you to all those who

have contributed to the newsletters, and to The

Orchard for holding the space that nourishes

this unfolding.

Ad

Ad’s operation went well. He returned from

hospital earlier than expected and is now

recuperating back at The Orchard. Many thanks

to all those who held him in their thoughts.

Inspirations – Rinpoche’s Story

Here is where I make an apology. The last

issue contained Rinpoche’s Story, which came

from Sonia. Unfortunately I omitted Sonia’s

name from the final copy so, my apologies

Sonia.

In metta

Sandra

Contents Page

Editorial and 1

This Precious Human Birth

Sangha News 2 & 3

Inspirations 4

Insights in the Spring by Tony Birch 5

Poetry Corner & Contact details 6

This precious human birth

A star hurtles through space a vessel of luminous

radiant light

Its destination unchartered journeying on a

voyage of discovery

Into the depths of an infinite ocean of possibility

and potentiality

Oblivious to its inevitable doom it is magnetically

drawn towards a formless void

Caught in the web of its insatiable appetite

resistance is futile

Frustration gives way to exhaustion, capitulation,

resignation and surrender

The release and letting go of effort yields

transformation engendering acceptance and joy

Perpetual motion gathering momentum a cosmic

dance of mutual attraction

Form spiralling around an invisible axis enacted

on the stage of spaciousness

Driven by love in perfect harmony

Meeting and merging a fusion of opposites as

form and emptiness embrace

Fulfilment, Completion, Union

Compression, consumption, extinction, expansion

An orgasmic explosion of bliss and awareness

bathing the universe with light

Stardust navigated by karma condenses into form

the genesis of life

Within a distant galaxy on the outer reaches of

the expanding cosmos

Inside a small blue planet orbiting its golden sun

Life consciously witnesses itself unfold

Peace to all beings

May all beings be well and happy and free from

fear

John

Page 2: Orchard Sangha Newsletter May 2009

Newsletter 5 2 May 2009

The Orchard Sangha Finance Group report

that there are still funds available in the bursary

fund and would welcome applications.

If these financially challenging times are

preventing you from attending a workshop or

undertaking a private retreat then do please

contact Gini at [email protected]

DEDICATING PRACTICE

Dear Orchard Sangha

It has been very moving to receive the recent

requests asking the sangha to hold and

remember those people you know who are in

need at times of dedicating the practice.

The messages you send to us will be sent out to

about 150 other sangha members, including Ad

and Sonia of course, and, whenever possible,

their names will be put in the blue Medicine

Buddha healing bowl in the zendo - in this

way they will be held by the practice of many,

many beings.

So, please continue to send any future requests,

or if you are not included on this database and

would like to be, to [email protected]

Thank you

May all beings be well and happy

Jane and Sarah

TARA SPACE

As reported in the last newsletter, changes have

been taking place to the kitchen at The Orchard.

The following photos show just how stunning

those changes have been. Now re-named the Tara

Space it provides a modern, fitted kitchen and a

larger, much improved relaxation space. Our

grateful thanks to all who made it possible.

Work in Progress

The Relaxation Space

The Productive Space!

TUESDAY AT THE ORCHARD: PRACTICE DAY

AND MEDICINE BUDDHA MEDITATION

Tuesday is a day of silence,

a joyful mind attending to deepening the practice

of mindfulness,

releasing grasping,

bringing the mind home,

resting in the natural state,

free from fabrication arising from hope and fear.

The 5.30 pm sitting will be dedicated to the

practice of the Medicine Buddha using the short

version, for the benefit of all those in need,

including Sonia Sensei and Ad Sensei.

Page 3: Orchard Sangha Newsletter May 2009

Newsletter 5 3 May 2009

Those of us who attended the 'Musical Rasalila'

with Tanji on 21st March were richly rewarded with

an exhilarating performance by Tim and Jon.

The zendo was flooded with Tim's passionate

singing and Jon's mesmerizing tabla playing.

Occasionally the audience was invited to join in the

singing which many of us did with joyful

enthusiasm.

Bodies were swaying to the rhythm of the music, feet were tapping, hands clapping - if we can

persuade Tim and Jon to come back and play for us again, next time we may even get up and dance!

After the performance everyone was invited down to Maitreya house for refreshments which

included delicious scones and cakes handmade by Barbara, Jo and Sarah.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make the evening such a success.

Eleri

tandj on 21st March 2009.

Tandj....

......the zendo filling with sounds, uplifting

songs of devotion, and the stirring of a thousand

yearnings in the heart.........

..........a beautiful evening,

thank you................

Jane Sethi

A reminder that the Orchard Sangha Summer Celebration is happening at The Orchard on

Saturday 20 June 2009. No programme as such, just a relaxing day of connecting, celebrating

and ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’. Do come along – partners and/or families welcome - as are

contributions of food.

For further information contact:

Eleri on [email protected] or

Gill on 01981 241315

To book accommodation at The Orchard please contact:

Ad on [email protected] or 01873 860207.

Page 4: Orchard Sangha Newsletter May 2009

Newsletter 5 4 May 2009

As promised in the last newsletter Sonia’s teachings are now available on CD. Details are

as follows:-

NB: postage for Europe, outside UK: £ 1.50 (1 or 2 CD’s) or £ 2.50 for 3 or more CD’s

postage for rest of the world: £2 (1 or 2 CD’s) or £3 for 3 or more CD’s

Make all cheques payable to Sonia Moriceau and send to:

The Orchard,

Lower-Maescoed,

Hereford HR2 0HP

UK

www.soniamoriceau.org

Tel: 01873 860 207

INSPIRATIONS

CD-1: Flowering the Mind of Loving Kindness (1 CD) £12.00 with postage free within the UK

CD-2: Peace to All Beings Meditation (1 CD) £12.00 with postage free within the UK

CD-3: Medicine Buddha Meditation: a set of 3 CD’s including: Medicine Buddha Meditation; Explanation of Text; and Tom Thumb Blue Healer Meditation. £25.00 with postage free within the UK NB: only available for those who have attended a Medicine Buddha retreat with Sonia A second set has the Medicine Buddha Meditation with a German Translation

“To study the Buddha Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the

self. To forget the self is to be realised by myriad things”.

Eihei Dogen, 13th century Zen master

Page 5: Orchard Sangha Newsletter May 2009

Newsletter 5 5 May 2009

This year has presented a rare opportunity for

me as I seldom have the luxury of being able to

do two retreats with only a few weeks between

them; these were the two Insight retreats in

March and April. On the first, the practice

centred on developing an open heart and the

contemplation of impermanence, and the

second developed the open heart practice

further and focused on instant presence, being

fully in the present moment with an open heart.

Retreats at The Orchard always produce

profound insights, but after the short break

which allowed the effects of the first to be

integrated and digested, when I started the

second my practice really deepened, leading to

a more pronounced state of letting go than I

think I have ever experienced before. In that

calm state I came to understand more fully

many of the things Sonia had been trying to

teach me over the years that through my own

failings I hadn’t fully comprehended. I’d like

to share my thoughts and experiences of this

time…...

When we practice with an open heart we merge

our awareness with each unfolding second, so

that the ‘present moment’ stops being a concept

and becomes a dynamic and endlessly creative

experience, and in the silence of no internal

dialogue we become aware of the spaciousness

of our mind. At such moments it’s possible to

see a gap, and to feel and widen that gap,

between awareness and conceptualisation,

between contact and conditioned response.

In that gap we have a choice.

All our habitual ways of thinking, all the

different energies that flow through our minds

each day, attraction, non-attraction, differing

levels of stimulation or excitation, keep us

firmly tied to a feeling and emotional

rollercoaster all of our lives. They are just

transient states and not mind itself, and as such

we can choose whether to be dominated by

them or not. But to do so we need the right

tools, it is not enough to simply be aware of the

present moment, we need to know how to work

with it, we have to develop meditative calm

and concentration.

I read a chapter from ‘Food for the Heart’ by

Ajahn Chah at the beginning of the retreat, and

in it he makes the point that the Buddhist path

is a training, a discipline, that has to be

practiced continuously if the mind is not to

endlessly fulfil its own desires. Through

walking and sitting meditation and mindfulness

the mind begins to be controllable and useable

as an effective tool in moving away from

perpetuating inner turmoil and pain, and we see

clearly how clinging, grasping and attachment

all create their own future.

My average working day is often pressured,

adrenaline-fuelled and stressful, but now I

realise that although I may still be working to

deadlines they don’t have to control how I

respond, I can (with a lot more practice!)

experience my day with an open heart, in the

present moment, and in doing so choose an

alternative response.

The retreats have left me feeling empowered

and more in charge of my life than I think I

have ever felt before, and with an even deeper

gratitude and respect for Sonia, for her

teachings and her wisdom and compassion.

Insights in the Spring

by

Tony Birch

Like stars, mists and candle flames

Mirages, dew-drops and water bubbles,

Like dreams, lightning and clouds

In that way I will view all composite phenomena

Kagyu Wishing Prayer

Page 6: Orchard Sangha Newsletter May 2009

Newsletter 5 6 May 2009

Jump! Lose your balance. Let gravity be your mother. Trust.

Patricia asked me, what was your feeling as you arrived at the Orchard?

Being at home. Coming back to a space and a time, I never left.

What is your experience now, two months later?

Sitting in front of a computer. The sweet smell of wild daffodils in my nostrils,

a wind is moving branches and leaves and there is a soft long breath –the wind,

the computer, inside, outside?

Being at home.

Sitting on a regular chair, how joyful, how pleasant.

All these long bones folded up on the earth again and again, released.

A seat is contacting a seat. Warmth.

A hand is contacting a chin. A day is falling into a night. The screen is too bright to contact this small line of

between. Branches? Leaves? Do know it from yesterday. They are green. Now there is a black, moving thing

with small gleaming holes in it.

Being at home.

A mind is tired. A body is filled with energy. Trust. Lose your balance.

Slow walking. Is that walking or a mind story? A head one metre in front of a body, knee and shoulders, the

deputies of a not trusting mind, holding on to tension. What is the risk? Following gravity. And? A trusting

and a not-trusting being are close together. A mind is tired to hold on. Jump! Open your heart, no matter

what.

Being at home.

An itch. Who is that, mind or body? It’s green and moves. Oh, the branches from yesterday.

Being at home.

Can you follow me?

No? You are in front. It doesn’t matter.

Shall I carry on? Shall we jump together?

Being at home.

Christina

� Contact Details E-� Offers of assistance - Gill - [email protected] or on 01981 241315 Helping at Events and Cards - 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!)

Do you have difficulty downloading the newsletter?

Currently the newsletter is emailed out to the majority of the Sangha, as this is the most cost-effective method.

However, if you have difficulty in opening or receiving the newsletter, do please contact Sarah or Sandra so we can

add you to our mailing list.