The so-called 'April Retreat' is held each year for people who want to deepen their commitment to and participation in the Awakened Heart Sangha. Students who have been involved in the Sangha for a while and help out in any way are welcome to come to meet the committed members of the Sangha so that we can all get to know each other.
If you wish to attend you need to apply personally to Lama Shenpen and she may require you to do some preliminary work in order to be permitted to attend. At the very least you will need to be a member of the Awakened Heart Sangha, have worked on the themes of Discovering the Heart of Buddhism and be interested in pursuing the Living the Awakened Heart training programme.
The first part of the retreat (29th April 2nd May) is for those already committed to the Shrimalagana training that is the preliminary process to forming the Awakened Heart Sangha Order.
At present there are 17 people in the Shrimalagana and this year they have been training in the Precepts, the Not self view, the Heart Essence practice, NVC and working on their chosen projects associated with the Living the Awakened Heart training themes. We are working on documents that introduce the whole idea of the Shrimalagana to students who would like to start the training and the present Shrimalagana students will be the mentors for those who wish to join the group.
If you are interested in joining the Shrimalagana training please let Pema ( [email protected]ku.gro.sha@amep ) know and we will keep you informed of the present opportunities for doing so and the next step for you to take.
The second part of the week begins on Sunday evening (2nd May) and ends on Thursday morning (6th May) with an optional pilgrimage later that day.
This part of the programme will be for both Shrimalagana students and others. The programme has not been finalised yet, but on Sunday afternoon one or two of the Shrimalagana members will be sharing their projects and those attending the second part of the week are invited to attend this afternoon session (starting 2.30 pm).
There will be meditation talks each morning followed by meditation and/or reflection related to it. In the afternoons there will be teachings, presentations, and opportunities for discussion.
Throughout the week there will be morning and evening meditation and chants as usual, with stories of Dharma students and teachers in the evening, exemplifying different styles and means in terms of this relationship.
During the second part of the retreat Lama Shenpen will be giving teachings on some of the themes for next year's Shrimalagana training, including Maitri - loving kindness and how we bring that into our lives and into our relationships within the Sangha. Other themes will be the core values of the AHS, the student-teacher relationship, the Tara dance and the symbolism and meaning of building a stupa (preparing us for building one at the Hermitage).
Students in the Mahayagana are given the option to discuss on-line or with their Mahayanagana partners some of the themes the Shrimalagana and this year they explored the Precepts and the Shravaka view. Students in the Mahayanagana who participate in the discussions on the Shrimalagana training themes, will find that this training will be taken into account if they later apply to join the Shrimalagana training. In other words it is a good way to start linking into the Shrimalagana training process.
If you think you would like to attend this retreat do not hesitate to put your name forward. We wish to encourage people to attend the April retreat in order to become more involved in the whole Sangha building process, which revolves around the central principle of the Awakened Heart Sangha expressed as follows:
The Awakened Heart Sangha is a mandala of students, teachers and supporters dedicated to the Path of Awakening. The mandala is continually evolving around the core principle of Openness, Clarity and Sensitivity.
The Path of Awakening operates by means of transmission as we discover in our experience the truth which goes beyond birth and death.
Each person in the mandala helps create and maintain that mandala for their own sake and for the sake of all beings, as a vehicle to carry the transmission of the teachings and adhistana of the lineage, which is our connection with the living truth.
If you would like to attend the retreat please let Tara at the Hermitage ( [email protected]ku.gro.sha@egatimreh ) know as soon as possible so that we have some idea of numbers.
In previous years this retreat has been held in the marquee but this year we are hoping to hold it in the brand new shrine room!