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Dear friends
The past few months have been a very rich time for the sangha.
As we entered into Spring, Lama Shenpen gave a week of teachings on the Shakyamuni Sadhana, kicking off a year of teachings from her, where the emphasis is on the meaning and power of ritual as a way to approach the true nature of Awakened Reality.
Lama is also continuing her work on writing a book on Mandala Principle. Personally, I think this will present a way of talking about Dharma and Reality that will benefit many practitioners for many years to come.
Retreat in France
Pati and I went to Normandy to gather with a few students who live in Continental Europe.
We were a small group, but had representatives from Wales, Poland, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Portugal and France. It was a wonderful experience to share Dharma and explore the most meaningful topics with each other in an awe inspiring setting. Sumeru (Fr) was our host and we hired somewhere to stay that could fit us all in.
It was a very natural expression of Sangha in operation!
I am very excited by the potential it showed us in how we can arrange to meet, practice and share Dharma with very little official organisation. We arranged it between us over Whatsapp and discussed each day we were there how the rest of the day would look. We mixed meditation, puja, discussion, pilgrimage and eating together in a very natural, organic way. We made meal offerings in different languages, sang songs in our native tongue and connected in friendship.
Teaching weekends with local groups
I was grateful to be invited to Bristol to teach by the local group. They are a small group who meet weekly and occasionally link up with a wider group of members from the South West. On this occasion, I led a day of exploration on 'The Heart of Meditation'.
I was also invited to Kent for a weekend of teachings on the theme of 'Death and Dying', organised by Carmel and the Tunbridge Wells local group. The weekend included workshops led by Sangha Members, I gave some teachings on a Mahayana Sutra, we joined in with morning puja with the Hermitage, it was rich and well held.
I look forward to more meetings with local groups later in the year.
Teaching weekend at Kench Hill
Gana Gathering
The Gana Gathering is an annual meeting of the 'Mahayanagana'. Those members who have made a commitment to standing for the vision and values of the Awakened Heart Sangha. This year our theme is on 'Building Enriching Community that supports Openness, honesty and friendship'.
We meet to discuss the meaning and value of Sangha, reflecting on how we meet and the ways we can make our time together as meaningful and enriching as possible. We received teachings from Lama Shenpen on how Ritual and Sangha meet.
I am meeting with a small group of senior students to draw down wisdom on how we take the sangha forwards in years to come. We are experimenting with a collective way to source vision and direction. We will meet a few times a year and I'll keep you up to date of any major developments.
Living the Awakened Heart practice streams
One of our major changes over the past year has been the introduction of Streams of practice around the areas of Living the Awakened Heart for those members who have worked through Discovering the Heart of Buddhism. This is part of a whole area of thinking about how to meet members where they are, to match their inspiration for taking the Dharma deeper.
It's important that members don't feel as though they need to do more than you have the capacity for, so I am really encouraging members to seriously reflect on what draws you and find a way to go deeper into one area at a time, taking the practice and study deeper.
Of course, if you have more capacity, you are welcome to join more, but they are all different ways to access the same profound points, so you can always come back and revisit each area again.
The Hermitage
The Hermitage is operating very nicely under the management team of Tamsin and Mebar, with support in stewardship by Elliot. We have a number of local people and those from further away coming to tend to the Sacred Space, managing the gardens, and recently we introduced a couple of ponies to help with the fields and woodlands. They came from a rescue shelter and are doing a great job.
A weekend with Khandro Rinpoche
Lama Shenpen and I went to Palphung in Bryn Mawr, South Wales to see Her Eminence Khandro Rinpoche along with Tamsin (The Hermitage manager and long-term student of Rinpoche) and together with other members of the Mahayanagana and Sangha - Luke, Samten, Ksanti, Utah, Jeannette, Sally Rinchen and Katya - we made a firm AHS presence. Khandro Rinpoche offered some incredible teachings on The Aspiration prayer of Samantabadra, which were the final part of three weekends she has given over the past 6 years. Lama Shenpen, Tamsin and I had the chance to meet her and ask some important questions about the vision for the Hermitage, Tyn-y-Gors and personal advice. She was very generous with her time and I found her teachings to be sharp and clear, and brought together with this caring, attentive personal touch, I was so grateful for the opportunity to connect to her in this way. She expressed quite publically her appreciation for Lama Shenpen and all that she has done for Dharma in the world, saying "they don't make practitioners like you any more". It gives us such confidence that we have the right connections and are appreciated in the Dharma circles for our vision
Weekend with Khandro Rinpoche
Five's three month retreat at The Hermitage
Five Cram emerged from his three month retreat, what a wonderful expression of a dharmic community - to have practitioners committed to retreat and a sangha that supports them. May his practice benefit us all!
Celebrating the end of Five's retreat
Upcoming events and retreats
And then we begin to prepare for the Vows weekend - those members who feel called to take Refuge and Bodhisattva Vows. The whole weekend will be broadcast, so sign up and reaffirm your own commitment to the Three Jewels if you feel so moved.
I will begin to prepare for our month of meditation retreat in July, welcoming Katie who will be staying with us for the Summer and giving teachings, engaging in a small retreat to explore the relationship of therapeutic process with Dharma practice and so much more over the summer.
Please join me in expressing gratitude for everyone who gathers to share dharma, practice together, or at home, in whichever way you feel most inspired and connected.
This is a rare and precious opportunity to rejoice in goodness done by others.
May our connections deepen and we meet again and again, in this and future lives.