January 2013 Page 1

The Orchard SanghaThe Orchard SanghaThe Orchard SanghaThe Orchard Sangha

NewsletterNewsletterNewsletterNewsletter

Contents Page

Announcement and Editorial 1

From The Orchard 2

From Sonia and Ad 3/4

The Orchard Programme 2013 5

Right Livelihood by John Burgess 6

Sharing by Sarah Hill 7

Second Life 8/9

David Whyte by Patricia O’Grady 10

Where Were You Last Year 11

Announcement

Following the recent event at the Orchard

concerning Ad's health we have been reflecting

on the consequences of Ad not being available

as much as he has been.

For those of you who do not know what I am

referring to I will briefly explain. Ad had been

feeling tired, then he had a fall and unusually

for him developed some headaches. After a

scan revealed that he had some blood on his

brain, he went to Birmingham Hospital.

Fortunately he had only a subdural hematoma

and as he was so well he was kept under

observation and did not require surgery.

All this means that at short notice he had to go

to the hospital leaving Sonia at the Orchard.

Luckily Jane could be there with her for the

following 6 days.

Now Ad has to take it easy for the time being.

So we are thinking of some back-up plan for

someone else to be at the Orchard when there

is the need and to help and assist Sonia. Jane

can assume some of the time but she also needs

to have some time away. We do not want her to

feel that this is her responsibility all on her

own.

So at this stage we are asking if there is

someone (it could also be more than one

person) who feels that they could be with Sonia

at the Orchard when Ad or Jane cannot, or

being able to offer any other kind of support.

If you think you would like to ask us more

about what it entails, you can of course email

or phone us. We will be very happy to hear

from you.

Please contact Sonia and Ad for more details.

A very Happy New Year to you all.

As I look outside and watch the rain splatter the

windows and hear the wind chattering the roof

tiles it seems that 2012 is determined not to go

quietly. As well as the joys and successes it has

also been a challenging year for many beings and

my personal wish for 2013 is to become more

like the tree in this beautiful photograph by

Antonio Violi – deeply rooted, bending but not

breaking.

Thank you to all those lovely beings who

contributed to this issue: we have poetry that

touches the heart; thoughts on sharing and an

exploration of Right Livelihood – so relevant in

today’s uncertain climate.

May you all find time to water your roots.

With love

Sandra

January 2013 Page 2

Update from the Orchard Sangha Finance

Group

We are all very pleased that Jane Sethi has

agreed to stay on as Sonia’s attendant during

2013. Thanks to the wonderful generosity of

Sangha supporters, there is enough money

coming in to cover the attendants’ support,

gardening work, and the bursary fund for

workshops.

The same group, Jo Lee, Sarah Hill, Steve Felgate

and Gini Wade are happy to continue as the

guardians of the Sangha Fund, especially as they

have been joined by Steve’s partner, Sue

Campbell-Felgate.

Those wishing to benefit from the Sangha

bursary fund in 2013 should contact Gini Wade:

email: gini_wade@lineone.net and also Ad, as

applicants have to be approved by him and

Sonia.

We give heartfelt thanks and a deep bow to all

who support the Orchard, and we hope you will

be able to continue to do so. It is of great

benefit for the many beings who find refuge at

the Orchard and have the good fortune to be

taught by Sonia and Ad.

We wish you all a very happy 2013.

From The Orchard

Team Work – a wasp nest in

Maple Kuti as photographed by

Amarana

This inspiring message for peace

and love in the Middle East has

been forwarded by Anna Jones, a

sangha member, via Gill.

A wonderful use of social media for

a positive cause.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/

I6sPCSJu31U?rel=0

The above photograph, taken by Sonia,

shows Jane presenting Amarana with a

bound copy of the newsletter

celebrating Amarana’s time at The

Orchard. The newsletter was presented

at a special tea party to mark

Amarana’s departure. She was very

moved by all the contributions and the

presentation of the newsletter. She will

be missed and we wish her well. A copy

of the newsletter can be viewed on the

website.

January 2013 Page 3

This year’s programme has been well attended, the format of the four three-day retreats

has been popular and requests to continue with this format have been repeated by many

students.

We have been focusing on attachment and on the letting go of attachment. Indeed our

source of suffering could be greatly reduced if we did not cling to our sense of identity,

to what we consider to be ours, let it be a thing or an opinion.

When one comes to the Orchard either as a retreatant or a student on a course, it is

understood that you come to such a place because you want to wake up, to have the

opportunity to practice all the good qualities you know you are capable of.

It is not surprising therefore if you find that there is no place to hide from your habitual

tendencies and that you are looking into the mirror at the reflections of who you are.

You may even feel cornered, I think in a positive way, by your habitual patterns. The

idealized notion is that somehow you're coming to this place where everything is

smooth for you, where everybody does things the way you think they should. And now

you have to face the fact that it is not like that.

Living in a meditation centre should be at times a challenge to your fixed views of the

world. It is actually not so very different from everyday life, except you are asked to

reflect and question your responses and to come to more equanimity in what you do and

how you do it. This is the point of such a place to remind you that you can wake up and

that the practice and study is ever present.

So we come back to attachment, attachment to the way we want things and people to be.

One way to lessen our attachment is through the practice of generosity.

Generosity, Dãna is an attitude and an action. This attitude of generosity is an opening of

the heart to all living beings without any condition or expectation attached to it. Do you

wake up in the morning with the thought of how can I be of benefit to beings? What

would increase their well being? How can my life be of benefit to others? If we were to

put others and their well being first, if we felt as much a concern for them than with our

best friend then surely our self-cherishing will lessen.

Dãna as an action can come in different shapes from sharing the teaching to cooking,

gardening, cleaning to money, time and involvement. In the west Dãna is not well

understood and yet we are being given freely constantly whether we know it or not. In

our interdependence with the world even our most basic biological functions involve

giving. We see giving in action when we receive nutrients, oxygen, life and we process it

in some form to pass it on. We should not forget that without others we would not be

able to exist or survive.

For some years now we have introduced the practice of Dãna in the form of sharing

activities around the Orchard and Maitreya House during retreats and outside the

retreat time. This is a practice we are committed to, as the late Namgyal Rinpoche said

“it is for loosening our grip on self-cherishing and on the belief that we are separate and

fixed.”

I like to quote here something that says it very well.

From Sonia and Ad

January 2013 Page 4

"When you are practicing generosity, you should feel a little pinch when you give

something away. That pinch is your stinginess protesting. If you give away your old,

worn-out coat that you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing, that is not generosity. There is

no pinch. You are doing nothing to overcome your stinginess; you’re just cleaning out

your closet and calling it something else. Giving away your coat might keep someone

warm, but it does not address the problem we face as spiritual practitioners: to free

ourselves from self-cherishing and self-grasping." (Gelek Rinpoche)

"When we give, we need to do so with the awareness that our gift will be both

appropriate and helpful. It is not an act of generosity, for example, to give money to a

wealthy person or alcohol to a child. We also give what we can afford; we don’t

jeopardize our own health or well-being. At the same time, we can give what is precious

to us, what is difficult to give, because of our attachment to it.” (Dzochen Polong

Rinpoche)

The Orchard is a place to practice all aspects of the path, a place where there is nowhere

to hide from yourself, where we are committed to be there for you and to make our time,

energy and guidance available to you for your benefit.

We hope to see you in the New Year, in the meantime be well and happy.

Sonia and Ad

Stephen Hopkins sent this photograph of The Archer in summer with the following poem:

Standing together with all things ........

I call to my friends, picking lotus,

Wonderfully afloat on the clear river,

And forget, in my delight, how late it grows,

Till gusts of evening wind whirl by.

Waves scoop up the mandarin ducks;

Ripples rock the broad-tailed mallards;

At this moment, sitting in my boat,

Thoughts pour out in endless streams.

From "Cold Mountain Poems' by Han-shan, trans: Burton Watson

January 2013 Page 5

Retreats with Sonia and Ad At The Orchard

February: 21st - 24th

April: 18th - 21st

August: 15th – 18th

October: 31st – 3rd November

The Noble Eightfold Path

Sila – Virtue

Pañña – Wisdom

Samadhi – Concentration

Integration

Retreats with Sonia At The Orchard

May: 23rd – 28th Waking up - Participating fully

June: 13th – 18th How to prepare for death, leaving fear behind.

July: 18th – 25th The Blue Healer –Medicine Buddha Retreat with an Introduction

to Holistic Clearing Meditations

November: 14th – 19th Relaxation, Clarity and Sunyata

Retreats with Sonia Elsewhere

April: 29th – May: 4th Felsentor, Switzerland – The Four Brahma Viharas – the four

limitless meditations

Contact: Amarana Spaeti at spaeti54@gmx.ch

Booking: info@felsentor.co www.felsentor.ch

October: 14th – 20th Kranichmoor, nr. Hamburg, Germany – The Four Brahma Viharas

– the four limitless meditations

Contact Iris Braakar at irisbraakar@web.de

Programme - 2013

January 2013 Page 6

Personal Exploration of Right Livelihood by John Burgess

Coming into winter I find myself at a crossroads and in the familiar position of

wondering what is the next step. To help me find the most skilful way forward I

recently spent a week on a working retreat at the Orchard helping out in the grounds.

Digging the earth and raking the leaves on the orchard paddock with the sun shining

on the black mountains offered me the perfect opportunity to reflect on the question

‘what is the best way to be of service’?

When I was a small child I remember asking my parents the question ‘what if I don’t

know what I want to be when I grow up’? The seed of doubt was planted at a young

age and I have continued to water it with restlessness and worry throughout the rest of

my life. This had led to an erratic working life working for over 20 different

employers as well as working self-employed and several periods of unemployment.

Initially I worked in desk bound respectable office based positions. The work went

against my body’s natural instincts for fresh air and movement and the aims of the

organizations were at odds with my own values and beliefs. This led to frustration,

depression and feelings of being stuck. Eventually I developed the courage to leave

and re-trained as a complementary therapist.

I started a new phase of my life where I only undertook work that felt like it was of

service to others. This helped me feel much more satisfied and content in my work.

However this work was mostly voluntary or low paid and I was only able to continue

this way of life through the generosity of family and friends.

Slowly resentment began to surface and torment me telling me I was not really valued

and was being exploited. I tried to push these voices down but eventually they would

resurface often manifesting as fear. This would cause me to leave often just when

possibilities were starting to open up. I would find myself back at the drawing board

desperately trying to formulate a new plan.

I feel my heart sink and my anxiety kick in as I am asked the dreaded question ‘So

what are you doing with your life now’? I go into a forward circle and lose all sense

of the ground as I flounder and feel the need to justify myself and offer a plausible

plan, seeking the listener’s acceptance. I ask myself

the question can I be strong enough to admit that I am

unsure, while keeping centred.

During this reflection I watch old familiar patterns of

pride, jealousy, fear and aversion rise to surface,

which if left unchecked generate feelings of ill-will

directed towards self and others. I also feel the

genuine aspiration to be of service to others in work

that feels meaningful and supportive. As I begin to

water and nurture the seeds of self-confidence and

clarity I ask myself whether I am ready to embrace

the challenge of finding right livelihood as an

opportunity to open and grow, rather than through my

narrow habitual fear based view.

January 2013 Page 7

Sharing

Over the past three years I have had the privilege to work with and come to know an

extraordinary young woman who has shown such a depth of courage, tenacity and creativity

in her work and has inspired me at a very deep level. Last month, we sat down together for

what was to be our last coaching session. As ever, her generosity shone through and she

arrived with a gift for me, which I would like to share here with you.

The gift was a photograph from her time in Helmand, Afghanistan where she used to be a

journalist with the British Army. It shows soldiers making their way through a poppy field

during a military operation in which, sadly, their Commander, second in Command and a

number of the soldiers were killed. The photo is in black and white but the flower heads are

all highlighted in bright pink. The poppies are so tall that they camouflage the soldiers. In the

top right hand corner there is a quote by Rumi:

“Beyond the rightness and wrongness of things, there is a field. I will meet you there”

Here is what she wrote in the accompanying card:

“The gift might need a little explaining; when I was in Afghanistan, the Afghan journalists were

full of proverbs. They had one for just about everything. This one, by Rumi, I loved, but I don’t

think I really experienced it until I met you. In so many of our sessions, you took me to that field

which felt like such a good place to be.”

The challenge to arrive in that place beyond the rightness and wrongness of things is

immense and as with so many things it can be so much easier to focus on enabling others

rather than to really go there myself especially when it comes to the critical judge in relation

to ‘self’. My personal aspiration for the new year and beyond is to keep drawing on the

practice and all the wisdom, guidance and loving kindness contained within the teachings

that can and will take each one of us there to that field if we truly open our hearts and minds

to the possibility. May we each be blessed with the essential depth of courage and

compassion so that we might meet together with others there.

Sarah Hill:

Sorting out files recently (an annual ritual) I came

across this card. It had been given to me by Sonia at

the close of a workshop many years ago. Each student

was given a card relevant to them.

I must have been a dour little soul – perhaps still am,

taking life very seriously – but realise the value in the

message the card carries. Like many aspects of

practice it is a fairly simple message, but not

necessarily easy to do in times of difficulty. Those

times that I have managed it I have been rewarded

with an overwhelming sense of ease and ‘rightness’.

I would like to share this with the sangha as I am sure

it will resonate with others.

Sandra

January 2013 Page 8

Second Life by David Whyte Sent in by Barbara Johns

My uncourageous life

doesn't want to go,

doesn't want to speak,

doesn't want to carry on,

wants to make its way

through stealth,

wants to assume

the strange and dubious honour

of not being heard.

My uncourageous life

doesn't want to move,

doesn't even want to stir,

wants to inhabit

a difficult form

of stillness,

to pull everything

into the silence

where the throat strains

but gives no voice.

My uncourageous life

wants to stop

the whole world

and keep it stopped

not only for itself

but for everyone

and everything it knows,

refusing to stir a single inch

until given an exact

and final destination

This uncourageous

second life wants to win

some undeserved lottery

so that it can finally

bestow a just and final

reward upon itself.

No, this second life

never wants to write

or speak, or cook

or set the table

or welcome guests

or sit up talking

with a stranger

who might accidently

set us travelling again.

This second life

doesn't want

to leave the door,

doesn't want

to take any path

that works its own

sweet way

through mountains,

doesn't want

to follow

the beckoning flow

of a distant river

nor meet

the chance weather

where a pass

takes us

from one discovered

world

to another.

This second life

just wants to lie down;

close its eyes

and tell God

it has a headache.

But my other life

my first life,

the life I admire

and want to follow

looks on and listens

with some wonder,

and even extends

a reassuring hand

for the one holding back,

knowing there can be

no real confrontation

without the need

to turn away

and go back

away from it all,

to have things

be different,

and to close our eyes

until they

are different.

No,

this hidden life,

this first courageous life,

seems to speak

January 2013 Page 9

from silence

and in the language

of a knowing,

beautiful heartbreak,

above all

it seems to know

well enough

it will have

to give back

everything received

in any form

and even, sometimes,

as it tells the story

of the way ahead,

laughs out loud

in the knowledge.

This first life seems

sure and steadfast

in knowing

it will come across

the help it needs

at every crucial place

and thus continually

sharpens my sense

of impending revelation.

This first

courageous life

in fact, has already

gone ahead

has nowhere to go

except

out the door

into the clear air

of morning

taking me with it,

nothing to do

except to breathe

while it can,

no way to travel

but with that familiar

pilgrim

movement in the body,

nothing to teach except

to show me

on the long road

how we sometimes

like to walk alone,

open to the silent revelation,

and then stop and gather

and share everything

as dark comes in, telling the story

of a day's accidental

beauty.

And perhaps

most intriguingly

and most poignantly

and most fearfully of all

and at the very end

of the long road

it has travelled,

it wants to take me

to a high place

from which to see,

with a view looking back

on the way we took

to get there,

so it can have me

understand myself

as witness

and thus

bequeath me

the way ahead,

so it can teach me

how to invent

my own disappearance

so it can lie down at the end

and show me,

even against my will,

how to undo myself,

how to surpass myself:

how to find

a way

to die

of generosity.

January 2013 Page 10

ALSO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

David Whytes CD: The Poetry of Self Compassion

I really don't think you need to be a lover of poetry to find this CD a rich source of

inspiration.

After hearing of Barbara's submission of David's poem 'Second Life' I was inspired to

contribute my own recommendation, enthusiasm and appreciation for this man's work. So

thank you Barbara for the extra push! He is definitely my poetry hero ... and much more!!

I'd like to give some background info as to how I came to know of his work and to meet him.

I'm very fortunate to live in a delightful little town called Much Wenlock in Shropshire. In

recent years it has established an international reputation for its poetry festival. Carol Ann

Duffy is our poet laureate and every year a wide range of highly regarded poets arrive to

share a long weekend of magic in different venues and settings in the town and surrounding

countryside.

In 2012 whilst reading through the festival programme I was drawn to the write up about

David's contributions i.e. a day workshop and separate one hour presentation. The write up

was interesting but not extraordinary so when my weekend guests were not especially

interested I decided against booking. However for some inexplicable reason the draw to

attend continued. Eventually I went to the box office and explained that I knew nothing about

him, had never heard of him but just had this 'knowing' that I should attend. At which point it

was explained that the festival committee hadn't heard of him either, with the exception of

one who knew and recommended him as of international standing. I later found out Sonia and

Ad were fans and had some of his poetry books. Anyway, within just two weeks of the

programme details being published his day workshop was sold out, with people calling from

various parts of Europe and coming specifically to work with him. I booked his one hour

session.

The moment he began his presentation I knew why I needed to be there. This is no ordinary

poet or ordinary presentation. He weaves his passion and commitment to life, into a deeply

authentic and spiritual compassion for our human condition, efforts and struggles. He does

so without using the word spiritual or any other overtly spiritual words, but by tangibly

relating our human experiences in this material world to our hopes, our aspirations and

highest potential. He may repeat a phrase or word many times, allowing it to sink deeper and

deeper into ones consciousness, whilst giving time for a more profound appreciation of the

meanings. He threads the theme of the poems together within a context of personal

experiences and stories that further highlight their power. I could continue to wax lyrical.

'The Poetry of Compassion' is woven together in a powerful, unique and beautiful way.

Much as I've described in the paragraph above. It is a compilation of many poets' work, as

well as his own, with words that (my description) touch the soul and essence of our human

journey. I have endlessly listened to this CD in my car, on journeys near and far. I have never

failed to find him inspirational, as he illuminates our journeys, challenges, insights and

inspirations through life.....and at its heart you can catch the words of Buddha reflected in the

words and experiences of our time, though the last poem (his own) links the past and present

poignantly, as he describes his experience in a Buddhist monastery high in the Himalayas.

His website is www. davidwhyte.com. If you have difficulty accessing his books or CDs they

can be obtained/ordered through Wenlock Books. They will post them to you.

Wenlock Books 12 High St., Much Wenlock, Shropshire TF13 6AA info@wenlockbooks.co.uk

ENJOY!!

Patricia

January 2013 Page 11

The following poem was sent in by Marion Pahlen - it kept her company when stuck at

Birmingham Airport after the November retreat with Sonia. (A Google search leads me to

think it may be from a poem by David Brazier. If you know different then do let us know.)

� Contact Details E-� Healing Requests to Blue Healer Minds - Sarah on sarah.hill1@mac.com Bursary Fund - Gini at gini_wade@lineone.net Finance - Jo on joleehandy@googlemail.com or on 01432 890312 Newsletter - Sandra - for comments and contributions – at sygoodfellow@hotmail.com or on 013873 70787 Orchard Sangha Website – www.orchardsangha.com

Where were you last year?

Breathe deep,

Breathe deep.

The air fills my lungs and then?

My blood receives

This grace by which

I live a few moments more,

My every cell replenished,

With every breath

A part of me departs

And something new

Is put in place.

The rice I ate yesterday,

Where is it now?

In my muscle, in my bone,

The juice we shared,

Where has it gone?

In our arms and legs and all.

Last month

The rice waved in the sunshine

In other lands:

In the low flood plains

Of the Mississippi

Or Irrawaddy;

And the fruit hung

On trees in Cyprus

Sicily or Spain.

And before that?

Before that their substance

Was in the soil,

Was in the air,

Was in the seas

Waiting to be gathered up

Waiting to soar up into the highest reaches of

the sky,

Waiting to become rain.

You and I

Are mostly water.

Last year

Most of each of us

Was in the ocean.

We circulated together

In the Atlantic,

Or the Pacific perhaps,

For we are mostly water.

And that water was lifted

By sunshine heat,

By the impact of photons

Cascading down,

Beating upon the ocean’s face.

And every photon

Comes from the sun,

From the belly of the star;

You and I were stars last year;

We chased each other

In the turbulent heart of the sun.

So who was it that lived in your house last year?

And where will you be next week?

Who is your true friend and who your foe?

And who will you be next year?