orchard sangha newsletter september 2009

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


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.


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

[email protected].

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


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


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


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)


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


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


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


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!)

orchard sangha newsletter september 2009

Documents

summer celebration

sonia newsletter

understanding of right

ads summer retreat

great understanding

healing requests

orchard sangha newsletter

understanding springing