For the 15th successive year we are happy to be able to facilitate a mindful peace walk at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh International Festival of Middle Eastern Peace and Spirituality EICSP.

NB: A slightly later start time than previous years.

Venue: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, John Hope Gateway, Arboretum Place, Edinburgh, EH3 5NZ.
Date: Sunday 24 March 2019
Time: 10am for 10.15am ends by 11.15am. Meet at West Gate entrance to the John Hope Gateway, Arboretum Place. Introduction to mindful walking at 10.00am. Walk begins at 10.15am.
Cost: Admission Free. Just come along on the day.

This silent walking meditation is an open event. It will be led by the lay members of the Edinburgh Sangha of the Community of Interbeing, who follow the practice and teachings of Zen Buddhist Master, Thich Nhat Hanh. The walk begins at the John Hope Gateway of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Before the walk begins there will be a brief introduction to mindful walking as meditation practice. This is not a protest or a campaigning event, so please do not use any banners. Children are welcome when accompanied by adults. Please remember to wrap up warmly – last year it was snowy!

You may be interested in a mindfulness morning at St Mark’s on the Saturday following the walk.

‘We walk just for walking. We walk with freedom and solidity, no longer in a hurry. Let us enjoy every step we make.’

Thich Nhat Hanh.

This session will continue our gentle exploration together of the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing.

Exercise 13 is the first of the four breathings covering ‘objects of mind’ and it brings us to the contemplation of impermanence. As a way to try to bridge the gap between the notion of impermanence and the living insight of impermanence we will learn from each other by sharing our own experiences of change in small deep listening groups.

Although things constantly change they continue in other forms, so we will also explore the ways in which we are continued by our thoughts, words and actions.

The session naturally follows on from previous ones in this series but we hope the session will also work as a stand alone session and all are welcome. It will include guided meditation, walking meditation, readings and sharing in small groups.

NB: Please note that this not specifically a workshop on death, but is about all kinds of change. Participants will be able to choose for themselves which aspect of the topic is most alive for them and share (if they wish) at whatever level feels comfortable for them.

We will also have a mindful lunch together so please bring a little vegetarian or vegan food to share. Tea will be provided. Cushions, mats and blankets are available at the venue, but you are welcome to bring your own if you prefer.

When: Saturday 30th March 2019 – 9:30am to 1:00pm (Please try to arrive a little earlier so that we can start at 09:30)
Where: St. Marks Unitarian Church, Castle Terrace
Booking: Just turn up.
Bring: Small amount of vegetarian food to share if that is easy.
Cost: By donation – to cover the cost of hiring the venue etc. Suggested: £10 (£5).

You may be interested in joining us on our annual mindful peace walk at the botanics on the Sunday before this mindfulness morning.

Amongst practitioners with many years experience in mindfulness and meditation, it is all too easy to build a routine mind around our practice and, in so doing, lose touch with the present moment without even realising it. This can further lead to us losing faith in the practice as we inadvertently mistake the habitual mind developed around the practice for the practice itself.

In this mindfulness morning, we will explore together a mind free from our perceptions of practice – seeking the original motivation and enthusiasm which brought us to meditate. Beginners welcome.

The morning will be lead by Keith.

When: Saturday 19th January 2019 – 9:30am for 10am to 1:00pm
Where: St. Marks Unitarian Church, Castle Terrace
Booking: Just turn up.
Bring: Small amount of vegetarian food to share if that is easy.
Cost: By donation – to cover the cost of hiring the venue etc. Suggested: £10 (£5).