Our neighbouring Sangha, the Border Collie Sangha, is running a residential retreat at the  Wiston Lodge in the Scottish Borders:

“When we practice mindfulness, we naturally become attuned to the planet. We are able to listen to ourselves and each other with mindfulness and compassion, we increase our ability to listen to our planet. Practicing compassionate listening to the Earth, we hear that the planet desperately needs us to reconnect with the Earth and with each other. There is no difference between healing ourselves and healing the Earth.”

From Love Letter to the Earth by Thich Nhat Hanh

You are warmly invited to join us at our summer retreat from 21st to 24th May, 2015 guided by Br Phap Vu of Blue Cliff Monastery New York, in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. We will gather as a Sangha of all ages to support our practice of Mindfulness together.

Wiston Lodge with its extensive grounds and natural environment, merging upwards to Tinto Hill, gives us the opportunity to deepen our awareness of Interbeing with Nature and with one another. The doors are wide open for our Wake Up friends, and we hope that everyone young and old will feel nourished and enriched through the explorations of the practice guided by our visiting monastic, Br Phap Vu of Blue Cliff Monastery New York.

Through our time together, we will explore the power of the teachings of the Five Mindfulness Trainings in our personal lives and society, with the opportunity of receiving the Transmission of the Trainings.

For more information contact:
Meg Beresford on meg.beresford@gn.apc.org or 07835 362 774
Paul Dear info@tintomusicandarts.org 0796123890

Download the booking form here: 21st-may-rev. booking form-2015

We are having a half day of Mindfulness at St Marks. This is an opportunity to enjoy sitting, walking and eating together in Mindfulness. There will be some readings, Dharma sharing and a little chanting.

Where: St Marks Unitarian Church, Castle Terrace, Edinburgh.
When:  Saturday 24th January 2015 9:30 to 1:30
Bring: Vegetarian food to share
Give: £5-£10 donations would be welcomed

If you would like more information please contact us or you can just turn up on the day.

Ten of us have just returned from a lovely time at the Wester Caputh Steading Hostel on the Sangha Winter Gathering. Most of the retreat was in silence but we had an hour and a half of Dharma sharing each evening. The sense of communication and brotherhood/sisterhood  was very strong. Gustaf’s cooking was quite exquisite.

The theme was the Four Establishments of Mindfulness (Body, Feelings, Mind, Objects of Mind) as presented in the Satipatthana Sutta. We did an establishment each day with a reading form the sutta and also from Thay’s commentaries. We also did some deep relaxation held a formal a ceremony for the deceased.

Karol wrote this poem inspired by the retreat:

If I
just could be
In you
or you in me

my thoughts
wouldn’t have to run after you

and the soul
could stop missing

Everyone was looking forward to doing something similar again next year.

Dear Friends, the Wild Geese invite you to a New Year gathering in a beautiful location just outside of Dunkeld beside the beautiful river Tay. The Wester Caputh venue is a privately run hostel situated in the local countryside between Dunkeld and Blairgowrie. We have held Interbeing retreats here in the past and found this to be a peaceful and nourishing environment. Continue reading →

Insight Timer is a mobile phone app for both Android and iOS (iPhone & iPad). It started out as a simple timer that would invite bell(s) at the beginning and end of a meditation session but has grown into a community tool.

Through the app you can join the Insight Connect and see who else is meditating with you around the world and even send them messages. This can be restricted to just thanking people for meditating with you (which I like doing) or can be extended to full text messages.

Within Insight Connect there are virtual communities. There is one called “Thich Nhat Hanh” that has over 8,000 members where people have been sharing messages wishing Thay well. Continue reading →

There was a good turn out for our recent half day of mindfulness at St Marks lead by lay order member Janelle Combelic. There was some silent sitting, a recitation of the 14 mindfulness trainings and a shared lunch. Thanks to Janelle, the organisers and all who came to share their energy.

Dear Friends

Just a reminder and a little more information about the upcoming half day of mindfulness with Janelle Combelic. This will be based on the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings which underpin practice in this tradition. Janelle writes:

In the early 1960s in war-torn Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh founded an order of lay and monastic men and women to practice Engaged Buddhism. The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings, which are the foundation of the Order of Interbeing, are guidelines for personal practice and mindful action in the world. They are beautiful and deep, worthy of a lifetime of study. We will gather for a half-day of mindfulness to sit and breathe, read and discuss these together as a Sangha.

Janelle received the transmission of the 14 MTs from Thay in 2006. She was editor of the Mindfulness Bell from 2005 to 2009 and currently practices with the Northern Lights Sangha in Findhorn.

If you are planning to attend and have not already contacted Gill an e-mail would be appreciated: gill.mathews@hotmail.com

Thank you so much.

A monthly meeting for sangha members with children (and those without who like children!). Held on the last Sunday of each month at the Botanics. Please meet at 11am by the pond viewing window in the John Hope Gateway building and bring some lunch to share. We will walk in the garden, share a picnic lunch and there will be a story and craft/activity based around Dharma teachings. While the children play freely parents will have the opportunity to share experiences of practising in and as a family.

If you are planning to come please let Sally know in advance on 07815 464 495 or at sally@swonderful.co.uk

This silent walking meditation will be led by members of the Edinburgh Sangha of the Community of Interbeing, who follow the practice of Zen Buddhism Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Before the walk begins there will be a brief introduction to mindful walking as meditation practice. Children are welcome when accompanied by adults.

• meeting at Henderson’s at St John’s (map) ~ the café under the church
• 9:30am – 10:45am
• St John’s Church, Princes Street
• Edinburgh, EH2 4BJ

Because St Marks is being used as a Edinburgh Fringe Festival venue we are holding our Thursday evening August meetings (7th, 14th and 21st) at The Mews – Centre for Healing and Spiritual Health close to the botanics off Inverlieth Row.

Instructions for finding The Mews are on The Mews Find Us page or on our venues page for The Mews. Buses 23, 27 and 8 run close by.

The meeting time remains the same at 7:15pm for a prompt 7:30 start. We look forward to seeing you there.