Winter Becomes Spring Becomes Summer

A chance to practice for a longer period at St Mark’s. We will sit in meditation, drink, eat and share some conversation together. This session is inspired by the full arrival of spring and the freshness that is made available to us through impermanence and interbeing.

There will be an extended pebble meditation and we will do the ten mindful movements.

The session will be facilitated by Roger and will run between 9:30am – 1:30pm at St Marks Unitarian Church, Castle Terrace.

When: Saturday 14th May 2016 9:30am to 1:30pm
Where: St Marks Unitarian Church. See map below.
Booking: Just turn up. (Optionally confirm on Facebook event page)
Cost: By donation. Suggested £5/£10 but more or less is fine (we don’t look at what people put in!)
Bring: Small amount of vegetarian food to share at lunch. Cushions, mats and chairs are supplied but if you have a meditation cushion or stool you like to use please bring it along.
Questions: Please contact us through the form.

People have been expressing interest in workshops I am running as part of the short course programme at the botanics. It is not strictly a Wild Geese event but is totally compatible with our practice.

The workshops are stand alone and run every other Tuesday evening through April and May. You can book through the Education office at the botanics on 0131 248 2937.

Download: Two Feet, One Mind Flier

Twenty one of us enjoyed a wonderful mindfulness morning with Pete on Saturday “Breathing: Our Way to Freedom”. Pete mentioned this related video of Thay from 2006 on YouTube you might like to watch. The other talks in this sequence are also relevant.

Great news that Susanne (from Findhorn) has received the lamp transmission at Plum Village and is now a  Dharmacharya (Dharma Teacher/Carrier). Also pictured is Dene Donalds who just received the lamp and is based in Lancaster. Wonderful to see the Sangha continuation and growth.

Our friends in the Border Collie Sangha are running a summer retreat at Wiston Lodge, Nr Biggar, South Lanarkshire, ML12 6HT

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 June 9^th to June 12^th 2016 guided by Br Phap Vu an American monastic, 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.

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

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

Border Collie Retreat Booking Form

Location of Wiston Lodge

Breathing: Our way to freedom (Part One)

This session will provide a basic introduction to Thich Nhat Hanh’s interpretation of the first 8 breathing exercises in the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing translated from the Chinese. The first four breathings centre on the body and the second four breathings centre on feelings. These exercises help us to bring our mind home to our body, relax our body, cultivate joy and happiness and take care of our emotions. 

We will explore and practice these teachings together using guided meditation, tea meditation, readings and discussion. We will also enjoy a mindful lunch together. Please bring a little vegetarian food to share. Tea will be provided.

The session will be facilitated by Pete and will run between 9:30am – 1:30pm at St Marks Unitarian Church, Castle Terrace.

When: Saturday 16th April 2016 9:30am to 1:30pm
Where: St Marks Unitarian Church. See map below.
Booking: Just turn up. (Optionally confirm on Facebook event page)
Cost: By donation. Suggested £5/£10 but more or less is fine (we don’t look at what people put in!)
Bring: Small amount of vegetarian food to share at lunch. Cushions, mats and chairs are supplied but if you have a meditation cushion or stool you like to use please bring it along.
Questions: Please contact us through the form.

Jointly organised by the Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace, EICSP, Scottish Charity, SC038996, and the Edinburgh Sangha of the Community of Interbeing.

Venue: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, John Hope Gateway, Arboretum Place, Edinburgh, EH3 5NZ.
Date: Sunday 13 March 2016.
Time: 9.30am-11am, meet at West Gate entrance to the John Hope Gateway, Arboretum Place, at 9.30am. (Introduction to mindful walking at 9.45am and walk begins at 10am). No access from East Gate.
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.

‘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.

Some of us from Edinburgh were able to enjoy a wonderful retreat with the North of Scotland Sanghas at Newbold House in Forres last weekend. The retreat was entitled “Love, Joy, Compassion & Equanimity in a Fearful World”. Pictured are a few a of the Bodhisttavas of Forres.

On Saturday the 19th March our friends at the Bluebell sangha will be hosting a day of Mindfulness in the Village Hall, Cockburnspath, Berwickshire. 

The day will start at 9.30 and finish at 4. Lunch and beverages will be provided and there is no charge to attend but a suggested donation of 8 pounds to cover costs will be gratefully received. 

The theme of our day will be “Living without stress or fear” and will include mindful sitting, walking, movement, drinking tea/coffee, eating, listening and sharing and we will be taking advantage of our location surrounded by beautiful woods and birdlife with views of the sea. 

We will also be listening to extracts of dharma talks given by Thay. 

It promises to be a lovely day practicing and learning together.

To register interest in attending, please drop Peter and Elspeth Davey an email on: Peter.davey@btinternet.com