Anything that is happening
Organised by EICSP and chaired by Sara Trevelyan there will be four talks, each of 12 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of discussion among the speakers, the chair, and the audience, followed by Q & A. The speakers are Mhairi (Vari) McLuskie, Susanne Olbrich, Martin Pitt and Alex Nunn.
Further details on the EICSP Website.
We will be having a Day of Mindfulness on Saturday 4 November 2023 at St. Marks Unitarian Church from 10am to 4pm. Flyer attached.
Please aim to arrive slightly earlier than that so that we can start promptly at 10am and please bring some plant-based food to share for lunch.
The day will include guided meditation, walking meditation, deep relaxation, a mindful lunch, readings, reciting the 5 mindfulness trainings and sharing.
If you intend to come please drop us a note through the contact form so we know the numbers.
Pete is offering a Morning of Mindfulness on Saturday 7th October, meeting at 10am at Lochend Park, (Lochend Rd S, Edinburgh EH7 6BP) by the wildfowl viewing platform.
He likes the poem ‘The Peace of Wild Things’ by Wendell Berry, and, although he doesn’t get up in the night and actually lie down beside a duck pond, he does sometimes go for a stroll around Lochend Loch to chill out. So his suggestion for a Morning of Mindfulness is for us to have a mindful walk together around Lochend Loch, come back to his place to listen to a recording of a talk by Thay and then have a shared lunch. It’s a bit of a touch and go as to whether the weather will be suitable in October, but hey, let’s just see what happens !
Attached are directions to Lochend Loch from the Balfour Street tram stop since parking is a bit awkward in Leith. Lochend Loch is about a 20 minutes gentle stroll from the tram stop. Wear suitable clothing and please bring a little whole food plant-based food to share for lunch.
If you are coming along please let Pete know either by replying to the email he has sent out or by using the contact us form if you haven’t received an email.
A Day of Mindfulness with Dharma Teacher Susanne Olbrich on SATURDAY 9th SEPTEMBER, 2023, 10am-4.30pm Hosted by the Wild Geese Sangh, St. Mark’s Unitarian Church, 7 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2DP.
A day to enjoy mindfulness meditation, togetherness and explore the fruits of our practice.
Please bring a harvest item and some lunch to share (see below).
Following our theme of “Harvest” we would like to create a harvest shrine so please bring something that symbolises harvest for you, e.g. a picture, an object from nature or something else that captures the energy of harvest. For our potluck lunch together, it would be wonderful if you could include a harvest ingredient that is locally or regionally sourced (accessible and affordable). This is an invitation to celebrate the gifts of the earth from allotments, local gardens, fields and farmers markets at this bountiful time of year. Arrival is from 9.30am for our 10am start.
Any questions please use the contact form.
The kids are back at school, the festivals are dispersing but the Wild Geese are gathering again.
We will walk together in mindfulness and peace at Saughton Park.
This event is organised in collaboration with the Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace.
We will be meeting again at St Mark’s Unitarian Church on the 7th, 7:15pm till 9:00pm and then each Thursday night till Christmas. Come along to meditate and share with friends.
Susanne will lead a longer session of meditation, talks, sharing and eating at St Marks starting from around 9am – details are here.
As usual we will be taking a break from meeting in person at St Marks during August. This is because the church is used for other events during the festival and we all need a bit of a break. It is good to take a lazy month once a year just as it is to have a lazy day every week or so! The next meeting at St Marks will be on Thursday 7th September.
There are still things to do in August though:
On Sunday 6th August come join us for a mindful walk along Silverknowes Beach, From 10.30 to ~1-1.30pm. We’ll begin at the start of the Cramond Island walkway, heading towards the Granton gas bell. We will walk mindfully together, have a tea break along the way, and finish with an earth touching. The walk will have a theme of earth caring, and reflecting on our interdependence with the fossil fuel infrastructure of the forth. Please bring suitable clothing, a thermos with a drink, and some light bites to share during the break. Any questions, get in touch with Gustaf, 074 253 760 42
The ‘Scot’s Pines’ online Sangha will continue to meet on Wednesday evenings from 7pm to 9pm. If you are interested in that please let me know and I can put you in touch with the facilitator. We are currently working our way through ‘Old Path, White Clouds’.
Plum Village UK email weekly ‘Weekend Dharmabites’ to members and circulate ‘Here and Now‘ which always lists many online events.
And of course there are all those festivals going on …
As many of you will know, on 22 January this year a plum tree was planted in the Community Garden on the Meadows to commemorate Thay’s visit to Edinburgh in 2003. On 24 May a plaque next to the tree, inscribed with the words ‘Peace is Every Step‘, was unveiled by 8 visiting monastics from Plum Village. Thanks again to those of you who contributed to the plaque and/or attended those events.
As a continuation of this mindful energy, we will be holding a silent walking meditation for about 1 hour on the Meadows on Sunday 23 July starting from the tree. Before the walk there will be a short introduction to mindful walking which will start at 12 noon. The walk in total will last about 1 hour.
If you are on Middle Meadow Walk facing in the direction of Marchmont, then the Community Garden is to your left just before you get to the tennis courts.
This event aims to simply provide a collective experience of ‘being peaceful’ together. It is not a protest or campaigning event, so please don’t bring any banners/placards etc, however we will share the energy with those who might benefit from it at the end.
All are welcome to our day of mindfulness to be held on Saturday 8th July at St Mark’s, Castle Terrace, Edinburgh. This event is open to those of any religion or none, including those who are brand new to Plum Village practice.
We will spend the day together in peace, enjoying sitting and walking together as a sangha in order to strengthen and deepen our mindfulness practice. There will be the opportunity to watch a recorded dharma talk together and to enjoy the practice of deep relaxation, allowing our bodies to rest and our minds to become still and clear. There will also be a recitation of the Five Mindfulness Trainings, Thich Nhat Hahn’s vision for a global spirituality and ethic based on the teachings of the Buddha. For those new to the practice, this is an opportunity to encounter the heart of Plum Village practice and, for those who have already taken the trainings, this is an opportunity for you to renew and deepen your relationship with them.
Please arrive after 9 for a 9:30 start and bring some vegetarian or vegan food to share for lunch. The day is scheduled to finish at around 4pm.
Jointly organized by the Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace, EICSP, and Edinburgh Sangha of the Community of Interbeing.
Venue: Lauriston Castle, 2 Cramond Road South, Edinburgh. EH4 6AD.
Date: Sunday 25 June 2023.
Time: 12 noon. Gather in front of Lauriston Castle for 12 noon.
Event Description: 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. Before the walk begins there will be a brief introduction to mindful walking as a 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.
We are pleased to announce that tickets are now available for this evening with monastics from Plum Village on 24th May 2023.
Edinburgh Wild Geese Sangha 