The kids are back at school, the festivals are dispersing but the Wild Geese are gathering again.

Sunday 3rd: Mindful Peace Walk Saughton Park

We will walk together in mindfulness and peace at Saughton Park.

• Venue: Saughton Park and Gardens, Balgreen Road, Edinburgh, EH11 3BQ. Gather at the Bandstand. Serviced by bus route 1, 3, 22, 25, 30, 33, 36, 38.
• Date: Sunday 3rd September 2023. Time: 12 noon. We will finish within an hour.
• Event Description: This silent walking meditation is an open event. It will be led by the lay members of the Wild Geese sangha in Edinburgh who practice in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Before the walk begins there will be a brief introduction to mindful walking as a meditation practice. We will just walk in silence. It is not a protest or demonstration but actually putting peace into practice. Dress for the weather – it can get chilly in September!
• Cost: Admission Free. Just come along on the day.

This event is organised in collaboration with the Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace.

Thursday 7th: Regular St Mark’s meetings resume

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.

Saturday 9th: Day of Mindfulness with Dharma Teacher Susanne Olbrich

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.

Click here to book your ticket on Eventbrite now.

On 22nd January 2022 our much loved and respected teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay), passed away. He was 95 years old, and was with his monastic brothers and sisters at his root temple near Hue, in central Vietnam, where he has lived for the past three years. 

Ordained as a monk aged 16 in Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh soon envisioned a kind of engaged Buddhism that could respond directly to the needs of society. 

He was a prominent teacher and social activist in his home country before finding himself exiled for calling for peace. 

In the West he played a key role in introducing mindfulness and created mindful communities (Sanghas) around the world. His teachings have impacted politicians, business leaders, activists, teachers and countless others.

In January of this year the Plum Village Community in Scotland planted a plum tree in the community garden in the meadows in Edinburgh. This ceremony was on the day of Thays passing. In May we have visiting monastics from Plum Village France, who will conduct a ceremony and lay a stone plaque with the carved inscription “Peace is every step” – “Thich Nhat Hanh”. This is to commemorate and celebrate his visit in 2003, the first in the UK. The location also marks the start of a peace walk which went from the Meadows  to Princes Street Gardens. The plum tree is the true tribute to Thays visit but we would like to mark in some small way what the tree represents and the inscription “Peace is every step” in Thays words and own calligraphy seemed very appropriate. The plaque will be carved on a piece of riven Westmoreland slate 18″ by 12″ wide. Ian, our stone mason, was on the original peace walk with his children in 2003. Many of those who attended the tree planting ceremony were on the peace with Thay walk twenty years ago . 

Any contribution however small, will enable us to make this small tribute to our much loved and respected teacher, in the heart of Scotland’s capital city in the beautiful Meadows Community Garden.  

Please join us at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, John Hope Gateway, Arboretum Place, Edinburgh, EH3 5NZ on Sunday 26 March 2023 at 10am for 10.00am-11.15am. Remember the clocks change that day!

This silent walking meditation is an open event. 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. Our silence and togetherness in nature says it all at this time.

Children are welcome when accompanied by adults.

Please remember to wrap up warmly and note that no animals except Registered Assistance Dogs are permitted within the Garden.

We have an exciting time coming up in May with a visit by eight monastics from Plum Village in France. There will be three main events during the day. We are still finalising the details but they will be posted here as soon as we have them.

Tree dedication and Mindful Walk from 12:30pm on the Meadows

The dedication ceremony will include unveiling a plaque. There is still an opportunity to donate to the cost of the plaque through a crowd funding campaign.

WakeUp event for younger sangha members at Edinburgh University

To be hosted by the chaplaincy. Details to be confirmed.

Mindful Communities: Building a Future Together

The Power of Compassion and Mindful Communication

Experience the deep roots of Mindfulness through interacting with a group from Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastic community. Learn how to act and communicate from a place of more compassion, peace and freedom, in our daily lives. Cultivating and sustaining nourishing relationships, we build resilience for ourselves and for the Earth.

This will be a ticketed public talk from 7-9pm at St Marks Unitarian church on Castle Terrace.

Click here to book your ticket on Eventbrite now.