Heart Sutra –  Form is emptiness- Emptiness is form.

The morning offers Thay’s unique practice of mindful sitting, walking and eating meditation. We come together to explore and contemplate the most famous of the Buddha’s teachings known as the “Insight to the other shore”.  Thich Nhat Hanh gives a clear commentary which is beautifully written, taken from the text of his wonderful inspiring book, Buddha Mind Buddha Body.

We will also look at Thay’s teaching to create “conscious positive habit energy”  transforming our base store consciousness for a peaceful and happier life. The session will be facilitated by Bryan Webb and will run between 9:30am – 1:30pm at the Salisbury Centre.

When: Saturday 3rd September 2016 – 9:30am to 1:30pm
Where: Salisbury Centre. 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 or what you can afford..
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.

As St. Marks is used as a festival venue in August, we will be holding the Thursday evening sessions during August at Santosa, 21 Albert Street, Leith, EH7 5LH.  The sessions will be held at the same time 7.15 for 7:30 start. Mindfulness at lunchtime will continue as usual at St. Marks.

Albert Street is about half way down Leith Walk on the right, opposite the new Sainsbury’s Local.  It’s the street between ‘The Advice Centre for Mortgages’ and the ‘Golden Ambal’ Indian Restaurant. 

Leith Walk is well served by buses including 22, 25, 10 and 16 (among others).

Santosa has a shop selling singing bells and other Nepalese goods and a cafe. The large yoga hall which we will be using as a meditation hall can be found down the stairs at the back opposite the cafe.

Santosa has just been built and is very fresh and new.  We would really like as many of you as possible to come so that we can get a collective feel for it. 

Once we’ve been there for three weeks we will be seeking feedback as to whether or not people would like to continue to use this venue after the festival. So the more people who come, the better informed decision we will be able to make.

We have a big weekend coming up on 18th & 19th June with a Mindfulness Morning at the Salisbury Centre led by Gill on the Saturday morning and a Mindful Peace Walk at Lauriston Castle in collaboration with EICSP midday on Sunday led by Sally & Gill

Mindfulness Morning ~ Saturday

“Our joy is like spring, so warm it makes flowers bloom in all walks of life.”

We will follow usual Interbeing practice with guided, walking, and silent sitting meditations along with some mindful movement.

When: Saturday 18th June 2016 9:30am to 1:30pm
Where: Salisbury Centre,  2 Salisbury Rd, Edinburgh EH16 5AB. Just opposite the Commonwealth Pool. See map below.
Booking: Just turn up.
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.

Peace Walk ~ Sunday

Join us for the inaugural Mindful Peace Walk in the beautiful grounds of Lauriston Castle, including the Edinburgh-Kyoto Friendship garden, overlooking Cramond Island and the islands of the River Forth.

When: Sunday 19th June 2016 ~ 12 noon
Where: Lauriston Castle, 2 Cramond Road South, Edinburgh. EH4 6AD. Gather in front of Lauriston Castle for 12 noon. See map below.
Booking: Just turn up.
Cost: Free. There may be voluntary a collection.
Bring: Appropriate clothing – sun cream or umbrella as required.
See Also: EICSP page for this event.
Questions: Please contact us through the form.

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.