Shambala
Tara on Tour
Yesterday was an important day in the Buddhist calendar: the day of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing. I spent the day at the new Buddhist centre up here in Findhorn, which I had visited a few years ago when it was still part of the Findhorn Foundation and known as Minton House. It's a very beautiful place set right on the bay with the most gorgeous views. The story of how it came to be purchased by the Shambala Trust is one of many miracles and there can be no doubting the significance of this centre now and in years to come.
There are many things I would like to write but first I must ask permission to do so.
In the meantime....
The day began with an "animal liberation" ceremony, led by the resident nun Venerable Angie. Worms were placed on the altar for prayers before being released into the earth - these worms had been bought from a fishing shop, where they were to be used as bait. It struck me, as we listened to how prayers and such activity would prevent suffering for the worms, that with the amount of violence in our world today it is very easy to ridicule such actions. To see them as tiny and unimportant in comparison to the enormous problems surrounding us. But when we are encouraged to see all beings as precious, all beings as having the same basic nature as ourselves, small acts of kindness become shining examples of a way of being that cuts the root of violence and restores peace and harmony to our minds and to the world around us. It also brings joy and hope, positive optimism, to realise that we can make a difference - every day, in anything we turn out attention to, and that this is the real revolution and change humanity is moving towards.
After the children had released the worms in a safe space, we were told that the oystercatchers had just hatched and the little chicks needed to be helped to safety by the sea. The adults had laid their eggs on a nest in the driveway - bizarrely - and were a bit distressed by our moving the 3 little birds. But it was necessary for them to be able to reach the sea, which they apparently did later that day.
Prayers continued later in the afternoon with a long Medicine Buddha puja, followed by the 21 Praises to Tara. The day concluded with Gordon leading a Tibetan Gong and Bowl meditation: huge gongs and several bowls whose sound vibrate and resonate to different tones and notes. It was a powerful experience - after a while the body seems to disappear and all you feel is the sound pulsing through the empty space that was once the body. I felt a bit sick at one point and i think that was just a reflection of what was happening and of the intensity - they can remove blocks apparently and bring healing and profound shits in awareness. I believe it!
I am off today to Pluscarden Abbey near Elgin.... the most northerly Benedictine monastery in the world, where the Divine Office is still sung in Gregorian Chant. Wonderful!
Yesterday was an important day in the Buddhist calendar: the day of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing. I spent the day at the new Buddhist centre up here in Findhorn, which I had visited a few years ago when it was still part of the Findhorn Foundation and known as Minton House. It's a very beautiful place set right on the bay with the most gorgeous views. The story of how it came to be purchased by the Shambala Trust is one of many miracles and there can be no doubting the significance of this centre now and in years to come.
There are many things I would like to write but first I must ask permission to do so.
In the meantime....
The day began with an "animal liberation" ceremony, led by the resident nun Venerable Angie. Worms were placed on the altar for prayers before being released into the earth - these worms had been bought from a fishing shop, where they were to be used as bait. It struck me, as we listened to how prayers and such activity would prevent suffering for the worms, that with the amount of violence in our world today it is very easy to ridicule such actions. To see them as tiny and unimportant in comparison to the enormous problems surrounding us. But when we are encouraged to see all beings as precious, all beings as having the same basic nature as ourselves, small acts of kindness become shining examples of a way of being that cuts the root of violence and restores peace and harmony to our minds and to the world around us. It also brings joy and hope, positive optimism, to realise that we can make a difference - every day, in anything we turn out attention to, and that this is the real revolution and change humanity is moving towards.
After the children had released the worms in a safe space, we were told that the oystercatchers had just hatched and the little chicks needed to be helped to safety by the sea. The adults had laid their eggs on a nest in the driveway - bizarrely - and were a bit distressed by our moving the 3 little birds. But it was necessary for them to be able to reach the sea, which they apparently did later that day.
Prayers continued later in the afternoon with a long Medicine Buddha puja, followed by the 21 Praises to Tara. The day concluded with Gordon leading a Tibetan Gong and Bowl meditation: huge gongs and several bowls whose sound vibrate and resonate to different tones and notes. It was a powerful experience - after a while the body seems to disappear and all you feel is the sound pulsing through the empty space that was once the body. I felt a bit sick at one point and i think that was just a reflection of what was happening and of the intensity - they can remove blocks apparently and bring healing and profound shits in awareness. I believe it!
I am off today to Pluscarden Abbey near Elgin.... the most northerly Benedictine monastery in the world, where the Divine Office is still sung in Gregorian Chant. Wonderful!
posted by Anna Howard | 3:26 AM
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