Good afternoon dear friends –
We would like to let you know about several things – a Day of Mindfulness April 11; our practice plans for the next few months; practice and retreat possibilities in other locations; and an update on Thay’s health sent from Plum Village. Before the message is a link to a joyful minute of shared time with Thay: Please enjoy your laughter
APRIL 11, 2015 DAY OF MINDFULNESS
Please join us on Saturday, April 11, for a Day of Mindfulness: This is a Ceremony! We will gather at 9:45 and complete our practice by 3:15. The morning includes three periods of sitting and walking meditation and a Sutra Service. We each bring a bag lunch and practice eating meditation together. Tea is provided.
In the afternoon, we begin with a guided relaxation – you are invited to bring a blanket or shawl. Then we will explore what it means that we have a “form” for our practice. How can we skilfully include “Ceremony” in our daily lives, in a way that supports our well-being and the well-being of others. There will be a talk and then some discussion in small groups. We will have a period of sitting meditation before completing the day.
Suggested donation is $10-$25 and everyone is welcome – your presence is a gift. Please do not let financial issues determine your decision to attend!
Our next Day of Mindfulness will be June 13: DILIGENTLY KEEPING OUR BODIES HEALTHY
SPRING PRACTICE
In April, we will continue to explore socially engaged practice by exploring a line from the Discourse on Happiness: “To live in the world, with your heart undisturbed by the world – This is the greatest happiness.” We will begin this Thursday with Thay’s poem and the song “Please call me by my true names” as a basis for considering, over the next weeks, how we might respond to our strong emotions of confusion, fear, and anger – emotions that often lead to righteousness and a sense of urgency.
In May we will explore a line from the Refuge Chant, “I vow to live simply and sanely with few possessions” beginning with a panel on mindful consumption. In June we will continue with that verse from the Reguge Chant: “And to keep my body healthy.” How can mindful eating and mindful movement support our practice.
RETREATS
Hollyhock – a non-profit learning centre on Cortes Island – is bringing two Sisters from Deer Park Monastery to British Columbia for an evening program (April 22) in Vancouver and a four-day program at their centre (April 24-29). You may find our more information through their website: https://hollyhock.ca/programinfo/the-only-way-out-is-in-vancouver/ AND https://hollyhock.ca/programinfo/be-beautiful-be-yourself/
Deer Park Monastery near San Diego offers retreats throughout the year with a major gathering of monastics and lay practitioners October 27-November, 2015You may find our more information through their website: http://deerparkmonastery.org/join-a-retreat/
Mountain Lamp Community in Washington State is also offering retreats through the spring and summer. You may find our more information through their website: http://mountainlamp.org/
SMILING
A joyful – and surprising – moment with Thay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSkR4TjvJnY
A MESSAGE FROM PLUM VILLAGE
April 6, 2015
To our Dear Beloved Friends,
We are happy to report that Thay’s health has continued to improve at the specialist stroke rehabilitation clinic in Bordeaux, where he has been steadily recovering his strength.
In the warm spring weather in the last few weeks, Thay has been able to enjoy going outside, sitting under a tree and listening to birdsong, drinking a cup of tea and enjoying the sound of the bell.
This week the medical team have given their approval for Thay to leave the rehabilitation clinic and return to his Hermitage at Plum Village. We are deeply grateful to the entire medical team at the University Hospital in Bordeaux for their professionalism and wholehearted care to support Thay’s healing over the past four and half months.
Thay expressed his clear wish to return home, and arrived on Friday April 3, in time to enjoy the beautiful magnolia blossoms and the first spring leaves as they unfurl. We are all very glad that Thay can come back to his spiritual home, where his devoted team of monastic attendants are continuing to support him and care for him 24 hours a day, under the guidance of visiting doctors and nurses.
We hope that in the nourishing and peaceful environment of Plum Village, and with the support of on-site physical therapy and speech therapy, Thay will have favourable conditions to treat his hemiparesis and make progress in swallowing and recovering his speech.
We would like to thank our global spiritual family for your loving energy and support. Thay’s journey of recovery will be long, and we thank you for continuing to send him your prayers and energy of compassion and healing.
It has been a pleasure to welcome so many of you at our monastic practice centers in America, Europe and Asia in the past few months as we walk, hand in hand, the beautiful path of awakening that Thay has opened up for us all.
With love and trust,
The Monks and Nuns of Plum Village
