Tuesday 7 August 2018

Land of Joy

Well, the retreat centre at Greenhaugh Hall, near Bellingham and not far from the current border with Scotland, lived up to its name over the weekend, what with the peaceful ambience, warm, dry weather, gentle teachings and friendly company ... a good opportunity to connect with like-minded folks from diverse backgrounds, exploring the very rich culture, philosophy and religion of Tibetan Buddhism ... the organisation behind this Place to Be is the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, with a world-wide membership ...  Land of Joy Retreat Centre is only three years old, the Victorian house and grounds, with walled garden, lily pond and over forty acres of woodland having been purchased through many donations, including one very substantial inheritance from a nun in the organisation ... the FPMT turns out to be a tolerant set-up, with a Tibetan flavour adopted by the mostly western supporters ... the key photos on display have the Dalai Lama in prime position, with his deceased student Lama Yeshe, referred to fondly as "Lama", and his living student Zopa Rinpoche, the current spiritual guiding light, in equal second place ... which reassuringly excludes the possibility of the tendentious New Kadampa cult, whose followers are active around Durham and Darlington ... readers interested in the controversy can investigate further and indeed it's a fascinating window on the world of organised religion in general and Mahayana Buddhism in particular ... its root seemingly the invocation of a dodgy deity, advised against by HHDL, and upheld by the NK cult leader ... subsequent behaviour of the rebellious guru and his deluded disciples appearing to embody the characteristics of Sugden, the dark deity, activities allegedly funded by the Chinese government, not content with having invaded Tibet and assumed political control, wanting to undermine HHDL's influence around the world ... economic and political sanctions often applied to governments according HH head of state status ... assassination plots spoken of, so far unsuccessful ... which is quite amazing and suggestive of powerful protection in place, though not necessarily from Sugden ... in an interesting parallel, a friend recently dabbled in the dark side by invoking Kali, a Hindu deity, with dramatic consequences ... on a psychological level we may benefit from confronting our dark side at some time, but it is an exercise best used cautiously, and if magic is involved, best left to magicians ...

Meanwhile, back at Land of Joy, trust in the universe is practised with a generosity model challenging the scarcity schema common in samsara ... the whole weekend offered without charge, bed, board, teachings, books, all of it ... guests given the opportunity to decide how much, if anything, they feel like offering ... a beautiful opportunity to practise abundance thinking and challenge our own relationships with the root of all evil. .. the place is run by volunteers, who say that the books are balancing nicely so far ... long may it flourish! 

As for the border with Scotland, that may become contentious again as the shall we shan't we drama plays out ... Scots much in favour of EU membership and many proposing reviving the independence from England referendum along with the DUK wide tide for another vote once the full implications of the current process are clearer ... latest political speculation suggesting a new party of the centre with the single issue of calling the divorce off attracting voters at a widely predicted General Election ... the crucifixion of the saintly J.C. is underway ... all very devious and polarising. .. keeping our minds in samsara and our lives less than joyful ...

The Buddhist path, which has many paths, continues to intrigue, and frequencies align more or less with folks drawn to them ... including those with early conditioning from Sikhism, Islam and Hinduism as well as the mainstream myth, albeit weakened, of Christianity,  with its own different paths ... however the point of the retreat from the daily life in Stanhope, already mostly a retreat, was not to join any path, but to connect with other human beings seeking truth ... plus some entertainment ... and joy, of course ...

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