Welcome to Winter
Dear Friends,
Welcome to Winter 2024.
When Winter comes to us, it is a reminder that here in the Southern Hemisphere that the year is nearly half over! Certainly, Summer which ends and also starts the year can create a feeling of time moving fast, however Winter with its cool days and cold nights can cause us to feel time slowing down.
The passage and passing of time was recognized by myself with our last Meditation Retreat Day on Sunday 19th May. This day marked the special Buddhist Day – Vesakha Puja, the Full Moon in May which celebrates the Buddha birth, Enlightenment and the day he died – now 2567 years ago. This day was also a celebration of my 60th Birthday, which I shared well with all participants on our retreat day. We enjoyed a lovely lunch of food brought by everyone. The weather was perfect for both sitting and walking Meditation.
I offered Retreat reflections on ‘Mind, Life – Care’. Here the appreciation is that if we care for our mind then we care for our life. If we care for our life, we need to care for our mind. We also need to be mindful how we do care; to care in the right way with both wisdom and compassion.
I pointed out that a way to look at the teachings of the Buddha is developing both an appreciation and practice of the need to bring care to our mind, our life and our ability to care.
Our next Retreat Day at Ratanagiri, will be on Sunday 21st July. This is also the beginning of the Vassa Retreat, which is one of the oldest ongoing annual retreats, being the designated Buddhist Monastic Retreat of three months, traditionally in the Monsoon – Rainy Season of Southeast Asia. The Buddha stipulated that monastics need to observe the Vassa Retreat period either in a designated monastery or place of retreat. Here at Ratanagiri, we have been observing this period from the Full Moon of July to the Full Moon of October, as a special time to develop and deepen our Meditation (Samadhi) practice. We have a monthly Sunday Meditation Day (four in total) through this period.
You may join our Vassa Retreat and attend the monthly Sunday Retreat Days and weekly Thursday Night Group Sessions at Ratanagiri – Farrants Hill NSW or attend online through Zoom Link.
Please let us know if you might like to join us so I can send you further information and also various articles, YouTube clips, pdf downloads etc during the course of the three-month retreat period.
Dates: Sunday 21st July, Sunday 18th August, Sunday 15th September and Sunday 20th October.
WELL-AWARE-NESS, now has a YouTube channel (thankyou very much to Brendon for his support) and we are also using zoom for the Meditation Retreat Days so that people that live at a distance, such as my previous Sydney based Meditation Group participants can also connect and share in what we are doing.
The YouTube Channel is called Sammasamadhi Meditation Sangha (SMS) – please see the link below –
https://www.youtube.com/@SammasamadhiMeditationSangha
Link to recording of our last Retreat Day – ‘Mind-Life Care’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcy-qpBzY-w
We have also created a ZOOM Link – so that when we have Sunday Meditation Sessions – those that can not attend in person can still sit in via the ZOOM Link – which will always be the same – see the link below –
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82020665739?
pwd=JPNtDW7SQder6vomcWj0eZTjDaQ7Gz.1
Given that the weather is cooler in Winter, it becomes a great time to slow and quieten down into a more mindful and meditative mode, especially with a wonderful three month period of more dedicated time for meditation, study and learning.
I do hope that you all remain well, mindful and joyful and that the Winter of 2024 is easeful for you.
I share with you my verse below about Winter.
Metta – Kind Regards
John B.
WELCOME TO WINTER
Winter arrived here to this place.
Allowing Autumn to leave,
With timely grace.
The loss of warmth we may so mourn.
Yet there is no need,
To feel forlorn.
Trees and plants, dormant as they may,
Waiting quietly for growth,
Another day.
For in Winter, Nature is at rest,
So, in Spring she may,
Express her Best.
The sun moves lower across the sky,
In other seasons,
So much more high.
The Winter sun’s warmth enjoyed by all,
Us humans and animals,
The great and the small.
Winter brings cool days and nights of cold,
To this we need be calm,
Brave and bold.
Winter a time for calm, quiet ease,
A time for Meditative Retreat,
If you please!
