By means of mindfulness practices from
the Theravada tradition and radical questioning as taught in
Korean Zen, we will discover how to animate still, focused attention
with a heightened sense of the mystery of human experience. The
cultivation of such meditative awareness will provide a foundation
on which to encounter the world in an open, unselfish and caring
way. Throughout this silent retreat, contemplative enquiry will
be balanced with reflections on ethical engagement. Time will
be divided between sitting and walking meditation, talks, discussion
and interviews.
This retreat
is suitable for both experienced practitioners and those new
to meditation.
 |
Stephen Batchelor is a Buddhist teacher, writer and
translator known for his secular views and his bestselling book
Buddhism without Beliefs. He was a monk for 10 years,
first studying and pacticing Tibetan Buddhism and then Korean
Zen. He travels widely, teaches regularly in North America and
Europe, leads pilgrimages to Buddhist sites in India, takes very
distincitve photos, is one of the guiding teachers of Gaia
House and continues to write. His most recent book is Living
with the Devil: A Meditation on Good and Evil. |
 |
Martine Batchelor is also a writer, translator and meditation
teacher. Her most recent book is Let Go: A Buddhist Guide
to Breaking Free of Habits. She was a Buddhist nun for ten
years studying Zen in Korea, Taiwan and Japan and she now lives
with her husband Stephen in France and teaches worldwide. Her
books include A Women's Guide to Buddhism, Principles
of Zen and the illustrated Meditation for Life. |
This retreat will be held at
the Gunundi Youth and Conference
Centre (sometimes their website is there, sometimes it's
not!) at East Ballina in Northern NSW. The Centre is a short
walk from Angel's Beach to the north and Shelley Beach to the
south. The accommodation will be in small rooms holding six or
eight people or alternatively participants can bring a tent or
campervan and camp. Vegetarian food will be provided and people
who eat gluten-free or dairy-free food can be catered for.
The cost for the seven day retreat is $410
with some concession places of $310 for full time students
or Health Care Card holders. This cost includes meals, accommodation,
use of the facilities and a contribution to the cost of the Batchelor's
airfares from France. It doesn't include any payment to Stephen
or Martine. Many Buddhist teachers choose to teach on a donation
basis, known as dana in Buddhist circles and this retreat
will operate in this manner. There will be a donation box at
the end of the retreat for donations to the teachers. Teachers
often rely on these donations to cover living expenses.
There will be a work period
each day of 45 minutes or one hour. One of the requirements in
participating in the retreat is to help in three or four of these
work periods during the week. The work could involve chopping
vegetables, putting out food, cleaning up after meals, washing
up, cleaning rooms, cleaning toilets or ringing bells. Having
this work period allows us to offer the retreat cheaply and helps
the retreat run smoothly.
We will try to co-ordinate
rides for people travelling to Gunundi from Northern NSW and
possibly from Brisbane. For people flying in, the closest airport
is Ballina. There are direct flights from Sydney to Ballina.
To secure a place on the retreat,
please fill out the three forms
and then send the forms to:
Tondi Ings
PO
Box 885
Mullumbimby NSW 2482
along with a deposit for $55.
The deposit can be made by
a funds transfer to:
Account name: DharmaCloud
BSB: 124-001
Account Number: 90414051
Or it can be sent as a cheque
or money order made out to DharmaCloud. If you do a funds transfer,
make
sure
your name appears
on the deposit details and put BAT for Batchelors.
The final payment for the retreat
is due three weeks before the retreat starts (by Saturday 2nd
October) This full payment can also be made earlier, when sending
in the registation forms.
If you're applying for a concession
place, please provide a copy of your student card or Health Care
Card.
The Batchelors last came to
Australia in 2004 and the retreat they led at Gunundi was totally
booked. There's a chance this will happen again. It may also
be that the camping places fill up before the retreat itself
is full.
For further
information call Tondi
on (02) 6607-9405 or email
