A message to all members of Tariki
|
Dear Tariki Ning member I am writing to update you a bit on what is going on on the site and at Tariki. We are in the midst of a period of discovery and change so it feels important to share some of what is going on to keep you in touch,. Here at The Buddhist House we have just finished the spring course block yesterday. This block is one of three which make up the core of the psychotherapy training programme, the others being in October and May. I have to say, we had a great week. I particularly enjoyed the variety of the course - the first weekend we were looking at therapy methods which involve representing psychological truths with physical materials and using small toys, stones, and other objects in imaginative and projective ways to explore both life situations and psychological processes. We then had a four day group centred on the myth of Narcissus and Echo, facilitated by Mike Fitter and myself. The seminar day was a lively and sometimes even heated (in a nice way) exploration of the role of creativity in therapy and its relationship to Buddhist approaches. Finally we had a weekend of bodywork (see my blog post). All in all a good workout for mind, body, imagination and reason. Four students had their final meetings, graduating from the programme, one moved to the next level of the course, and three new students joined. The house is settling into its own rhythm, with Buddhist practice happening every day. We have silent meditation at about 6.00am and then a Pureland chanting practice with service at 8.00am most days. We have a Sunday service at 5.00 and Monday evenings we have a discussion group, which this term are looking at different texts and modern authors on the theme of dependence. Tuesdays we hold a meditation class. This variety of activities reflects a growing diversity of Buddhist practice and study happening in the house. All Buddhism is good (I have an article coming out with this title in The Middle Way this month) and our role as the provider of training and service in fields like psychotherapy and chaplaincy, as well as in social engagement, invites an approach to Buddhism which is welcoming of diversity. Personally I am very excited by this. I have always been a supporter of dialogue and co-operation between traditions. At the same time, I am personally committed to Pureland practice and there is a strong group of Pureland practitioners within Tariki who come together for nembutsu practice in the services and for sharing and mutual support and development. I am also excited by the way that different people are leading different aspects of the teaching and practice so that a number of forms of Buddhist teaching are emerging. The fact that as a group we have Pureland and other practices going on is good. One does not preclude the other. It is in the nature of Pureland to know our limitations of mind and in the nature of Buddhism to see that the way has many variations. At the same time the house is developing as a living centre with residents and visitors. There is an easy give and take in the process of community with everyone 'mucking in' and quickly finding themselves part of the 'family' whether they have arrived for a day, a week, a year or a lifetime. The way that the course block unfolded has been smooth and everyone has been fantastically helpful. It was reflective of everyone's willingness to step in and respond to situations as they arose. So we go forward into March with a confident view. We have three weekend events this month which I would like to tell you about and encourage you to support. I think these themselves reflect the variety which is becoming the hall mark of Tariki. Next weekend we will be holding a women's retreat. This opportunity for shared practice and reflection of the particular experience of women in their spiritual and emotional lives promises to be both relaxing and tender. The following weekend we start a six day training for those interested in offering voluntary support or doing chaplaincy work in healthcare or other settings. Run in association with the Buddhist Heathcare Chaplaincy Group - a national body established to oversee the development of Buddhist hospital chaplaincy throughout the UK - this weekend will offer a basic introduction for anyone interested in volunteering (or going for paid employment) in this field. Finally on March 24th/25th we have a Buddhist therapist's forum and associated retreat day. The forum which happens every three months or so is a gathering of anyone interested in Buddhism and psychotherapy. We attract therapists who are of different trainings and back grounds as well as our own graduates and students. This month we will have Manu Bazzano attending and in the evening he will be offering a public talk, 'The Gift of Hospitality'. Details are on this site. Sunday 25th Ian Finlay will be offering a retreat day exploring exercises from the Western Zen tradition. I hope you will come and take part in one or ,more of these events, or indeed visit us at Narborough or in France. This is also a time to look forward to the spring and summer in France. A full programme of exciting events will be happening at our centre in France in July and August, details of which are on the web. I dont want to reiterate the full programme, but can mention that I will be running a retreat and the Buddhist psychology summer school in July, that Bob is offeriing a yoga week, that we have other inter-personal bodywork with Katrien and Sus in August as well as the usual arts programmes. In addition we are attracting a growing interest in our ecotherapy programme, Ten Directions which has blocks in April, August and October. This is spawning a small community of followers, many of whom will be in France at other times through the spring and summer. Details of french programmes will be found on www.amidafrance.org Tariki is a new and fast growing community. We very much appreciate your involvement and hope you will feel that you can help to shape its growth. Already the vision is refining and expanding as people bring their unique contributions. We are very much of the mind to incorporate diversity wherever possible. The key is communication. Sharing on this site and in person through coming to events, conversing by email or just popping in, you can help us to create something very special. Last night I was involved in a conversation with some students from the programme and other members of the household about the way that a lot of the exciting learning movements of the seventies and eighties which belived in experimentation, innovation and participation got bogged down in adapting to the predominating culture and tend to cater for richer, less engaged audiences as they have gone 'up market'. I hope that in Tariki we can draw on that spirit of open enquiry and freedom of thought that those groups had in their earlier days whilst offering quality training and practice to those who participate. Please join us in this dialogue. Touching the earth and breathing the sky we celebrate life. Namo Amida Bu. Caroline |
Comments