Newsletter January 2010 from Sonia
The immense kindness of all living beings is integral to our human existence.
At some time each one of us has been and will be the source of acts of great kindness and benefit for one another.
Without exaggeration 2009 has been the year of great kindness for the Orchard and Ad and myself. The generosity and kindness that we received has just been phenomenal. The many beings who offered selflessly their time, skills and material or financial support have transformed the Orchard into a more comfortable and beautiful environment for the practice of mindfulness and for the cultivation of compassion and clear awareness.
The on going direct personal and financial support that Ad and myself have been given means that we have been able to wholeheartedly focus on the teaching and of course on my recovery.
There is a strong sense of a sangha whose identity is now clear and well defined.
A word about my health: 2009 has been very challenging with a gradual deterioration; the many alternative treatments that I follow seem to at best keep me mostly physically comfortable but with no sense of a reversal of the condition. The practice of opening the heart and embracing whatever presents itself has been invaluable as well as the tender attention of my attendants.
The immense kindness and support have meant that the teaching has continued to flow, touching old and new students, here and abroad.
The latest news is that after two and half years of alternative treatments I am now taking some medication albeit a very small dose (half the minimum recommended) alongside some Ayurvedic medicine. This combination seems to work for now.
Already I experience a betterment of my condition and feel ready for the 2010 teaching programme.
The theme of the teaching for this coming year will be Purification and Surrendering.
We have laid out the teaching programme in such a way that a course or retreat is on offer each month either with Ad or myself giving you more flexibility and choice to attend.
There are two new courses, one in the spring and one in the autumn that blend an in depth study of the teaching of the Buddha with the practice of insight led by Ad www.touchingstillness.co.uk I would recommend these to anyone who wishes to have a more thorough grounding in the Buddhist philosophy.
The teaching for the autumn will be announced later in the summer and is likely to take a similar form as in 2009.
I hope you can join us this year at the Orchard and that together we come to realise the preciousness of our human life with all its wondrous potential.
