There are probably endless practices of developing awareness; for example, mindfulness meditation, insight meditation and meditation on the breath. The seed of all these mindfulness practices is our natural, ever present awareness. Nourishing this seed, it grows and blossoms, finally fruiting as an awakening to the inexpressible wonder of the present moment.
Before the practice there is awareness, in the middle there is awareness and afterwards there is awareness.
The focus for this retreat is simply to deepen the practice of everyday awareness.
For fifty years, the Wangapeka Centre has been a place of refuge for countless people, who have explored ways and means of deepening their awareness, by taking refuge in wisdom, compassion and non-clinging awareness. This retreat offers yet another opportunity to explore and evolve our practices of awareness.
Humans, if we include our distant ancestors, have been around for roughly a couple of million years. In that time we have been continually altering the environment, both intentionally and unintentionally. Within the last one thousand years, we humans, some more than others, are becoming increasingly concerned about the harm caused by our ‘footprint’ on the planet and are trying to rectify the trend towards imbalance, disharmony and environmental degradation. I think we are all aware of these things to some extent.
What might happen if we deepen our own practice of awareness, so that we can clearly see and understand the harm being done to the earth and our natural environment? This is perhaps the most practical first step to help address the impact eight billion people are having on this planet. Our seemingly unquenchable demand for resources and the resulting pollution, puts a huge stress on our precious ecosphere.
The purpose of this weekend is not to explore the implications of the way we humans are living on the planet. The essence of this retreat is to deepen our practice of non-clinging awareness, in all aspects of our daily lives and to “rest” in this space, noticing and appreciating the life in and around us.
These two days of retreat may be the proverbial “drop in the ocean” of exploring life, but they are also an opportunity to reconnect with and deepen, simple but very profound practices, such as noticing one’s awareness at all times; while walking, eating, sitting, talking, or lying down. There are endless possibilities for reconnecting to life, both inner life and outer. The particular and vast aspects of life are nothing short of wondrous. Would you like the opportunity to reimmerse yourself into this?
Your sensitivity and your awareness grows, as the life around you grows.
You will be well catered for. The food will be vegetarian, simple and nourishing. It will be locally sourced, organically grown, as much as possible.
Eating can be a great journey of discovery; an opportunity to explore your relationship with the world as you eat and digest.
Please let us know if you have any dietary concerns.
