We completed our 11th Dharma Gathering in Sarnath, near Varanasi, India. The Buddha gave the first turning of the Dharma wheel in Sarnath to five yogis. We are turning the wheel as well with around 70 to 80 participating. Many live a nomadic way of life through regular visits to India and the East for weeks, months and for some years.
I feel blessed with a fine team of teachers and co-ordinators with a wealth of experiences developed of years, and in some cases decades. Jaya, Radha, Gemma, Ajay, Zohar, Nathan, Chad, Will and with Denis and Rakafet also available. It is a valuable way to develop skills in teaching, facililtating and leadership through working closely with a senior teacher, such as Jaya or myself, or both of us, as well being accessible by e-mail throughout the year.
Our programme this year also included workshops on dream exploration, insights into the poetry of Kabir, music meditation, Bodhisattva sexuality, a morning yatra, and the regular morning yoga class.
Yogis stayed along the row of cells in the quiet grounds of meditation hall at the back of the Thai Monastery. Next year, we are going to give much more support to the yogis on death (of the ego) row. I will meet every other day from 9 am 9.40 am in the hall with yogis staying on “death (of the ego) row” in the meditation centre. One of the meditation teachers will meet regularly with these yogis on a one to one basis to check the rhythmn of their day, practices and experiences.
In 2010, there will be no Sangha events afternoon since we are now running a 10 day Gathering, not a 14 day Gathering. The day of silence will be on the 6th or 7th day of the 10 days. Jaya, Gemma, Zohar, (hopefully) Jess and myself will form the core team with invitation to others, Ajay,Nathan and others to facililtate groups, interviews from time to time.
Let me put in a huge thank you to the yogis who dug deep into their pockets to offer dana. The generosity of the yogis in Bodh Gaya and Sarnath this year was exceptional despite a 20% drop in number, mostly due to the global money crisis and terror attacks in Mumbai. in Bodh Gaya and Sarnath , yogis fully supported our programmes. We all realise that dana is part of our practice and we offer dana in different ways – money, time, attention, teachings, energy, skills, resources.
I always hesitate again to have put so much emphasis on raising dana but I keep faith. It would be more simple to have a fixed daily rate including a charge for services. We agree to keep faith with total dana, and the appeal, so Indian practitioners with modest circumstances and poor travellers can attend.
I would like to thank the Sangha, teachers and yogis, for your ongoing support. You have put much work into our India programmes.