Autor: Sudaka

its a bit early in the month but I want to write. We have just started an Ordination training retreat for Men with a wonderfully international mix of guys from England to Ireland to France to Venezuela to Mexico to Argentina to Catalonia to la Comunidad Valenciana, where we live locally! One of them soon to be Ordained. How exciting! These Spring retreats have been a feature of my life in Spain for many years, since I first moved down to Valencia nearly 20 years ago. Once held in Guhyaloka now we run them in Suryavana. This and the Womens Ordination training retreats are perhaps the highlight of the Suryavana calendar from a certain perspective, just what the project is all about!

I have to say that Suryavana is looking glorious with the fine Spring weather drawing out the greens of the trees and grasses and colours of the flowers of this season before the Sun does its work of burning and toasting the vegetation towards brown and dusty hues.

I have calmed down quite a bit. For now. There was a big build up of tension! I made a wild trip across Europe to pick up a little sailing catamaran my dad built in the mid-eighties in our living room in Plymouth. The journey was a delight actually though a little grueling towards the end. I loved going up and down the Atlantic coast and the smell of that Ocean is so familiar and so exhilarating I half imagine that the rest of my days being content to just go up and down the Atlantic border and be happy! (I’d probably get bored!) The little blue boat now sits under the Nisperos in Suryavana calling out to be hauled down to the coast for Wind and Wave to carry her. I need to check that all is ship-shape, after 40 years sitting in my parents back garden on a trailer and I need to check «permissions» for launching and sailing here in Spain as no doubt there are lots of regulations at work!

I sense my dad is relieved that I made it on one piece back over to Spain and pleased to have more space in his back yard and sorry to see his cherished vessel float away. At 84 years old he didn’t anticipate taking her out anymore! I vanquished one of my desires to do a long non-stop overland journey to England by car. Not to be repeated for a while!

greetings, 

Spring is arriving. The nights are still really cold, dropping to minus 2 the other day. There is that impulse to verdant green and lots and lots of little flowers everywhere. We have planted out a vegetable garden with potatoes, onions, leeks, some strawberries and sage and some more delicate Italian peppers. It will be the sixth growing season on this spot ! Fortunately the hard graft of digging the plot over was done by Angel and his tractor in about 20 minutes! 

I finally decided to take up some Therapy sessions. This is a big deal for me. I got recommended Daniele (an Italian man of about my age) by Bodhin (from my Chapter). It came on the back of losing my temper again and seeing how destructive this can be. The previous therapy sessions down in Valencia were following up a similar theme. I was resisting calling in help, but realized that, despite 35 years of meditation practice and my commitment to ethical practice, I need some «back-up»! I am going to give it a little run and see what happens, keeping an open mind. It seems to be something to do with releasing creative energies and reinventing myself as practitioner and as person, man. The image of a dragon egg came up, about to break open and release its new life.

At Suryavana, we have been working out the consequences of the Shrineroom fire back in late January. The Shrine room is now completely renovated with new meditation & yoga gear. LED candles now decorate the shrines, which though kistch, have their own charm, as they flicker to resemble burning candles. The Shrineroom is now to be a flame and incense free space! It is just not worth the risk, above are our living quarters. As a precautionary measure we opened a second, back door to the upstairs living space (after ten years being shut up) to provide a second escape route. The door had no key and turned out to be rotted through so had to be replaced. This back door leads onto an abandoned back terrace with we have been recovering and setting up as a private sheltered outside space, ideal in the warmer months.

Events flow on and most importantly a retreat centre needs a cook! We have taken on a young Italian friend who is on an Erasmus program to run the kitchen up to the end of July. Let’s see how this goes. I have every confidence! Simona is making a great contribution to Suryavana and hopefully benefitting from the experience. Our usual cook, Padmashalin, is in the depths of a training course down in Valencia!

I reflect that most of my energies, day to day, go into doing things around here. The work revolves around looking after the place, keeping it functional, as well as beautifying, but also facilitating the process of getting the place rented out. The model we are following is renting out Suryavana at the weekends for most of the year. In the summer months (July and August) we move into a more full time program. This allows for a sustainable «regular» life during the weekdays fro most of the year. Our kids go to the local schools and I can get on with the administration and maintenance and my «own» projects. My wife studies and works, mostly Online.

«Behind the scenes», I am running my own classes, workshops and yoga teacher trainings, which apart for the economic support this gives, provide another rich dimension to my life «out here». Walking and talking with my wife Jesu a few days ago the reflection was that the various aspects of our life mutually support and sustain the whole. A rather delicate balance I would say! Fragile even.

all the best, love to the world! May peace prevail