Greetings from sunny Spain. The cold has finally arrived, we had a ten degree drop from mid-twenties to mid-teens this week. The Central heating goes on for groups visiting the Masia now. Looking to get some firewood in for “home-use”.
I have had a tough month existentially. Not entirely sure why? Perhaps I should know better!? The image has been one of being cooked in Kurukulle’s cauldron (reference to a recent Online retreat with Kamalashila “Dance of the Dakini”). Cooked in the inner cauldron, along with the dead cow, and all the other stuff thats in there. Not comfortable. Dukkha. Probably a good recipe for the aspiring Bodhisattva.
No doubt, it’s been provoked by my situation here up in the wilds of West Castellón. It goes something along the lines that the three year “honey-moon” is over (though it’s never been straightforward!). After that initial buzz of excitement and getting to know more intimately the project, now comes the hard work; weekend after weekend, month after month of receiving guests. Organising, shopping, finding cooks. Paying the bills. Servicing the loans.
It’s going to be like this for a long, long time and Suryavana is just in the beginning phases of becoming a retreat centre. The other image that came up on a recent Order weekend; Sisyphus pushing the rock up the mountain, only that it falls down and pushing it back up, on a monthly cycle mortgage cycle!
Ofcourse it is not as grim as all that and I do need to see and can see a more progressive process going on. There are moneys of peace and quiet. Every month various folks, our guests, students and teachers, members of our Sangha and “outside” groups as we call them come through and enjoy the house and surrounds, almost always falling in love with the place (love-at-first-sight!). Every month the bank loan goes down over a thousand euros, improvements in infrastructure are constant, We get more skilled and able to run the place. That we can rejoice. The project is partially supporting me, and on some events provide income for friends and cooks from our Sangha to work together in a modest team-based right-livelihood situation or TBRL “moment” or ”happening”. I am grateful to Yashomani who is always at the end of a Whatsapp message to deal with any accounting issues and grateful to a group of guys who come up help in the kitchen.
I am especially grateful to my wife and kids that are willing and able to live out this project in the way that we are doing. It’s a moment in time
Shabda report. Suryavana, Spain, 25th November 2023
Next Generation
