~ April Newsletter

(Para ir a la versión castellano desplázate al Rincón Latino situado al final de la página.)

(Photo: Varanasi, by Nico.)

In this newsletter

~ News
~ The Monthly Theme--Cellular Change, by Jaya
~ Interesting Links
~ Hidden at Dharmaloca, by Hugh
~ Without Walls, by Beka
~ Upcoming Events
~ Rincón Latino

~ News

Radio Dharma
Look out for a first on our radio broadcasts, two half-hour talks this month by guest speakers, who have both been part of the Open Dharma community for about a decade now.

One Dharma talk by Jess Huon, Australian author and Dharma teacher who has taught with Open Dharma and also leads a project creating theater art with differently abled people, and one introductory talk to nonviolent communication by North American Chad Bennett, who many may remember as a retreat manager in Bodh Gaya, and who is coming towards the end of his studies in transpersonal psychology at the Naropa University in a couple of months.

Check for dates and times on blogtalkradio.com/opendharma and facebook.com/opendharma

All Ages

After years of requests, Open Dharma will finally experiment with a Retreat for All Ages. Parents are welcome to bring children, preferably with two adults per child or family. Children are also welcome to bring parents.

We will weave together silence, meditation, and rest with developmental and improvised movement, story-time, singing, and the un-contrived, timeless, deep absorption of play. Structure will also be balanced by unstructured times. The fact that we will be playing can help adults drop embarrassment, pretense, and over-seriousness in favor of lightness and joy. The fact that we will be meditating can help bring out the depth, inquiry, and wisdom of the young.

The dates are: 21 - 23 August, silent deep rest retreat & 23-26 Aug a retreat for people of all ages! Near the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. For more information write to: california (@)opendharma.org

Yoga Asanas
We have been working on this on and off for over two years! Finally, a visual guide to the yoga often offered on Open Dharma retreats. Not that the video is a masterpiece, but we did manage to get through the obstacles of passing big files back and forth through a trickle of internet.

And we hope this will be helpful for those who already do this set of yoga asana to support meditation and transformation--as well as those who wish to try it for the first time. Some alternative postures are shown for those who cannot do the more challenging postures or movements. It's found at http://vimeo.com/62894518.

Monthly Donations
We are very grateful for the monthly donations both to teachers and to Open Dharma. The monthly donations to Open Dharma now cover half our yearly running costs! The donations to teachers through the website from now on will only be shared by Jaya and Gemma. To make a monthly donation through opendharma.org, follow this link.

Interviews 

Jaya will not offer one-to-one interviews via Skype in April, as she'll be in Sattal for the retreats.

Return to Oz
Open Dharma will hold several retreats and talks in Melbourne this coming late October - early November. Stay tuned for details.

~ The Monthly Theme

Jaya offers the monthly practice theme for March ~ Cellular Change

In a video of human cells at the beginning of life--even before the cells are called "embryo"--nothing changes for what seems a long time. A day passes and a night. The tiny cellular world brims and shimmers with aliveness. But the shape stays the same.

Then suddenly, spectacularly, the cells divide. In the same way, in our subtle inner world and in our relationships and everywhere in our lives, much of the time not much seems to happen. If we don't tune into the brimming, humming aliveness of our lives, then we can think that not much is happening.

Sometimes we get so frustrated that "nothing is happening," we try to make something happen. We simulate the quantum leap, but we can't fake the simplicity, honesty, and totality of genuine change.

Other times we hold onto the past shape in our mind, but the change has already happened.

Can we stay tuned to the hum of aliveness with enough steadiness and lightness to enjoy the nothing-happening and the sudden shifts, without unnecessary drama?

Open Dharma has recently gone through a major shape-shift. In October, Ajay announced he would no longer teach on retreats, with Open Dharma or elsewhere. In March, Ajay, Gemma, and I made an official "cell division." Open Dharma and Ajay are now independent of each other.

Thanks to all of you for allowing and being part of all this humming and shifting over the years.

by Jaya

(Photo: Flight, by Nico.)

~ Interesting Links

~Two stories in The Atlantic, made interesting connections this month, including one study which describes how nature helps us maintain our health, and how volunteering actually improves the health of the physical heart. They are found via links here and here.

~Another cool interactive website shows how large and how small the universe is, offering a slider that takes the overview to the farthest reaches of our scientific understanding. Some small children who saw it recently thought that it was beautiful. Here is the link.

~Hidden at Dharmaloca

Hugh spent a month at Dharamloca last year. He sent this photo of a salamander, visible and invisible just in the center of the image. He writes....

This salamander was always there during my meditation retreat at Dharmaloca. Maybe it was a couple of salamanders, but I always seemed to see them (or him -- or her!) around my tent. They…or perhaps only the one...were my peaceful companions -- until of course I might walk too close and they would move on their merry way.

(Photo: Salamander, by Hugh.)

~ Without Walls

Beka writes of her ongoing exploration of the dharma...

"I want to write about being open and what I experience as its deeper meaning. I have heard myself say on numerous occasions, and I also hear other people speak about 'being open'. 'You just need to be open to that possibility' or 'I am open to that possibility' are lines that I hear a lot and that, having done a number of self work-books that encourage affirmations on openness and having both guided and been guided into meditations on being open (usually with the focus on the heart) I have become aware of how selective we human beings can be. I want to say at this point just how much I value all of these practices and how they have been, and continue to be, an incredible resource to me and others I know.

I also wish to share that it seems that I have found myself often only being open to what I think I want or think I need -- the things that excite me or that I imagine are going to make me feel good, ie, doing my 'work', calling in a partner, abundance, etc . For instance, my theme for 2013 is 'to be open but not-attached' and that feels really good and also totally appropriate...."

(To read all of Beka's letter, please link here.)

by Beka

(Photo: Flowers, by Jaya.)

~ Upcoming Retreat Dates & Details

1 - 8 April & 9-19 April Silent meditation retreats at Sattal Ashram, North India
Seven-day and 10-day silent meditation retreats at Sattal Ashram in the foothills of the Himalayas in India
Teachings will be in English.
Facilitators: Jaya and Gemma
For more information write to:
opendharmainfo(at)yahoo.com

20 April - 4 May, 2013, Two-week Jin Shin Jyutsu and meditation retreat at Sattal Ashram, North India
Teachings will be in English.
Facilitators: Jaya and Gemma.
opendharmainfo (at) yahoo.com

11 - 12 May, 2013, Non-Residential Weekend Retreat in Barcelona, Spain
Deep rest, silence and genuine inquiry.
Teachings will be in Spanish or Català, and English if needed.
Facilitator: Gemma
For information and registration, write to:

hedykramer(at)yahoo.es

31 May - 2 June, 2013, Awakening with Horses workshop at Dharmaloca, Spain
Teachings will be in Spanish and English.
Facilitator: Gemma
For information and registration, write to:
dharmalocaretreat (at) opendharma.org
awakeningwithhorses.org

June through December, Ongoing 1 - 2 month apprenticeships at Dharmaloca, Spain
Facilitator: Jaya
For information and registration, write to:
jaya (at) opendharma.org

5 - 17 June, 2013, Silent, down to earth retreat at Dharmaloca, Spain
Transformation through simplicity and beauty.
Facilitators: Gemma
For more information write to:
dharmalocaretreat (at) opendharma.org

25 - 29 June, 2013, Silent Deep Rest Retreat at Le Moulin, Cubjac, France
Teachings will be in English.
Facilitators: Jaya or Gemma
For more information write to:
mail (at) moulindechaves.org

13 - 20 July, 2013, Deep Rest retreat near Ter Apel, Holland
Teachings will be in English.
Facilitators: Jaya
For more information write to:
opendharmaholland(at)hotmail.com

24 - 28 July, 2013, Retreat in Montseny, Catalonia
Teachings will be in Spanish or Català.
Facilitator: Gemma
For information and registration, write to:
retirosopendharma(at)gmail.com

31 July - 4 August, 2013, Diving into Meditation Retreat, in Eastbourne, UK
Deep rest, silence and genuine inquiry.
Teachings will be in English.
Facilitators: Gemma
For more information write to:
info(at)retreattogayles.co.uk

8 - 11 August and 11 - 18 August, 2013, Deep rest retreats at the Stone House in NC, USA
Teachings will be in English.
Facilitators: Jaya & Gemma
For more information write to:
opendharma.nc (at) gmail.com

21 - 23 August & 23 - 26 August, 2013, Silent Deep Rest retreat, and a Retreat for People of All Ages, Bay Area, California, USA
Teachings will be in English.
Facilitators: Jaya & Gemma
For more information write to:
california (at) opendharma.org

9 - 10 November, 2013, Non-Residential Weekend Retreat in Barcelona, Spain
Deep rest, silence and genuine inquiry.
Teachings will be in Spanish or Català, and English if needed.
Facilitator: Gemma
For information and registration, write to:
hedykramer(at)yahoo.es

For more information about retreats organized by our sister organizations visit www.SanghaCalendar.org

~ Welcome to Everyone

We would love to share your inspiration in an upcoming newsletter. Photos! Poems! Drawings! Musings! Reflections on a recent--or not so recent--retreat! (You can even tell us that you'd like to contribute anonymously.) Please feel free to send any contributions to: newsletter (at) opencentre.es

(Non-Spanish speakers, curious about the Rincón Latino? Try, as one friend did, cutting and pasting the text you'd like to read into google's translation program. You'll get the flavor.)

Rincón Latino

En esta newsletter
~ Noticias
~ Reflexión mensual por Gemma
~ El helecho y el bambú por Hedy
~ Próximos eventos

~Noticias

Cuidador de Dharmaloca

Durante todo el año ofrecemos una posición de cuidador de Dharmaloca con un compromiso mínimo de entre 3 y 6 meses y con el objetivo de cuidar el lugar y en ocasiones alimentar a los caballos, así como profundizar en el propio proceso personal y dar la bienvenida a la gente que viene para hacer retiros personales. Si estás interesad@ contacta: gemmaji (@) gmail.com.

~Reflexión Mensual por Gemma

Bajo Sospecha

Vivir conlleva el peligro de morir. Podemos arrinconarnos con el temor a lo peor o deslizarnos conscientes de todas las posibilidades y aún así creer y volar alto.

Conocí a gente que un día cualquiera murieron sin previo aviso, así, en contra de todas las previsiones. Y gente que se perdió en el remolino de su propia burbuja y decidió ahogar el peligro de vivir quitándose la vida.

Qué grande y tremenda que es la mente humana! Que nos puede convencer de que todo es oscuridad aún estando en pleno día…

Vale la pena escuchar atentamente el susurro de los pensamientos y saborear su textura para conocer su naturaleza y privarlos así de volverse verdaderos monstruos. Vale la pena mantenernos sospechosos de su propósito de autoridad y mantener un corazón ligeramente loco y sanamente desobediente a la razón.

Esta sospecha del reinado absoluto de la mente nos da alas y nos permite volar más allá de lo previsto e imaginable. Nos permite ver el día cuando es de día y la noche cuando es de noche.

Ojalá que el lujo de vivir no se diluya con el miedo a la muerte y que podamos ver con claridad las limitaciones de la mente.

por Gemma

(Photos: por Nico)

El helecho y el bambú

Hedy nos envía este cuento para compartir. "Un amigo compartió este precioso cuento sobre cómo cada uno crecemos a nuestro ritmo, cada uno ofrecemos nuestro don y como cada uno damos lo mejor de nosotros de la mejor manera. Espero que lo disfrutéis."

Un cuento: El helecho y el bambú

Un día decidí darme por vencido… renuncié a mi trabajo, a mi familia, a mi vida… Fui al bosque para tener una última charla con Dios.

- Dios - le dije - ¿Podrías darme una buena razón para no darme por vencido?

Su respuesta me sorprendió.

- Mira a tu alrededor ¿ves el helecho y el bambú?

- Sí - respondí.

- Cuando sembré las semillas del helecho y el bambú, las cuidé muy bien. Les di luz, les di agua. El helecho rápidamente creció. Su verde brillante cubría el suelo. Pero nada salió de la semilla de bambú… Sin embargo no renuncié al bambú.

En el segundo año el helecho creció más brillante y abundante, y nuevamente nada creció de la semilla de bambú… Pero no renuncié al bambú…

En el tercer año aún nada brotó de la semilla de bambú.

En el cuarto año, nuevamente nada salió de la semilla de bambú. ¡No renuncié a él! Luego, en el quinto año, un pequeño brote salió de la tierra. En comparación con el helecho era aparentemente muy pequeño e insignificante… Pero sólo 6 meses después el bambú creció a más de 100 pies de altura. ¡Se había pasado cinco años echando raíces! Aquellas raíces lo hicieron fuerte y le dieron o que necesitaba para sobrevivir.

No le daría a ninguna de mis creaciones un reto que no pudiera sobrellevar.

¿Sabías que todo este tiempo que has estado luchando, realmente has echado raíces?

No renunciaría al bambú. Nunca renunciaría a ti. No te compares con otros. El bambú tenía un propósito diferente al del helecho, sin embargo ambos eran necesarios y hacían del bosque un lugar hermoso. Tu tiempo vendrá. ¡Crecerás muy alto!

- ¿Qué tan alto debo crecer? - pregunté.

- ¿Qué tan alto crecerá el bambú? - me preguntó en respuesta.

- ¿Tan alto como pueda? - indagué.

Nunca te arrepientas de un día en tu vida. Los buenos días te dan felicidad. Los malos días te dan experiencia. Ambos son esenciales para la vida.

La felicidad, te mantiene dulce.

Los intentos, te mantienen fuerte.

Las penas, te mantienen humano.

Las caídas, te mantienen humilde.

El éxito, te mantiene brillante,

pero sólo Dios te mantiene caminando…

(Cuento de Javier Miguel García)

por Hedy

(Photo: por Nico.)

Próximos Eventos

(Aquí listamos solo los que se harán en castellano y/o catalán)

11-12 Mayo, 2013, Retiro no residencial en Barcelona.

Invitar a la meditación a través del profundo descanso y la conexión auténtica con el anhelo.

Las enseñanzas de darán en castellano o català y en inglés si es necesario.

Facilitadora: Gemma