INNER PEACE, OUTER PEACE

R1125 to R1350
“What is very unfortunate in our busy, stressful lives is that human beings are becoming more and more like machines, and in the process are also losing a sense of the importance of feelings. So when human beings don’t experience feelings then they cannot feel love for themselves, they cannot feel love for others, they cannot feel warmth for themselves or for others.”  Godwin Samararatne
On this three-day retreat we will be exploring and combining two of the central aspects of the Buddhist path – the practice of meditation and the practice of metta or lovingkindness. With meditation we turn our awareness inwards and make contact with the turbulence that is so often present in our mind and our body. As our mind begins to relax and to soften it allows us to make contact with the inner feelings of calmness and peacefulness that are so easily lost in living a hectic and stressful lifestyle. From this base of calmness and feeling centred, the practice of lovingkindness and compassion begins to flow. We learn to be friendly with ourselves, with our fears and insecurities, our personal frailties and demons. Once we feel grounded with this warm connection with ourselves, we can begin to extend our practice and open our hearts to others.  
The retreat will be conducted in silence, with the exception of the discussion sessions and will include meditation practice, talks and walks.
MERVYN CROFT has been engaged in Buddhism for over 30 years, including a period of 13 years as a member of the resident community at the Buddhist Retreat Centre, Ixopo. He has participated in retreats in the Theravada, Zen and Tibetan traditions and for many years was a student of Godwin Samararatne from Sri Lanka. In 2000 he co-founded the Emoyeni Retreat Centre where he lives and teaches.