March 2006
Newsletter
After a hot, dry start to the summer, the past couple of months have seen a remarkable switch into almost monsoon-like weather. In January we recorded 267 mm of rain, easily our record month since the beginnings of Emoyeni five years ago. The stream “Droëspruit” is flowing again, the grasses are head-high and full of seed, and clouds of butterflies have been moving across the veld. On the down side, weeds are abundant wherever you look and the farm roads have been taking strain - which means that its time for road repairs again. Each year the weather seems to have something different up its sleeve, and the cool, humid conditions have been a very enjoyable change from the normally hot bushveld summers.We are also building again - Mervyn and his partner Maren are in the process of transforming the old stone ruins on the slopes above the main house, into a home. Work has been progressing steadily, and with a bit of luck it should be finished by early April. The lawn next to the Activity Room has recently been top-dressed and will improve the surface for the Tai Chi and Yoga retreats later in the year. The vegggie garden has produced so many tomatoes this year that we are having to eat tomato soup, tomato jam, tomato salads, tomato sauces… and still can't keep up!
In November Emoyeni held a very successful fund raising dinner and auction at the Kai Thai Restaurant in Randpark Ridge. More than fifty people came along. Geshe Phende gave a short Dharma Talk and altogether the event raised just over R10 000 for the Retreat Centre. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the evening - we look forward to making it an annual event!
The Fund Raising Interest Group has come up with another initiative to raise funds for special projects at Emoyeni, such as upgrading the kitchen and dining rooms in the house, building a few more rooms for accommodation, and building a small ablution unit for campers. Emoyeni will soon be sending out a notice to ask whether you would consider supporting these projects by making a small monthly stop order. Many non-profit organisations rely on this form of donation as a primary source of income.
We enjoyed having Karen de Vos helping out at Emoyeni in September last year, and in November Paul Whellock joined the resident community. He took over the kitchen and has produced a continuous flow of nourishing meals ever since. Paul has also contributed by leading a Yoga retreat in January and occasionally giving a music recital on his Classical guitar. Paul will, however, be leaving Emoyeni at the end of April to pursue a new direction which will combine his talents as a Yoga teacher and musician. This means that we will be looking for someone to fill Paul's position at Emoyeni.
Some sad news is that Rocky, our wonderful dog, is getting old and for some time now has been battling with wobbly back legs as a result of hip displasia. Nevertheless his spirit is still strong and he will still “chase” a rabbit or a duiker if one dares to cross his path.
A new Buddhist group, Buddhist Circle - South Africa, has started up in Johannesburg. They are meeting twice a month at the Out-of-the-Box Wellness Centre in Norwood - see notice below. The Johannesburg Sangha group continue to meet for meditation every Sunday at Moyra Keane's apartment in Killarney. Consider supporting one of these groups. They provide an opportunity to keep in touch with the Dharma and to encourage your own practice.
Mervyn