Three members of the Bristol White Clouds Sangha were fortunate enough to attend the 5 day retreat at Sidcot based on the sutra, the Discourse on Love. We enjoyed practicing with 35 other practitioners in-person and 22 practitioners on-line.
Vari, one of the UK lay Dharma teachers, delivered some beautifully crafted, thoughtful and accessible Dharma talks to help us explore this wonderful sutra in more depth. Dharma sharing groups, mindful eating, guided and silent meditation were all woven into a very rich and supportive retreat experience.
The weather was kind which allowed us to enjoy walking meditation outside, in the grounds of the school and in the fields beyond. The autumn colours were a delight. We were joined by some horses at one point as we stood in silence in a circle.
The photos below give you more of a flavour of the retreat.
Current Bristol Sangha members on the steps with Vari and Angie, the two lay Dharma teachers on the retreat, as well as 2 past members of Bristol Sangha.
On the final evening we held a Be-In when sangha members contributed poems, stories, art work and songs. You might spot a Bristol Sangha member singing and another Bristol Sangha member with Theresa, an Order member and lay Dharma teacher.
There is also a shot of the dharma hall set out for the transmission of the Five Mindfulness Trainings ceremony, which took place on the Monday morning.
A fellow retreatant summed up the retreat perfectly - "Wonderful community, deep sharing, excellent Dharma talks by Vari, superb views, beautiful trees and friendly horses, I'll be back"
