FIONA MACLEOD

Today is 7th March here in vietnam. We are still up in the Highlands but have left the very European town of Dalat behind us and have enjoyed a four day retreat in Prajna monatery (see article on the monastery) and two days of visiting local sites.

The retreat was quite something ; four thousand people the first day rose to six thousand by the last. The vietnamese slept on site in  vast tents put up for the purpose or in all the meditation halls ; they woke at four am for sitting and chanting together. With a full moon and balmy climatic conditions it must have been paradise for them ; we returned to our hotels in Bao Loc (30 minutes away by bus) so only joined them for walking meditation at 7.30 am but four  thousand people walking mindfully in total silence is quite an experience. The collective energy of peace becomes a reality.

Thay gave such simple and profound talks each morning ; the soutra on the sixteen exercices on breathing is the basis for so many of his talks these days ; Buddhism is not just a religion, it is a practical guide to living better, improving communications and relationships, learning to listen deeply and to speak in a way the other person can feel happy about, learning to take care of our body and of our spirit (calming our destructive emotions, cultivating our nourishing emotions and thoughts), reducing stress and having the time to feel and see the wonders of life.

We were in small families for our sharings and I stayed with the French group ; in four days such a lot of healing and transformations of our difficulties took place, Several people had had mothers who had committed suicide during their childhood, others had violence in their families to cope with. we each have our individual family problems (depressions, anxieties, overwork, stress, no communication), some had fathers killed in the Vietnamese wars.

We sat by the garden pond and rock grotto with the huge statue of the boddhisatva of compassion beaming down on us and the pine trees all around, and we all listened deeply to each one of our stories and there you are the magic of deep listening cured us and brought us together.

Six thousand people lined up for lunch in utmost calm, They all had rooms or tents to go and lie down in after lunch but the Abbot of this Monastery was very concerned about where we the Western people could go to rest and he came up with the brillant idea of giving each of us a present of an individual hammock so we learnt to tie them to trees and lie back looking up at the lazily floating by clouds in the blue sky and do  nothing but relax … really taking to heart the essence of Thay`s teachings !

The final day of the retreat was Rose Festival, commemorating our families, our mothers and our fathers. So moving and Thay gave the final talk on improving family relationships. Vietnamese, or Western this is one of the big issues of our world along with improving our relationship with the Planet Earth. The pollution here in vietnam is horrendous ; no adequate waste disposal systems and litter everywhere. Though one of the members of our group has left today to take up a job in Singapore on waste recycling and her group has been contacted by the Vietnamese goverment to start work here too.

The last two days have been visiting places ; first the social work programs for young kids whcih we support financially here and then a tourist day on a tea plantation for organic oolong tea and a visit to a waterfall (90 meters high). You could read about these days on my french programme !

I still haven`t learnt to put photos on here but I`m taking so many so one day … when I can get help from my brother about the procedure to follow you may see the beautiful scenery and happy faces of friends on the path of love and understanding. for the moment I send you that understanding and love so that you can feel happy as you read this !+