Committee Search Page

Two Weeks of happiness on Holy Island

by Sarah Lionheart

 
Last year there were two very special weeks on Holy Island near Arran in the west of Scotland. Sarah Lionheart gives us a short account of this special time.

Off Arran, on a wee private island, I had such a good September summer of hot sunshine, basking with basking sharks and swimming with seals with blue skies above and a definite need for sunbiock.
The first week was an event called Contemplatives’ Gathering. There was an Episcopalian hermit from a small island off Maine. a Greek Orthodox hermit from Orkney, a Catholic hermit from a contemplative monastery in Norfolk, a Franciscan brother, a Carmelite nun, an Anglican vicar and a working Catholic nun. There were also two people who have been both Catholic nuns and are training now in Tibetan Buddhism, (one of those was me) and then one Buddhist hermit who has spent about 20 years in retreat, a woman lama who has done over nine years of retreat, a Buddhist nun who has done four years of retreat, another Buddhist nun, and three lay people. All were guests of the Abbot of Samye Ling and director of Holy Island Centre for Peace and Health, lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche, who has done over 12 years of retreat. As I was facilitating, I made the mistake of ringing the bell for a discussion session and of course, a bunch (or is it a monastery?) of about 17 contemplatives all contemplated and the silence deepened and I did not feel able to break it really. I learnt not to ring the bell before a discussion session!

It was a fascinating week of real dialogue and friendship between these two great traditions and I think each tradition learnt so much from the other. There were definitely moments when insights came and it felt like a blessing. We celebrated a communion and a Buddhist puja on the Sunday and walked, talked and Iaughed a lot.

The Gathering was followed by a week of a course, led by Lama Yeshe Rinpoche himself - a great treat to be with a deep practitioner of meditation who is well known for his humour and kindness. Rinpoche meditated with us three times a day and gave a talk in the evening with a question and answer session. Choden taught a meditation session in the morning and I held the meditation sessions and also taught on forgiveness, It was a Iovely warm group, who made friendships and enjoyed the lovely organic home grown food and the warm cosy evenings round the wood stove. It felt like a time out of time. Full of warmth and love and gentle kindness.

It felt like a summer holiday from a blissful childhood, It felt a time of growth and maturity. The island is so beautiful, the wild horses roaming, the wild sheep looking so cute and wild goats so majestic in their white coats. So much joy and so much happiness.

Susan Neal kindly provided yoga in the mornings before the first meditation sessions which were very popular
Lama Rinpoche will be leading another week next summer, August 28 - September 5th 2010.

Contact www.holyisland.org



 

This Site is Designed and Maintained by YogaWebs  Send mail to Webmaster with any questions or comments.