(Photos from the Opening of the Vejjasala on 11 Sept is attached at the bottom of the page.)
What is Vejjasala?
Vejjasala, located in Wingello in the Southern Highlands of NSW, is a place for healing founded by the
Association of Engaged Buddhists.
The Spiritual Director of the Centre and Resident Monk, Venerable Tejadhammo explains the origin of the name, he says: "In the early Buddhist writings, Vejjasala is the Pali word for a place of healing. When the great Chinese pilgrim monks Fahsien and Xuanzang made their long and arduous journeys from China to India in the 5th and 7th centuries seeking to bring back the teachings of the Buddha for the welfare, wellbeing and good of the many, they both recorded the existence of vejjasalas, places established to care for the sick and injured."
In the present time the Association of Engaged Buddhists is establishing Vejjasala in Wingello as a place where people can rest and recover from their emotional or physical surrounded by friendship and support. In Vejjasala, people living with a serious or life threatening illness can find help to develop their capacity for self-healing and happiness in a peaceful and spiritual environment.
PROGRAMS
An Afternoon of Mindfulness & Insight
with Lynne Bousfield, Grahame White & Steven Smith
Saturday 29 October 2011
At Vejjasala 219 Forest Rd, Wingello, New South Wales
Vipassana (Insight) meditation is the development of understanding or “insight” through the cultivation of mindfulness. The understanding we develop equips us to help ourselves with our lives, to find happiness by knowing where to look. Insight through mindfulness, transforms confusion and painful emotions into mental stillness, composure and clarity. Mindfulness practice trains capacities like resilience, self-reliance and discernment so as to understand and respond to life with greater meaning and potential.
The afternoon is offered to celebrate the opening of Vejjasala, founded by the Association of Engaged Buddhists as a residential meditation retreat centre and a place of refuge for those living with serious illness. Vejjasala is located on a serene and beautiful property in the Southern Highlands, close to Bundanoon. The afternoon is open to everyone, regardless of meditation experience and is an opportunity for teacher-led and group-supported meditation practice and as an invitation to visit Vejjasala.
The afternoon has been inspired by the friendship between the teachers and Bhante Tejadhammo, Vejjasala’s director. Friendship is the beautiful state of mind we all cultivate through meditation practice and in the spirit of which a Vejjasala operates. Lynne, Grahame and Steven, friends for 35 years, have over that time been instrumental in founding meditation centres and developing meditation practice in Australia, Burma and Hawaii as well as supporting local community development in Burma, home to their lineage. They are committed to carrying the teachings of the Buddha from traditional and monastic settings in Burma, into everyday life.
Program: The afternoon will run from midday until 5pm and will include teaching, instruction and practice sessions. We suggest a late breakfast or brunch on the way to the Southern Highlands. There will be a break for afternoon tea.
Cost: Traditionally, the teachings of the Buddha have been offered and supported by the practice of Dana. Dana means generosity, the practise of giving by extending oneself in accordance with one’s means. Dana is a subtle and sophisticated approach to the teacher/student exchange – as such, an appropriate Dana to a teacher cannot be prescribed. It requires sensitivity to its intent and awareness of how the responsibility for costs and expenses associated with providing the teachings is met and borne collectively by the participating students. On this afternoon, the teachers will offer the Dana they receive from the participating students, to Bhante Tejadhammo to support Vejjasala’s development.
Registration is required by Tuesday 25th October: Spaces are limited and registering reserves your place. Please let us know if you do have to cancel your registration to ensure your place can be offered to someone else. To register and for directions to Vejjasala please email: sanghalodgeretreat@gmail.com
Enquiries: Should you require further information please contact: Lynne Bousfield - Bousfieldl@ozemail.com.au or Grahame White - gralyn@ozemail.com.au
Healing at Vejjasala
For some time now evidence has been mounting about the benefits of meditation, relaxation and other natural healing practices, particularly about improving the quality of life for those living with a serious or life threatening illness.
Vejjasala provides an opportunity to learn different meditation practices aimed at reducing pain, freeing the mind from tension, fear and stress and supporting the body's own healing processes.
We do not seek to replace conventional medical treatment but to complement it, by helping individuals to develop their own healing powers and the healing potential in the teaching and practice of the Buddha.
Location
Vejjasala is located at:
Vejjasala - Place of Healing
219 Forest Road
Wingello, NSW 2579
Ph: (02) 4884 4443
