Drama for Life, a department of the University of the Witwatersrand School of Arts, launched a Think Tank in early January on African Contemplative Practices - a research platform supported by Mind and Life with South Africa's African Healers, Sangomas, Arts Therapists, Neuroscientists, Artists and Mindfulness practitioners. The group congregated at Tara Rokpa Retreat Centre [...]
Dónal Creedon, Dec 2018 After driving for about 2.5 - 3 hours from Jhb you get onto a gravel road, then you see a sign showing you the directions to follow, then you lose mobile network reception. We arrived in the early evening, just as the sun had just set. Immediately you get a sense of [...]
The Elements with Pippa Cope 28 Dec 2018 - 2 Jan 2019 “Appreciate the beginners’ mind, the secret of good practice.” With these words, Dónal Creedon closed his week-long session with approximately 20 retreatants at the Tara Rokpa Center in Groot Marico. Grounding Earth During the retreat, Pippa Cope, long-term resident at the [...]
What does it mean? To be present to oneself. To be present, To the skies and the hills, And sunlight and shadow, To bundles of clouds And turbulent waters To birds flying by And the billowing grasses, To the girl with the child And the dogs rushing by To a smile and a frown And [...]
The breastbone of love Is benevolence The warm mother attribute Holding like Earth The heart of love Is compassion The strong father attribute Dressed in bright coloured plumage The primaries of love Is joy First born child-like Evident in the wagging fork tail of the drongo The secondaries of love Is equanimity The intellects’s eye [...]
A weekend of Circle Singing, TaKeTiNa and Vocal Improvisation By Dorcas B. Molefe In the lush and green beautiful Tara Rokpa valley, on the weekend of 9 to 11 November 2018, Kathrin Sirtl accompanied by her partner offered circle singing, TaKeTiNa and vocal improvisation. The fun-filled musical workshop succeeded in bringing out pleasant surprises as [...]
Sitting at my desk enjoying a wonderful side-on view of the valley and bush clad hills beyond, is a treat. Yesterday’s welcome rain has brought greenery and a cool washed look to the previously parched and dry veld. The tinkling sound of the running water through the solar flow forms helps to restore the water [...]
I went a round in the ring with impermanence the other day and I gotta tell ya, impermanence whipped my butt. Am I allowed to say butt in a Buddhist newsletter? It’s politer than the alternative I had in mind. Anyway, the lead up was typical of your average boxing match. Both parties go in [...]
It has been a while since we have posted an update in the TRC newsletter. This is not due to inactivity but maybe rather over-activity. The Tikologo site is in full on spring explosion with our nursery already bursting at the seams and the herb garden looking like a little oasis in the hot and [...]
How do we build momentum in any community? We recognize moments worth celebrating. Many of you who hold leadership positions know, it is the sad or the bad news that comes into your inbox first. As Chair of TRC, it is usually the financial challenges and staffing problems that are brought to my attention. Yet, [...]
