Monday, November 01, 2010

new land and building project at Guhyaloka

For over 20 years Guhyaloka, a retreat centre high in the Spanish mountains behind Alicante, has served as the main venue for men’s ordinations into the Triratna Buddhist Order, with over 400 men having been ordained there. Besides their annual four-month-long Ordination retreats they run a full program of other retreats - but they’re now adding a significant new dimension to their facilities.

Late last year they purchased ‘El Collao Blanc’ (the White Collar), a beautiful piece of land nearby, with a vision to develop it into a venue for a one-year-long communal retreats for men. Although there’s a small building already on site, there’s more to do - building huts, a shrine room, providing electricity, composting toilets etc and of course some fundraising - about £40,000 - to fund the work.

The land has been described as “rather like a fat banana” - which doesn’t do it justice at all! It is a 15,000sqm strip of terraced land that follows the contours high on the side of the mountain on the way up to Guhyaloka itself - about 40 minutes walk away. The terraces have been lovingly tended, and produce over a tonne of almonds, and 200 litres annually of olive oil, plus much grape juice. There is also a ramble of small terraces around the house planted with a variety of fruit trees fig, plum, pear, persimmon, pomegranate, cherry and so on.

But perhaps the finest feature is a really magnificent 200 degree vista of the mountains that surround it on all sides. Everyone who has seen the land has fallen in love with it - Yashodeva, a local artist, being inspired to say it was “like a balcony in a god realm”.

 Now Achaladeva, an Order Member living at Guhyaloka, introduces it on video - just click the embedded player below or see it direct on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzn8D9-_J3o .



 For more information see www.guhyaloka.com

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Thursday, June 18, 2009

Ordinations at Guhyaloka

The Three Jewels of Buddhism, displayed on the Kesa received by members of the Western Buddhist Order on their ordinationManjuvajra writes with news of the recent nineteen men's Public Ordinations at Guhyaloka, the FWBO's retreat centre in the mountains of Spain.

Publicly ordained by Surata
Ken Pearson becomes Hridayamani - 'He whose heart is a jewel/jewel-like' - private preceptor Tejananda

Patrick Baigent becomes Vimokshadaka - 'The daka of liberation' - private preceptor Sanghadeva

Publicly ordained by Mahamati
Andrew Harman becomes Shantideva - 'The peaceful deva', also named after the author of the Bodhicaryavatara - private preceptor Buddhadasa

Matthew Burgess becomes Vidyaruci - 'Radiance of Wisdom/ [He who finds] pleasure in mysterious knowledge' - private preceptor Subhuti.

Publicly ordained by Saddhaloka
Murray Sansom becomes Satyadaya - 'Genuine, honest, true kindness, compassion' - private preceptor Maitreyabandhu

Peter Hunt becomes Vidyasiddhi - 'He who has succeeded in accomplishing the Wisdom of aesthetic appreciation' - private preceptor Jnanottara

Rob Thurlow becomes Vimukta - 'Completely free; released' - private preceptor Karunavira

Simon Lovat becomes Vidyadhara - 'He who is the Holder or Bearer of the Wisdom of aesthetic appreciation' - private preceptor Jnanottara

Simon Thunder becomes Sanghasiha - 'He who is a Lion of the Sangha' - private preceptor Satyaraja

Frank Spitzauer becomes Dayajina - 'gentle, kind victor ' - private preceptor Bodhimitra

John Denton becomes Saddhasura - 'Hero of Faith' - private preceptor Surata

Carl Hutchinson becomes Drdhakarin - 'He who acts firmly, resolutely, wholly, steadfastly and with perseverance' - private preceptor Saddharaja

Simon Okotie becomes Manjusiha - 'lovely, pleasing, agreeable Lion (like the Buddha) ' - private preceptor Maitreyabandhu

Francisco Guillermo-Aguilar (Paco) becomes Maitrighosha - 'The voice of loving-kindness/ He who speaks with loving-kindness' - private preceptor Ratnaghosha

Nick Ross becomes Buddhasiha - 'He who is a Lion of the Buddha ' - private preceptor Satyaraja

Robert Evans becomes Satyanatha - 'Truthful Lord or Protector' - private preceptor Kamalashila

David Beard becomes Jnanashalin - 'He who is distinguished for knowledge' - private preceptor Saddharaja

Rob Gibbs becomes Aryadhara - 'He who possesses nobility ' - private preceptor Maitreyabandhu

Richard Norris becomes Arthabandhu - 'Friend of the Good/the Goal ' - private preceptor Dharmadipa

The above names are the Anglicised versions - the scholarly transliteration of the names will appear with the fuller descriptions and photographs in Shabda.

The ordinatons took place on June 15th 2009.
The photograph shows the Dhardo Rimpoche stupa at Guyhaloka.

SADHU!

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