| Our Travel Pictures! Sydney 2004 - The Dharma is with us everywhere we go. The best Spiritual Retreat is wherever and whenever you can put the Dharma into practice - always here and now. -stonepeace |
Nepal 2005 |
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| Lizzie's Metta Retreat at Aloka Meditation Centre, Sydney, 6 - 15 November 2004 | ||
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| This is the Daddy Bodhi tree and the Devas that are protecting the tree...can you see them? They look like white, round spots....there are two most obvious ones.... | ||
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| Hey! Can you see that Bhante, Sister & Tulku Rinpoche are preparing for the consecration of the stupa? They have to cover their mouth during this very auspicious moment.... our body, speech & mind have to be observed! | Bhante is very serious with the preparation for the very auspicious consecration. The group is looking on. | The very auspicious consecration ceremony has started. Many locals have arrived to rejoice in the consecration! |
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| Hey! I am just taking a walk and enjoying the scenery before the retreat starts! This is the Aloka Meditation centre....the cabin behind is our dormitory where we will all be staying during our retreat! | This is me enjoying a very private moment with the house pet before the day of the Metta Retreat !....he is enjoying my touch mah! Hmm...Can you see a shadow looking like a shape of an Angel or a kind of bird behind me? | This is simply beautiful! |
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| Just look at my warm smile! hehehe... | This is where the main shrine is and is also where we do our chanting and meditation during the retreat. It also housed sleeping quarters, bathrooms, kitchen and dining hall. | Hey! Can you see me at the back row? Look at us smiling so peacefully and contentedly at the Stupa consecration with Bhante, Sister & Tulku Rinpoche. Aloka is a very unique place where Theravadian tradition welcomes & co-exists with Mahayanist Chinese tradition & Tibetan Vajrayana tradition in peace & harmony. |
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| Can you imagine we have Tulku Rinpoche from Singapore coming to Aloka, Sydney to give us all powerful initations on Vajrasattva, Guru Padmasambava & Amitayus practices. We are all so blessed to be given these special gifts from Bhante & Sister during our Metta Retreat! Sahdu! Sadhu! Sadhu! Can anyone spot the Devas near the Buddha statue? |
Our Teacher, Venerable Mahinda looking contented at the newly consecrated Stupa where Guru Padmasambava statue is located. | A group photo taken on the second last day of our Metta Retreat! Can you see the Kuan Yin shrine on the left, the Baby Bodhi tree in the middle and the Stupa on the far end....3 in 1.... |
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| The Stupa picture was taken at night. | This is the baby Bodhi tree and the Devas too....hope you can see them .. | This is Sydney's harbour front on our last day. |
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| Hey! Beautiful sunshiny day! | ||
My Feelings & thoughts to share with you:- I had first joined the short Metta Retreat organized by Kong Meng San in July 2004 led and guided by Bhante and Sister. It was an incredible time for my own practice as I was able to feel and reinforce the cultivation of deep inner peace and contentment within which spurred me on to join the Metta Retreat at Aloka Meditation centre, Sydney privately organized for those who had the intention to further develop their meditation. For me, there is nothing more important in taking every opportunity to practise and cultivate the spiritual path because I will not know when I will leave this earthly realm. Therefore, I believe one must not delay cultivating himself or herself. Aloka has a very peaceful and calming atmosphere and is a great place to practise. With great teachers like Bhante and Sister to teach and guide us along the way, what more can we ask for. Besides experiencing some deep realizations , I have also had a very magical and powerful experience with butterflies (they are one of my Dharma signs from the Buddhas & the Bodhisattvas). One day as I was walking towards the Daddy Bodhi tree to do circumambulation and chanting, I saw many colourful butterflies.... I spoke with them, pursuaded them to allow me to stroke their wings... after a few tries, one butterfly actually stood still and closed up its wings and allowed me to stroke its sides for a little while.... this magical moment happened 3 times on different days... I was so elated with the experience that I could not stop myself from smiling ... Guess what? I tried it again on the last day of the retreat ....there was one butterfly flying infront of me while on my way back to the dormitory to pack up.... I spoke to it and told it that I will be going home and asked it to allow me to stroke its wings....it did and I really felt so blessed....what happened next was just so heavenly.... I asked it to allow me to carry it ....I put my finger infront of the butterfly just to see if it would...and it just lifted its' dainty right leg and then its' left leg, stepped onto my finger and balanced itself ..... then it allowed me to lift it up and chanted "Om Mani Padme Hung" and I wished the butterfly to be reborn into a higher realm so that it can meet with the Dharma and cultivate itself to be free from suffering and rebirth.....and when i said "Good bye" and "hope to see U again soon"....it flew away..... Wow! A Fantastic experience! A real solid proof that insects and animals no matter how insignificant or small they are, they do understand and can relate to us.......and so it reinforces what I have believed in and that it is even more important for us all to cultivate and practise Loving-Kindness and Compassion towards these earthly creatures.... Please do avoid killing or harming them and do not misunderstand them or treat them as pest to be exterminated. We must all learn to respect all living things and live harmoniously and peacefully together and treat each one as equal...no better or worst , no higher or lower....and that everything has its own place and time on this earth.. May All Sentient Beings Be Free from Sufferings & Pains of all Kinds and find Inner Peace, Love & Happiness & the Causes of them. with Metta & Karuna, Lizzie |
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