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Kagyu Samye Dzong London NewsFebruary 2004 |
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| This month we are able to welcome another 48 subscribers to the newsletter, taking the total to 310. If you know anybody else who might like to receive the newsletter, feel free to forward it to them with your recommendation. The next meeting about the future of the Centre will take place at 3.00 pm on Sunday 29th February. |
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1 - A message from Lama Zangmo There are now only 5 months before we need to move - we need a sense of urgency about this. The Centre provides stability for practitioners, housing the teachings and the community and providing people with an opportunity to become rooted in both the teachings and the lineage. In a city like London, many people come to the Centre who are searching , who have not found root in a dharma lineage. Many of you may not have found a sense of who your teacher is, but with a connection to the centre that can grow. We are like dandelion seeds, blown around until we can land and take root, at which point our practice can grow and eventually come to fruitition. Without suitable ground on which to land however, the opportunity is simply not there. What is so important about the Centre is that it provides the ground for people to take root in a pure tradition. However, the Centre is not just for Buddhist practitioners: there are many levels at which people can gain benefit with the classes run at the Centre including meditation, yoga, tai chi, access to a Tibetan doctor and many other things. The benefits generated by the Centre are much greater than what any one of us can ever see. The size of the property we move to is very important. We need to find a place from which we can continue, even expand all these activities, and this is why we need to think big. If we have a small vision, we will remain a small centre. If we think big, we may fall short, but it will still be better than if we had thought small to begin with. However we also need to be realistic and a good team of people has been gathered to help with fundraising and accounting. We must be realistic and have faith that almost anything is possible. We mustn't close ourselves off to anything. As a postcard I have in the office says "Be realistic, demand the impossible". |
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2 - Preparing to move The Property Search The property group has been very active, viewing properties in a range of locations. We are no longer looking just in the locations indicated as most favourable by the Karmapa as the luxury of time is not available to us. A system has been set up so that the Centre is now in regular contact with all the main commercial property agents, auctioneers and other property vendors. Recently a couple of promising sites were viewed near Old Street - warehouses converted to office space with 9-10,000 sqare feet available. At the moment however they are still out of our price range - which brings us on to: Fundraising The fundraising team have met with 2 banks so far and, based on the figures presented, both have been very positive about lending money to the Centre. However we will need a 20% deposit. Other funding options have been explored, but many of these will depend on the building we acquire and its location. Until then there is little more that can be done on that front. At the moment we have raised a total of £190,000 including recent activities such as the Charity Fair (£4,000), the Tabla Concert (£1,300) and the letter appeal (£9,500 so far). However we still need more for a deposit. |
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3 - Holistic Treatment Fundraising Day, Saturday 21st February As mentioned above, we still need to raise more money for a deposit for a new Centre and this is our next opportunity. What will be going on: Today you will have the opportunity to help both the Centre and yourself with a group of holistic practitioners offering a range of taster sessions throughout the day. All you need to pay is a minimum donation of £5 per session which will go to the Centre (but don't let us stop you from donating more if you want). The sessions available include: Life Coaching, aromatherapy, reflexology, massage, acupuncture, polarity therapy, kum nye, Indian head massage, Tara Rokpa relaxation, introduction to meditation, Tai Chi, Feldenkreis, and Shiatsu. The full price for many of these services ranges from £30-£50 per session, so today is your opportunity to try something out at a bargain price. Also available - food, drink, and of course good company. Help needed for the day Naturally we need help to run this event
including: Whatever you are able to do to help with this event, please contact the office on 020-7928 5447. We hope that as many of you as possible are able to help out / join in and have a great day. We'll look forward to seeing you on the 21st. |
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4 - Forthcoming events Chenrezig
weekend Losar Tibetan
New Year Chen Style Tai
Chi Intermediate
meditation Meeting about
the future of the Centre |
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5 - About the Newsletter This newsletter goes out to those who have expressed an interest in Kagyu Samye Dzong London. It covers news of the efforts and progress towards finding and funding a new site for the centre, and other events taking place in the coming weeks Being on this mailing list is not compulsory. If you do not want to receive this newsletter, or would like it to be sent to a different email address, please use the links at the bottom of the newsletter. |
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Kagyu Samye Dzong London Tibetan Buddhist Centre |
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