On a cold December day I left Kagyu Samye Dzong London to go to South Africa for
a residential retreat at the Tara Rokpa Center (TRC) in the Groot Marico district of
South Africa. The Centre is in a beautifully wild part of South Africa about 240km
North of Jo’burg.
TRC is a peaceful centre in the African bushveld, bounded by perennial streams,
and surrounded by rolling hills, on 280 hectares of land. The environment is pristine,
the air and water are unpolluted and the night sky is so clear that one can see many,
many stars.
It was established under the guidance of the late Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche, who
was both a meditation Master and a Tibetan Medical Doctor. Akong Rinpoche had a
vast 1000-year vision for the Centre as a place of peace and refuge for all beings,
irrespective of their backgrounds. TRC have Implemented Akong Rinpoche’s vision
by having four wings of activity: healing therapies, environmental preservation,
spiritual development and community activities. These serve to accomplish his vision
of supporting people to develop wisdom and compassion.
Donal Creedon was running a retreat entitled “Echoes from an Empty Sky”, to
explore some verses from Lord Gampopa’s “A String of Pearls”. The retreat was
conducted in noble silence from late evening to midday, at which time there was the
opportunity for personal reflection and time in the beautiful nature in and around the
centre's grounds.
Our daily routine began with a fire puja followed by a mixture of meditation sessions
and an instruction/exploration of a chapter from “A String of Pearls”.
Following a break in the early afternoon we enjoyed a mixture of meditation sessions
and a dialogue session on points in the text which we wished to explore further.
Such dialogue sessions tend to be a regular feature at Donal’s retreats, inspired by
the time he spent as a student of Krishnamurti. Though I found the dialogue sessions
both challenging and demanding, they did significantly improve my understanding of
a particular point of the teaching or an emotion.
Pippa has spent many years creating a beautiful Centre at TRC. Thanks to her and
the dedication and hard work of the many sponsors and volunteers, there are now an
assortment of various buildings, including an airy beautiful main Shrine room and
another Shrine room in the main house. A great covered open air dining area and
several outbuildings for accommodation. Arguably another important and essential
addition is the plunge pool, which is most welcome during the warmer weather.
There are also ponds which provide an enjoyable distraction between sessions, as
well as a permaculture area and many stones with painted mantras or symbols
within the Centre’s grounds. I particularly liked the Tam near the shrine room.
I benefited greatly from Donals teaching and my retreat at TRC. The theme, agenda and approach at the retreat suited me personally and I found the centre and
environment quite beautiful. To accompany the chirping in my own mind, the sound of crickets, frogs and a dawn chorus of African birds were a tonic. I am very grateful
for the entire experience.
We look forward to Joelle's return to KSDLondon again in early March.