The Little Gap

The official unofficial newsletter for Dharma Ocean’s sangha in Europe.

(No time to read? Scroll down to events in your country.)

EDITOR’S NOTE

Welcome to the October issue of our sangha newsletter, the newly christened The Little Gap. The poll we ran to decide on a name didn’t exactly garner a huge or competitive response. The Little Gap and Strangely Enough were neck and neck so we editors have selected a name that we feel fits best. The name The Little Gap suggests that when we see this newsletter arrive in our inboxes we can stop, pause, and connect to our bodies. It’s a reminder to come back. You can read more about the meaning of the little gap in Indestructible Truth, p. 385.  We thank everyone who voted and suggested alternative names.

We’d also love to hear what you think about this recently refashioned newsletter. Feedback and suggestions for improvement, or things you might like to see in the future, are all welcome. And if you’d to volunteer to help with this newsletter please get in touch: events@dharmaocean.eu

Wishing you all good practice.

 Josh & Sacha

CONTENTS

Q&A with Katja Rübsaat

Reflections on the Stroud Retreat by Edward Jones

Shrine photo

Upcoming events

ON THE JOURNEY

Q&A with Katja Rübsaat

Q. Where are you from and where do you live?

A. I'm from Germany, living in a very rural area near Würzburg. I share a house with a good friend of mine, my dog and some cats.

Q. What's your occupation?

A. I've studied social pedagogy and sociology. At the moment I'm working with young adults between 16 and 25 who haven't been able to find an apprenticeship after school (because of poor grades or problematic family backgrounds). I really love this job, but I also feel called to deepen my training as an animal healing practitioner.

Q. What drew you to somatic meditation?

A. My body, maybe? I have felt drawn to Buddhism for almost 15 years now, but I always had problems with meditation the way it was taught in the Tibetan centre where I studied (sit and watch your breath). I had the feeling that meditation simply wasn't for me. When I came across the German edition of Touching Enlightenment, a whole new world opened for me. If you had asked me two years ago that I would practice almost every day for at least 45 minutes, I wouldn't have believed it.

Q. What has been your favourite practice and why?

A. Whole Body Breathing and a special maitri version of Ten Points that Caroline teaches in the Boundless Heart programme. Whole Body Breathing is so accessible for me that I can practise it even at work or when I have to stop at a traffic light. It's my first aid practice so to speak.

Q. What practices are you focusing on now?

A. I'm participating in the Sutrayana-Mayayana course at the moment, so we're doing a lot of Bodhicitta and heart practice.

Q. Do you have a favourite quote from CTR or RR that you would like to share?

A. I very clearly remember a sentence from CTR that Reggie quoted at the Fields of Enlightenment retreat. It was, “Never try to be comfortable”. To be honest I still have no idea what that actually means, but it often reminds me not to be too focussed on my stuff and my habitual patterns.

REPORTING FROM THE FIELD

Reflections on the Stroud Retreat

By Edward Jones

At summer’s end, Dharma Ocean UK hosted a weekend retreat in Stroud.  There were 15 of us in the circle, having driven in from Bristol, Cornwall, London and Kent.  The first evening, we organised our tents, and shared dinner around the fire. In turn, we spoke of the energies that each of us carried into the weekend.  Having recently moved from the United States, I brought up the series of changes that was taking place in my life. The next morning, we witnessed the patchwork hills and faded greens, as the sun overcame the valley.  Our deep silence had begun, leaving room for the rustle of cows in the adjacent field.

For much of the retreat, I felt disgruntled.  I tried to compare my experience to the week I had spent at Blazing Mountain.  For the first two days in Crestone, I felt physical pain radiating throughout my back.  Breaking the silence, I asked my roommates if I was doing something wrong. As the week continued, the pain melted into a great stream of awareness.  In Stroud, my qualms weren’t about the location, or lack of instruction. Rather, I told myself that it was pointless to hold such a short retreat. After two days, if this was to be anything like my experience in Crestone, I would only be leaving with a sore back.

On the last evening of the retreat, we held a fire ceremony.  Whatever we felt that we needed to let go of, we wrote onto slips of paper.  Holding the message, “identifying as the heart of creation”, I placed it gently onto a log.  The paper sat, untouched by flame. It seemed to breathe into the surrounding silence. Moments later, I placed my final slip of paper onto the log, “discounting the love of family and friends”.  As the message caught fire, it ignited the first slip, and they both bloomed into ash.

The ceremonies and retreats that I have been humbled to sit in, have each carried their own life.  Everyone has been remarkably different, yet holding the space for a journey shared by the circle. After the fire ceremony, there was a noticeable shift in the air.  It carried into the morning and colours felt crisper, as we held a space for what had emerged during the weekend. It seems that the challenges we face are only truly confronted when we remain open to our lives as they are.  The first message that I passed into the fire was not able to burn alone. It required the presence of a third jewel, and a dedication to a larger community.

Since the weekend in Stroud, I have been reflecting on the meaning of the sangha.  I have difficulty in setting aside the ancestors, as well as our family, friends, and community of life that contributes to our becoming.  Yet, perhaps the pinnacle of our connection to the sangha is found in the practicing lineage, and those we are able to sit with. Reggie says that the Soma is simply incapable of experiencing boundary.  In that sense, the sangha could just as easily take form as the space that we inhabit, never ceasing to impact our lives. The changes that are occurring in my life, when taken alone, feel stagnant. I’m honoured to have a community to reflect, and to practice with, as I relax into the current of my life.  

Recommended listening:

A living lineage

Recommended reading:

Pith Instructions on the Great Perfection By Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Quote of the month:

If we allow our thoughts to arise and dissolve by themselves, they will pass through our mind as a bird flies through the sky, without leaving a trace. ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

SHRINE PHOTO

Here’s another wonderful shrine example, this time from Dirk Milanowski in Frankfurt, Germany.

Would you like to share what your home shrine looks like and what it means to you? If so, please get in touch at events@dharmaocean.eu !

I have pictures of Reggie and Trungpa Rinpoche, and in the middle my recently deceased dog Luna and on the top a crystal ball which represents our primordial pure mind. Also, some flowers, buddhas and  earth representations. In the corner there is a little space for the protectors with tea as an offering. Especially during tough times it’s very helpful for me to do the protector chants in the evening to make a connection to the lineage and my basic nature. – Dirk

 UPCOMING EVENTS

5 night residential retreat: Italian Alps. October 18-23, 2018

This is a peer/self led retreat which will include DO recorded practices and teachings and silent/self led Bodywork and Pure Awareness practices. Nearest Airport is Venice. Cost: 35 euros/£30 per person per night inclusive of food. Minimum 6 people max 14. To book or find out more, please reply ASAP to either Matteo at matteo.boninibaraldi@gmail.com or to Mariana Straton at stillness5@icloud.com. More information also available on the Dharma Ocean European Events website.

Weekend retreat: Hirschhorn, Germany. November 2-4, 2018

Practitioners in Germany are still accepting registrations to a long-weekend retreat in November. The retreat is being led by Paris-based Dharma Ocean meditation instructor Linn Lillsunde. Linn will guide a mix of Pure Awareness, body work and bodhicitta practices. The retreat will take place in a three story villa located in a small, medieval village called Hirschhorn – considered the “pearl of the Neckar River” (click here for images of the location). The retreat fee is 200 Euro. For more information, send an email to: dharmaocean.germany@gmail.com. Organisers Dirk Milanowski, Katja Rübsaat and Josh Gale hope this is the first of many retreats in Germany at this location.

3 night residential retreat in Devon, UK. February 8-11, 2019

A deep winter 3 night residential retreat in Devon, UK on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park at Bala Brook House. This is a peer-led retreat where we will include DO recorded practices and teachings and silent/self-led Bodywork and Pure Awareness practices. Max participants 15. Cost is £114 per person  + contribution for food (we will prepare food together). Please note that the £114pp rate is based on minimum 10 participants. If fewer than 10, the cost pp will be slightly higher. To book or to find out more, please contact Mariana at Dharma Ocean Bristol dharmaoceanbristol@gmail.com .

COMMUNITY PRACTICE GROUPS

AUSTRIA, Graz

We are two Dharma Ocean Practitioners happy to share our beautiful Living Room/Shrine Room to practice together. Our Shrine Room can host comfortably 6 to 8 people lying down. We are located in the Centre of Graz, South-East Austria,  a city close to the border of Slovenia and Hungary. So if you are interested in Meditation Evenings on a regular basis or Full- or Half Practice days (being scheduled in coordination with participants) and of course sharing precious time together, please get in contact with us:

Michaela Fuchs

michaela108@me.com

FRANCE, Paris

Dharma Ocean Paris meets about once a month (usually a Sunday morning) in central Paris (in the 2nd arrondissement). Next meeting will take place in September. We usually practice together, listen to a talk by Reggie and have a discussion about it afterwards. The best way to contact me is by email.

Linn Lillsunde

linn@dharmaocean.org

GERMANY, Heidelberg

A new group in Heidelberg is taking shape and has begun sitting on a weekly basis. We practice at my home in the yoga and meditation room. We enjoy sharing tea and a chat before or after, and will sometimes practice the 8 Movements of Ch’an beforehand to prepare for meditation. We plan to hold half-day and full-day retreats in the near future. Get in touch via Whatsapp: 004915758932885 or by email: joshgale108@gmail.com.

Josh Gale

IRELAND

DO Ireland are currently looking to establish a monthly Sunday gathering in Dublin city centre. Please contact us to join us.

Across Ireland, we plan to have day-long or half-day events once per quarter in rotating locations around the country to allow everyone a chance to attend. We’ll listen to teachings, sit together, and just hang out! We’re also in the early phases of planning an annual weekend gathering, open to the whole European sangha.

Do email Sean for more info! We're especially interested in hearing from people outside Dublin who might know of venues in their area suitable for hosting small group gatherings.

Sean Harnett

sean.harnett@gmail.com

UNITED KINGDOM, Bristol

We meet every Saturday 9:45am-11:30am at the Shambhala Meditation Centre, 17 Lower Redland Road, Bristol BS6 6TB to listen to guided meditations, practice, and sharing. The centre has mats, cushions, blankets, yoga mats, chairs, although you’re welcome to also bring your own. There is space for 17 people seated/lying down. The room hire cost of £22.50 is shared between whoever turns up on the day. Email us to let us know you’d like to come and to get further info!

Petrina Yeoh and Jon Young

dharmaoceanbristol@gmail.com

UNITED KINGDOM, Bruton, Somerset

We meet in Bruton, South Somerset every other Sunday 4:00pm-5.30pm for a meditation session followed by tea and sharing. Please contact me for further information.

Danielle Crawshaw

daniellecrawshaw@hotmail.co.uk

UNITED KINGDOM, Devon

I offer a fortnightly practice gathering at 8pm on alternate Sundays in Devon, UK. Currently we meet on Zoom to practice together, listen to teachings and share together, but my home is also open if people want to come in person.

Julia Collins

juliacollinsconsulting@gmail.com

UNITED KINGDOM, East Sussex

I offer my shrine room in Newhaven for fortnightly practice on Sundays from October 2018 (date tbc). There is space for about 8 people seated/lying down. We have plenty of zafus and yoga mats. There is also an opportunity to connect via Skype for group practice.  

Please contact me for further info.

Alistair Appleton

alistairappleton@mac.com

UNITED KINGDOM, London

Our next practice dates are Sunday 23rd September and Sunday 21st October. Monthly thereafter (dates tbc). We meet 11:00am-1:00pm at The Study Society, Colet House, 151 Talgarth Road, London, W14 9DA - nearest tube is Barons Court. Please bring your own mats and cushions – chairs are available.  Donations to help cover the room hire cost are welcome – we suggest £10 but whatever is ok for you will be gratefully received.

Email us to let us know you'd like to come and to get further important room access info.

Julie Larner and Ian Sturgess

dharmaoceanlondon@gmail.com

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