Dear reader,
I hope you are doing well.
In the previous newsletter (2024-2) of June 7, I brought the news that we had refrained from making an offer on a beautiful monastery in the Belgian Eifel region.
I also made mention of confidence or faith, and how important that is to bring about – in our case – a retreat center. More important than what’s in your bank account. Confidence or faith is the first of the five controlling faculties.
Two responses I received I would like to share.
One yogi reported that she and her husband had had to give up on buying a house, and that they had found strength and inspiration in how we had dealt with our disappointment.
Another reader of the newsletter reported that he liked the story, that he himself has been saving for three years to establish a retreat center, and that perhaps we should meet.
As Christmas and midwinter approaches, this newsletter is happy to shed some light:
1. A higher goal
2. 10-day retreat with Sayadaw U Vivekananda and Sayalay Daw Bhaddamanika
3. Locations in 2025 and 2026
4. A Dutch Translation of In This Very Life: Nog in dit leven.
5. Calendar
With heartfelt greetings,
Guus Went
www.mahasi.net
1. A higher goal
Although end of May we had not made an offer for the monastery in Belgium, the seller remained sympathetic and gave us more time.
Based partly on an engineering study, we came to the conclusion that we consider the economic value of the building to be very low. However, we consider the spiritual/emotional value to be very high. We motivated this extensively to the seller, accompanied by an offer. In doing so, we were also grateful for the input of the man who supported us in this with his intention to create something beautiful in the world with part of his wealth.
Our offer was rejected by the seller in October, and they now do not seem open to further negotiations. However, as long as the monastery has not been sold, we remain interested.
Meanwhile, we are actively looking further into suitable locations, both in the Netherlands and across the border.
In the meantime we have met a second person who is interested in joining us in establishing a retreat centre. For him too, there is more to life than making money. It is reminiscent of the image the Buddha gives of swans leaving their pond for a higher goal:
- The mindful ones exert themselves. They are not attached to any home; like swans that abandon the lake, they leave home after home behind.(Dhammapada 91)
In this regard, we look forward to the year 2025 with confidence. How nice it would be if in the future the newsletter could be named after a centre, instead of Guus!
2. 10-day retreat with Sayadaw U Vivekananda and Sayalay Daw Bhaddamanika
June saw a very successful 10-day retreat with Sayadaw U Vivekananda and Sayalay Daw Bhaddamanika of Panditarama Lumbini. Three participants are now known to go to Lumbini (Nepal) for a few weeks in the coming months to deepen their practice. Our invitation to the teachers to come again in 2025 unfortunately reached them too late, at a time when their schedules were already full. Some participants will therefore go to Switzerland in the coming year, where the teachers will lead two retreats. See the Agenda.
3. Locations in 2025 and 2026
We are very happy with the new location Hoeve Wetermans in Olst. For 2025 we were able to book it four times, and the prices could remain the same (€ 385 and € 285). Fortunately, we can also book three times at the Abdijhoeve, which we rent for half for a 5-day stay. The higher accommodation costs (€485) are offset by the luxury that everyone here has their own toilet and shower in their room. Jerome and Guus’ 10-day retreat in 2025 will also take place at the Abbey Guesthouse again.
For 2026, we have eight reservations for the 5-day retreats at Hoeve Wetermans.
At the Abdijhoeve, the food was provided by a caterer for many years. This year, they have partnered with a care farm, Zorgboerderij Slangenburg. They supply the abbey with locally grown, organic produce. These are freshly prepared at the Abbey Guesthouse by a professional cook employed by the care farm. The cook is supported by people with a distance to the labour market, who thus learn the trade of kitchen help.
4. Dutch Translation In This Very Life
‘We do not practice meditation to gain admiration from anyone. Rather, we practice to contribute to peace in the world.’
These are the first lines of the book In This Very Life by Sayadaw U Pandita. The Dutch translation, Nog in dit leven, which I made of it, was published by Asoka and released in September.
According to the Dutch Library Service’s review, the book is ‘written in deepening, direct style, from a spiritual perspective. Suitable for a wide to practised readership.’
Participants of 5- and 10-day retreats will receive the book as a gift at the end of their retreat.
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