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bodhipaksini

Handover of chair of Akashavana...

Tue, 7 Jun, 2022 - 17:29

Handover of chair of Akashavana...

Tue, 7 Jun, 2022 - 17:29

On Sunday 22 May we ritually enacted the handing over of the chair of Akashavana from Mumukshu to me. Maitreyi, as president of Akashavana, led the ceremony, which Punyamala (who is leading the summer ordination retreat which is currently underway) very generously agreed could take place in the shrine room up at the retreat centre.  A number of the women on the ordination retreat came to witness and take part in the ritual, adding to the depth and luminosity of...
Sadayasihi's picture
Sadayasihi

Stone Stupa Built at Akashavana Retreat Centre, Spain

From Triratna News on Thu, 25 Nov, 2021 - 12:13
  • The team who built the stupa at Akashavana

Stone Stupa Built at Akashavana Retreat Centre, Spain

From Triratna News on Thu, 25 Nov, 2021 - 12:13

On a working retreat in November, a new stupa was built at Akashavana retreat centre, Spain, containing the ashes of Dhardo Rinpoche, one of Sangharakshita’s main teachers.

This stupa joins a number of other stupas dedicated to Dhardo Rinpoche across our community in retreat centres such as Tiratanaloka, Padmaloka and Vajrasana in the UK, Aryaloka (USA), Vimaladhatu (Germany), Guhyaloka (Spain), and Sudarshanaloka (New Zealand). Dhardo Rinpoche and Sangharakshita developed a strong friendship over the many years Sangharakshita lived in Kalimpong....
bodhipaksini's picture
bodhipaksini

Blog written by Satyamuni (posted by Bodhipaksini-witnessed by Mumukshu - it’s a team ting)

Mon, 23 Aug, 2021 - 19:50

Blog written by Satyamuni (posted by Bodhipaksini-witnessed by Mumukshu - it’s a team ting)

Mon, 23 Aug, 2021 - 19:50

Weaving into and out of Akashavana…. 

It’s been a while since an Akashavana blog … I, Satyamuni,  am now delighted to be physically back with Mumukshu and Bodhipaksini after longer in the UK than originally planned for.   Since being back from 01 July we have only had a couple of days of being three.  Our little community has been shape shifting: - also very joyous and delightful.  Firstly we were five: with Moksagandhi and Viryamani (Netherlands ) for two weeks and then...
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satyamuni

Greetings from Akashavana

Sat, 3 Oct, 2020 - 17:49

Greetings from Akashavana

Sat, 3 Oct, 2020 - 17:49

Writing with sun shining high in the sky over mountain landscapes into the first floor lounge of Akashavana’s community house.  Outdoors from window edges to mountain ridges oaks and pines stand silently still - whilst indoors the smells  of breakfast coffee and sounds of crockery accompanied by intermittent tones of Mumukshu, Bodhipaksini .and Maitreyi vibrate through the air. 

Akashavana community welcomed Maitreyi’s return for a 2 - week ‘presidential’ visit early in September.   We (and our chapter sister  Karunavapi) delighted in...
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bodhipaksini

Song of meeting and parting

Mon, 31 Aug, 2020 - 15:57

Song of meeting and parting

Mon, 31 Aug, 2020 - 15:57


It’s just about a month since Amritamati left Akashavana. Somehow it feels like a lot has happened in these few weeks. Plus ça change plus c’est la meme chôse. (I don’t yet know the equivalent idiom in Español.)
Mumukshu and I said goodbye to Amritamati in Tortosa on 31 July. The date was as had originally been planned (pre Covid). The events that occurred inbetween had been nothing like the plan. I felt sadness in the parting.
...
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amritamati

Goodbye and Thank You

Tue, 28 Jul, 2020 - 17:02

Goodbye and Thank You

Tue, 28 Jul, 2020 - 17:02

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”

I​ came across this quote from Seneca recently and it resonated as I prepare to leave Akashavana after two years. Originally I was only coming for a year, but very quickly knew that wasn’t going to be long enough, as being in this quiet and beautiful land made me feel at home and supported by nature’s brilliance. One of my constant delights has particularly been sharing the land with the ibex, although there is...
amritamati's picture
amritamati

A Day In The Life...

Sat, 13 Jun, 2020 - 10:43
  • Making the pizza oven
  • The pizza oven

A Day In The Life...

Sat, 13 Jun, 2020 - 10:43

Some of you might have wondered what the team here have been doing since the lockdown began, given that our purpose for living here is to maintain the retreat centre and service the retreats, and with no retreats happening yet we have had a lot more free time. There is no normal day, but I thought I’d offer you a glimpse into our life at Akashavana at the moment.

We only keep a rough structure to our week, with a business meeting on...
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amritamati

Day 53 in the Big Buddha House!

Wed, 6 May, 2020 - 13:40

Day 53 in the Big Buddha House!

Wed, 6 May, 2020 - 13:40

It’s day 53 of lockdown, I think! After some days of torrential rain last week and an amazing storm with sheet lightening that illuminated the house one evening we are today basking in the sunshine. Bodhipakshini has gone to Valderrobres to do the shop, Mumukshu is on the phone with our president Maitreyi and Satyamuni is cooking lunch. I’ve just attempted to make ciabatta for the first time, but it’s looking more like a simple loaf of bread rather than...
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amritamati

From a mountain lockdown

Thu, 26 Mar, 2020 - 14:17

From a mountain lockdown

Thu, 26 Mar, 2020 - 14:17

So, here we are two weeks into the lockdown in Spain, four women who have only been living together roughly the same length of time, getting to know each other and luckily finding we laugh a lot…over Spanish practice, which recently involved learning a song which we recorded and sent back to our teacher (or nuestro maestro!)…europop still rules it seems…and also over a number of amusing video clips sent by friends around the coronavirus (sometimes humour is needed to cope with something so...
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acalavajri

another year

Tue, 26 Sep, 2017 - 13:42

another year

Tue, 26 Sep, 2017 - 13:42

Our year began with the preparations for the 3 month ordination retreat, and we thought all was ready when we discovered the lower water tank was completely empty, an animal had broken a pipe and all the water 20,000 litres had flowed down the hill ! Fortunately we were able to have it fixed pretty quickly and begin filling it again and also fortunately, we had another full tank ! That was enough of a heart stopper one may have thought – but Mara had...