First international metta for merida meditation

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Mitras from the sangha in Mérida, Venezuela

First international metta for merida meditation

On Thu, 3 August, 2017 - 10:10

Vajranatha

On Wed 16th of August at 7:30pm Uk time (2.30pm in Venezuela itself) will are going to launch the metta for mérida project with simultaneous meditations in the Mérida Buddhist Centre in Venezuela and the Nottingham Buddhist Centre. Immediately after this meditation there will be twining ceremony for the Nottingham & Mérida centres.

We hope as many other Triratna Buddhist Centres as possible will be able to join us.

Present in Nottingham will be Vajranatha (the current Chairman of the Mérida centre), Aryavachin (originally from Mérida and currently mitra convenor for Nottingham), Vimalabandhu (who has a longer standing connection with Mérida) and Arthabandhu (Chairman of the Nottingham Centre).

Before the meditation and the ceremony there will be an online meeting of the virtual Council for the Mérida centre & we will be talking about some of the exciting developments to support out project that have emerged from the recent ECA meeting.

Tags:

Metta For Merida, Venezuela

Responses

Vajranatha — Thu, 3 Aug, 2017 - 11:37

If we all do it at the same time here is a selection of different times zones around the world. Works for Europe, NZ and Americas but is a bit early for Australia (Sydney 5am).

https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meetingtime.html?iso=20170816&p1=…

Vajranatha — Fri, 11 Aug, 2017 - 10:39

Dantacitta says…
Quite a few of our Melbourne Sangha will be on retreat together when the first international Metta for Merida Meditation occurs and so we will be joining in at 4.30am from country Victoria.

We will also be encouraging our Sangha not on retreat to sit at home in synch with our friends across the world holding Venezuela and the Merida Sangha in their hearts.

Mahamati says…

We will be meeting in Malvern (which is near to Adhisthana) for Metta for Merida next Wednesday 16th.

parami — Fri, 11 Aug, 2017 - 12:21

Wonderful initiative and I look forward to our virtual Council meeting. I will be leading a practice Wednesday night here in Adhisthana.

In terms of the twinning ceremony, I wanted to mention that many years ago, while I was chair of Valencia, Nottingham was twinned with Valencia. It hasn’t been a live thing for ages but I think it wold be good to remember it - I think people in Valencia would perhaps be interested in revitalising the relationship in some way. After all, some cities have more than one other city twinned. It was a very helpful relationship for some years and Nottingham were very generous to us in Valencia.

Saddhajala — Mon, 14 Aug, 2017 - 13:05

Hello to Merida from Poland!

Is there a plann to have brodacast on the evening (Europes time) of 16th?

Sending metta,
Ania

Vajranatha — Mon, 14 Aug, 2017 - 18:14

Hi Ania.

That is wonderful. In the Uk we will be meditating at 7.30pm. Central European time would be 8.30pm

In Venezuela they will be meditating too. (2.30om their time)

parami — Mon, 14 Aug, 2017 - 19:12

it would be great if something were transmitted live - or recorded for later viewing.

Sarvajit — Mon, 14 Aug, 2017 - 19:24

Hi Vajranatha

Just to let you know that we are planning a Metta for Merida event at Cambridge Buddhist Centre on Wednesday evening to join you in sending metta to the Venezuelan Sangha. We will be showing your inspirational video to set the background, and will then hold an adapted Metta Bhavana when we will be thinking of our fellow Sangha members in Merida.

With metta
John

tejasvini — Tue, 15 Aug, 2017 - 15:51

Cambridge Buddhist centre is joining in too at 7.30 pm, with a metta for Merida event. Thinking of you, Venezuela xx

viryaja — Wed, 16 Aug, 2017 - 07:19

Having first received notice of the worldwide Metta for Merida from the Melbourne Buddhist Centre and seeing that it will be 4.30am on Thursday 17th, in Australia, I would like to join in with everyone, from my home here in Toowoomba, Queensland Australia. Thank you Vajranatha for keeping us informed via your Shabda reports and through the video. Thank you for your courage, determination and love in such an extremely difficult situation. May you, the Merida sangha, indeed everyone in Venezuela soon see some lessening of the suffering there. With metta Viryaja

Maniraja — Wed, 16 Aug, 2017 - 14:45

The Guhyaloka Community will join the 2007 reunion retreat at 8pm CET. Maitrighosha will introduce the evening. We will practice puja together and at 8.30 we will be sending Metta to Venezuela. May all the blessings of the Buddhas be yours.

Vajranatha — Wed, 16 Aug, 2017 - 17:05

Hi!

Everyone it is great to see that so many people are going to take part. We are going to transmit a live video feed of the first part of the evening from Nottingham where we will have a ceremony of twining with Mérida. You will find the link here https://www.facebook.com/thebuddhistcentre/ when it goes live.

I will also let everyone in Mérida know about the centres where meditations will take place.

Our intention is to have monthly sessions around the world on the last Wednesday of the month. On Wed 30th Aug I will be in Caracas so I hope to lead a session of metta directly from there.

parami — Thu, 17 Aug, 2017 - 06:55

Around 30 of us practised metta for Mérida last night. We started by chanting a beautiful Amitabha mantra composed by Dharmacharini Kalyanagita from Ghent who is here on her post ordination retreat. She accompanied the mantra on cello. This was a heart opening mantra and led beautifully into the metta practice. Afterwards some of us took part in an Amitabha puja. A lovely evening and I was very aware of our friends in Venezuela.

dantacitta — Mon, 21 Aug, 2017 - 06:57

A warm hello to the Merida Sangha. Just to let you know that 17 members of the Melbourne Sangha on retreat joined in the Metta for Merida meditation at a dark and chilly 4.30am. Our Sangha are holding you in our hearts and minds during these trying times. Dantacitta

KeithG — Tue, 22 Aug, 2017 - 17:23

Hi Vajranatha,

I was personally very moved by your video, and I think it is great what you are doing out in Venezuela.

Just to let you know that at our regulars’ evening at Hertford Buddhist Group (just North of London), I played your video to everyone on my laptop.

One of us had actually visited Merida many years ago as a tourist, and said what a nice place it was.

Afterwards we sat and generated metta for Merida, and also took a picture.

I hope the situation improves, and that the Merida Centre thrives.

Keith

File Name	Size
Metta for Merida at the Hertford Group	1.89 MB

Vajranatha — Wed, 23 Aug, 2017 - 16:24

Thanks Keith. I will be travelling back to Venezuela on Sunday and I feel I have a lot of support from outside Venezuela.