We are changing the monthly meditations to the last Saturday of every month at 3pm Venezuela time. That is currently 7pm UK time. This coincides with our regulars class at the Mérida Buddhist Centre
The next meditation will be on Sat 27th Jan 2018
We had to make this change because the change from UK summer time meant the meditation at Venezuelan time was at a time that few people could go.
Here in Mérida we're going to be on retreat from the 26th to the 29th, so we'll be doing our monthly meditation on retreat this month. Just getting ready to go up there and set things up!
Tomorrow is our next day to come together for metta 4 mérida
Last month I was really ill and although I led the meditation I didn't have energy to write anything before.
This time I've just got back from visiting our sangha in Brazil which is why I'm writing at the last minute.
Just a bit of news about how things are going over here in Venezuela. The economy is getting worse & worse which produces a lot of hardship. The devaluation of the local currency (Bolivars) is insane. When I travelled to Europe in May $1US was worth 5,000Bs but it is now worth about 82,000Bs. This creates hyperinflation with prices going up every week. Things that need to be booked in advance like plane tickets or hotel rooms can only be reserved a fortnight before because no one knows what the price will be. There are petrol shortages (which is insane because Venezuela is a major OPEC country).
Many people in the sangha are simply planning to leave. Life is almost impossible here. There is none of the political violence which prompted me to set up metta 4 mérida in the first place, but there is a lot of hardship & crime.
Last month in our meditation here in Mérida I suggested we also include the Muslims in Myanmar in the last stage specifically. Perhaps you would like to do the same.
This Wednesday is the last Wednesday of the month, so it will be the 3rd session of metta for merida. Here are details of the time etc.
Last month: I had just arrived back in Venezuela & I was in Caracas staying with our only mitra who lives there, Maria Elena. We did a short session of metta together before I travelled back here to Mérida. In Mérida itself there was a session of meditation too & people have sent reports of their meditations all round the world.
News about Venezuela: Since the time I made the video about Venezuela, the violent protests on the street have calmed down, but that is not because life has got easier. I have found that the sangha here it quite demoralised in some ways. The economic crisis has really deepened and the price of food is incredibly high. I'm hoping to set up a little right livelihood business so that people can earn a dignified wage. When that is clear I will post more & ask you to support this business.
This Wednesday: as well as leading a meditation for the sangha here in such a way to help them work with the inner conflicts that arise with such strong tensions in society, we will dedicate some time to sending metta to México, where many people will be suffering the after effects of the recent earthquakes.
Many thanks to everybody who offered support in some way on the Adhisthana Order Weekend. I now have 6 smart phones for the sangha (including 4 iPhones!) Several people gave me money or have offered to support regularly via FutureDharma. Many people offered practical support in other ways and lots and lots of people gave me their best wishes and have promised to join in the metta for merida monthly meditations. I feel really supported by the Order. I'm sorry I can't name everyone individually, but this has been fantastic.
Some people have asked if we have a just giving page. We have this one up and running already, but we may set up a more general one.
As I am flying to Caracas on Sunday & it may be more difficult for me to get online, you can always contact Aryavachin in Nottingham or Vanaraji in Essex if you want to know about helping in other ways.
We are changing the monthly meditations to the last Saturday of every month at 3pm Venezuela time. That is currently 7pm UK time.
Each month we will give updates about how things are going in Venezuela.
Just created a poster that could be used to promote this project. What do you think?
I've also created a QR code that can de read by mobiles to bring people right here and a short ULR for this group which is easier to type in, which is: https://goo.gl/EALYj8
As well as helping to organise groups to send metta to everyone in Venezuela, which I believe can make a real difference, you may feel like helping out in other, more practical ways. Sometimes people ask me if they can send food parcels or medicines, but unfortunately that is not possible, parcels would never make it through customs.
However, there are some things which you might be able to do to help...
Thanks for thinking about our friends in Venezuela. Just leave a comment below if you'd like to help in one of these ways.
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.
Made to launch this project Metta for Mérida explaining the difficulties for people in the Sangha in Venezuela.
Filmed at Vajrasana in Uk by Sanghadhara of Clear Vision.
On the recent ECA meeting several centres pledged to raise a total of £5000 to help the Venezuelan Sangha with travel expenses so they can take part in retreats outside Venezuela and Order Members can travel to support them.
Bristol is the first centre to respond. I was invited to give a ten minute talk at their regulars' class about the situation in Venezuela. After the talk we did mettabhavana including Venezuela in the last stage. At the end of the class £430 were raised with about £70 in gift aid to be added on and there is also a promise to double the contributions from Bristol.
This was a fantastic response. Thank you very much Bristol!
Vajranatha
