Blogs

Thanks to everyone who clicked the like this button enabling us to have our very own facebook page.

Take a look at www.facebook.com/guhyaloka

During our first year a lot of effort has gone into learning how to manage the land and the trees.  This has been a steep learing curve and a lot of hard work - but the generous donation of a tractor,  by friends of Bodhidaka, at the end of last year has made an enormous difference.  The trees - fruit, almond and olive as well as the vines - are now well tended and the management program better underst

It is not often that we can announce two new community members. 

Achaladeva and Saccanama are brothers, and last year they both decided to join the community at Guhyaloka until at least early 2012.  Achaladeva has lived at Guhyaloka on and off over the last four or five years, and Saccanama has been on several long retreats in recent years - so they know the community well.  It is a great boon that we have these two men with us. 

The president of a Triratna Community Centre is a senior Order member who acts as a 'Wise Friend' to the community. 

For many years Cittapala has been Guhyaloka's President and his knowledge of the history and development of Guhyaloka has been invaluable - but for the last several years he has felt that as he lived in the UK it was time to hand onto someone with a closer regular connection.  Fortunately Moksananda who has lived in Valenica for over twenty years, visits Guhyaloka regularly, has lived in the valley himself, and is a senior and experienced Order member wanted to take on a new responsibility - so a new president was available. 

You can now see a short slide show with images of the Valley and the various retreat and solitary facilities.

You can also check to see which solitary retreat places are available on line

And there is more information about the history of the Guhyaloka Community

You can now check to see which solitary retreat places are available on line

In the middle of June seven men were ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order. 

Their ordination was in the context of a four month retreat during which all aspects of the 'core' teachings and practices of the Triratna Order are reviewed and engaged with.  As usual the retreat was particularly harmonious, but because of the small number of men on retreat this year we were able to get to know and appreciate each other even better than usual.  The Order team was Manjuvajra, Dharmapriya, Jayaraja and Dhammadipa. 

There are two changes in the community this month. 

After six years at Guhyaloka, Bodhiketu is leaving to return to the UK. From September he will be devoting a year to living and working in a community raising funds for the Karuna Trust which supports the Triratna Buddhist Community's social and Dharma work in India. 

We have just finshed the 2010 working retreat. During the month of February about fifteen men from the UK, Belgium, Germany, Spain and the United States joined the community for a week or more to help with the work at Guhyaloka, and at the same time to enjoy a retreat here in the mountains.  We had a program of meditation, study and puja and each morning we worked together for four hours.