Northern NSW Sunday 23rd – Sunday 30th October 2022
With Brother Tenzin (Dr. Alex Anderson) & Robyn Gibson
Yatra.org.au presents Dharma Yatra 2022. We will walk along the Yuraygir Coastal Walk following the stunning coastline from Lake Arragan in the North to Red Rock in the South of the National Park.
For details and registration information visit:
https://yatraaustralia.files.wordpress.com/2022/08/dy22-info-doc.pdf
Our Journey
‘Yatra’ is the Sanskrit word for pilgrimage. A yatra is a pilgrimage which offers an opportunity to explore dharma teachings whilst hiking through some of the most pristine natural landscapes in Australia. On this Dharma Yatra we will cultivate a supportive environment to investigate our relationship to self, others and our natural environment in order to deepen our sense of interconnection. The program will provide a flexible combination of silent periods for yoga, meditation, and reflective walking (wandering), as well as time for facilitated exercises, workshops, group circles, and artistic expression. The variety of practices will draw on traditional dharma teachings and meditation practices from the Buddhist and Yoga traditions, as well as science, deep ecology,
and tribal traditions. This yatra follows the wandering trails of Australia’s coastal emus through Yuraygir National Park. We will traverse the coastline from Lake Arragan to Red Rock. Wildlife and wildflowers abound as we walk past heathland plains, long sandy beaches, tranquil creeks, lagoons and rocky headlands. Accommodation will be in our personal tents. An accompanying cook will take care of our meals which will all be vegetarian. A support vehicle will transport participant camping gear from site
to site. The Dharma Yatra will require active support from the participants with kitchen duties, fire, water, equipment and setting up/packing down the camps.Facilitators
Brother Tenzin (Dr. Alex Anderson) began with an ecologist’s understanding of
interdependence, but the rainforest soon led him to Buddhist meditation. Now ordained as a monk in the Sakya Tibetan tradition, he has also studied and practiced meditation under Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh at Plum Village in France, and at Pa Auk Tawya in the Burmese Forest tradition. Guided by his main teacher Bhante Dhammadipa, his approach is informed by Theravadin, Zen, and Vajrayana methods of meditation and mindfulness, as well as Hatha Yoga, Deep Ecology, and his deep love of wild places. He currently lives on Gumbayngirr country on the Dorrigo Plateau, where he has a project to co-create community space for meditation and nature connection: http://www.gaiaforest.org
Robyn Gibson has been studying and practicing meditation for over 25 years, and teaching in the Insight Meditation tradition since 2016. She also studied yoga in the Satyananda tradition for several years. She has facilitated sitting groups and managed retreats for many years, and was EO of Melbourne Insight Meditation for three years. Robyn’s teaching reflects her dedication to the dharma as taught by the Buddha, ecological reconnection and immersion in nature, and creative expression. Robyn lives on Dja Dja Wurrung country in Castlemaine, Victoria, working as an artist/printmaker, and facilitator of single- and multi-day meditation retreats and workshops.
The retreat will be conducted under the shelter of ethical principles, which create a safe, caring and conscious environment for spiritual practice. On the retreat the precepts invite us to restrain from harmful speech and actions, sexual expression and intoxicants. Certain periods on the retreat will be in silence. The meditation instructions are mainly based on the Buddhist mindfulness traditions, the yoga exercises are suitable for beginners and are designed to support our process during our pilgrimage.
For more information and details of other events please visit www.yatra.org.au