This is the stupa we recently built on the teens retreat.


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I knew today would not be easy but it sure was unusual. I'm sitting here quite emotionally drained after attending a Greek Orthodox funeral followed by training in how to respond to critical incidents in schools such as death and injury to students. The day was topped off by a Christian chapel service celebrating connectedness.

Phew!

The funeral was ( Read more... )

An interesting, if exhausting week.

For those of you who are not school teachers it may seem strange that events at this time of the year do not 'wind down' but  actually do the opposite. It is a frantic time of marking, report writing, assuaging the fears of parents and lots of extra rehearsals for one performance or another. This is draining.

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I've returned from six days outside of Kempsey (7 hours drive from Sydney) where I was on semi-retreat at a Buddhist vihara called Naganaga. The land is sacred to the local Indigenous people; it is part of the Water Dragon Dreaming. Around the hill on which the community rests are the high soft curves of mountains and wide ribbons of fast water ( Read more... )