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NEWS

1. Course Announcement

(Regular courses go to Courses and Classes) 

1. a. A short 8 weeks Mindfulness Course 

 

The course is free although, as a charity, a modest donation of your choice to support what we do is always welcome and appreciated. 

more info: meditationatvmc@gmail.com

Events: 
1. Sunday 21 July 2024:Asalha Puja Day: Vassanam : Buddhist lent

2. Wednesday 28 August 2025: Phapah at the centre. Fund raising day for the Uposatha Meditation Hall. 


Ajahn Sujan's Travel : 

August 2024: 

1. Sunday 4th : Birthday service at Baan Thai Restaurant. 

2. Friday 9-11 : Attending meeting at The Buddhapadipa Temple in London

Asalha Puja Day   The Rains Retreat

Sunday, July 21, 2024

At Varapunya Meditation Centre 

Easter Mains Cottage, Aberdeen, AB15 8RB Scotland

 

Asalha Puja Day is the anniversary of the day on which the Buddha delivered his first sermon called ‘Dhammacakkappavatana Sutta; turning the wheel of the dhamma’ to the five disciples at the Deer Park in Benares. The day also marks the beginning of the worship of the Triple Gem; the Buddha, the Dhamma - His Teachings and the Sangha - His Disciples. 

It is also the start of the Buddhist Lent, Vassanam. The Buddhist Lent starts on the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month. It was started during the time of Buddha. The Buddhist Lent is the tradition of an annual three-months retreat, known as Vassanam or in Thai as "KHAO PHAN SAA". During the Buddha’s time, during three months of rainy season all holy men, mendicants and sages spent their time in permanent dwellings. They avoided unnecessary travel during this period when crops were still new, for fear they might accidentally step on young plants. In deference to popular opinion, the Buddha decreed that his followers should also abide by this ancient tradition, and they began to gather in groups to live in simple dwelling. This gathering is also an opportunity that lay people would come to learn and practice with monastics. So, on the day of Asalha Puja lay disciples would normally join centres to support and provide necessary requisites for the monastic living, candle, bathing cloth etc as well as observe precept and cultivate mindful development. 

Therefore, the Varapunya Meditation Centre would like to invite you all to come and join the ceremony on Sunday July 21, 2024 and support the centre as you could by sponsoring these; 

  1. Sponsorship for the candles

  2. Sponsorship for the three months food, £1/per day or was your wish.

  3. Sponsorship for utility bills, electricity, fuel and woods.

PROGRAM

Sunday July 21,2024

6:00 a.m. Morning Meditation and Morning Chanting 

10:00 a.m. Group Chanting, guided meditation, observe precepts 

10:45 a.m. Pindapata and Lunch

11:30 a.m. Lunch for congregation

12:45 p.m. Dhamma discourse, Candlelight procession, Offering requisites Blessings, Ceremony Closed

Generous donation via ebanking: Varapunya Meditation Centre

Sort Code: 40-01-25 Account No: 8139-2948

VARAPUNYA MEDITATION CENTRE – HELLO WESTHILL!

Here at the Varapunya Meditation Centre in nearby Kinmundy, a 20-30m walk from Westhill town centre or a 10m drive, we sometimes can feel rather isolated. Even though we are so near, our regular community and visitors, often are from Aberdeen and even further afield, as far as Dundee, Perthshire, Fife and Inverness. We recently held our annual Kathina celebration (more on that later) and we had visitors from all over – even Southend in Essex! Yet, while our engagement with the small Kinmundy community is now well established, walkers on the local lanes and paths will often wave and walk on or stop for a short chat, some interested about the goings on at the cottage or ‘temple’ and others not. Sometimes astonished to see our monk/teacher Sujan walking with his food ‘alms’ bowl in the ancient tradition, visiting local (mainly Thai or Sri Lankan) Westhill families who wish to make food offerings. 

Having been  based in Aberdeen City before we moved, we have now been in Kinmundy for five years and the Centre is well settled in our small cottage with surrounding fields, stables and barn.   So, more recently, we have been ‘reaching’ out more, visiting the Rotary at their kind invitation, and some of their members have been to visit us. Schools also visit from Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. And we hope to visit the Men’s Shed soon and they will come to see what we are up to too we hope. If you or your organisation or charity would like us to visit, tell you more of what we do and even, as charities together collaborate locally on projects, do get in touch. Our motto is ‘Helping Hands Healing Hearts’ and we reach out to all communities of whatever faith or non-faith with that in mind. 

A new venture we hope, starting late January, will be our first Mindfulness Meditation Course in central Westhill so watch this space for news of that! This is at the heart of all we do at the Centre – in this crazy world our minds become cluttered, anxious & stressed. And so we live our lives worrying about what will be in the future and lots of blame/self-blame about the past. Our mental health is a huge challenge these days. The ancient teaching of Mindful Living and Meditation Practice offers knowledge, skills and practices which help us cope with this in everyday life. Even science & health professionals are accepting this and we often work in collaboration with NHS Grampian & others in Aberdeen. Our courses are free simply because we believe the knowledge, skills and practices are so useful for our mental health in the world we live in. If you might be interested simply register an interest (with no commitment at this stage) by emailing meditationatvmc@gmail.com with just your name for now.

 

Back to our Kathina Celebration. On 5th November we celebrated the end of the rainy season. The period August to October was traditionally when monks in Asia would stop wandering from village to village until the rainy season came to an end – usually around the end of October. This year it seems to have coincided with the end of the rainy season in Aberdeenshire too! The ceremony involved morning chanting, teaching and meditation followed by a community lunch. After lunch the community offers a new robe to the Abbot to start the new year of ‘wandering’ again. These days an Abbot of a temple is usually based there but will travel for teaching, for his own personal spiritual development & by invitation to other temples in the UK and overseas from time to time. Normally, he has no personal possessions nor food other than what is donated by the community to him or bought through donations made for those purposes. 

Finally, we do, of course, also teach and practice the spiritual teachings of the Buddha in the SE Asia tradition. If you want to know more contact the Abbot. And we are always in need of volunteers. If you feel able to help us in any way – web site editing/development, plumbing, electrical work, roof repair, grass cutting, general maintenance & repair, again do get in touch with the Abbot on his mobile 07446 545545. And our web site is here: https://www.varapunyacentre.com

 

The Varapunya Meditation Centre is an established Buddhist centre near Westhill for learning meditation, the Buddhist way of living and connecting with like-minded people. It is open to anyone who wishes to learn and practice. Teachings, courses and classes are free. We run on a donation basis only. 

  • Daily Chanting at 7am and 7 pm (contact centre to attend)

  • Weekly meditation at the centre on Wednesday 7-9pm, no booking required.

  • Weekly online meditation on Wednesday 7:45-8:45 am (contact meditationatvmc@gmail.com)

  • Monthly in person meditation at Aberdeen Health Village, last Monday of month.

  • Monthly online meditation on 2nd Monday of month at 1-2pm. (contact for details)

  • Also if you would like to learn practical meditation skills on one of our courses starting late summer please contact meditationatvmc@gmail.com

 

Current Project: 

On 28th May we also organised a very special blessing & ‘ground-breaking’ ceremony and installed a time capsule for a new Meditation Hall to accommodate those who are enthusiastic to learn meditation and/or the Buddhist way of mindful living. We are raising funds for this cause and look forward to whatever support you may feel able to give. Our next special event is the annual Kathina Robe offering on Sunday 5th November.

 

You are welcome to visit us, preferably contacting us beforehand as we are sometimes away. We also welcome volunteers for general garden and maintenance support. If you have some time and wish to help, please contact us at Easter Mains Cottage, Kingswells, Kinmundy, AB15 8RB

Facebook: Varapunya Meditation Centre

Website: www.varapunyacentre.com

Email: varapunya@gmail.com


Uposatha Meditation Hall

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Click here to see Uposatha Meditation Hall Project page.

Varapunya News - Bulletins

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Click here to see News & Bulletins page.

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