16th of October, 2021
Dear fellow travelers in the Dhamma.
We hope you had a nice summer with many opportunities to practice. We felt it is time to update you on what’s been happening during the summer and to highlight some of the plans for the coming months.
Website
Some of you may have already noticed that the Suttavāda Foundation website has changed quite a bit and we believe it looks much better now, and we would be looking forward to any feedback you may have. It is faster, the menu has been improved and all information is easier to find and we aim to keep it all up to date. You can reach out to us through the website, for any questions or suggestions. The contact form includes how to reach our webmaster for any suggestions related to the website.
Physical Retreats
We are thrilled to announce that Delson Armstrong is planning to guide physical retreats in many different locations in the world. The kickoff will be a short retreat in the Netherlands, starting November 12 and ending November 15. The retreat is fully booked, but you’re welcome to add yourself to the short waiting list, as there may be cancellations. Registration will be possible until October 29. For more information and registration, click here.
More physical retreats will happen in 2022 and when they open for registration, we will inform you through the website and newsletters. Also, we welcome any offers for people who want to organize a retreat in any part of the world. If you’re inclined, please feel welcome to contact us and we can start planning together.
The tentative schedule for the coming period:
- November 12-15, 2021, short retreat in the Netherlands
- January 2022, three 10-day retreats in Europe (please reach out if you want to organize)
- March 2022, 10-day retreat in Mexico
- April 2022, 10-day Eastern retreat in northern California
- May 2022, two 10-day retreats in Kyrgyzstan
Other possible locations being considered include India and Singapore.
Zoom Online Retreats
The online retreats are returning, using Zoom for individual interviews and group sessions, in which meditators can ask questions. Delson will be back to guide a number of them, but since he will be quite busy with physical retreats too, we will also start doing online retreats guided by Syl. The first online retreat starts September 21, where the daily individual interviews will be held with Syl, while most of the group sessions will be hosted by both Delson and Syl.
Dhamma talks
Of course, we will return with regular Dhamma talks, which will be live streamed to our YouTube channel. Delson will be back to give talks, and the first one will be an introductionary talk in the Netherlands, which will be zoomed and live streamed to YouTube on Friday, September 10. See for details here: http://suttavada.foundation/online-dhamma-talks/
We don’t have dates for more talks just yet, but we plan to publish the updated schedule in the coming weeks, which may include dhamma talks hosted by others. We will update this page with dates and more information, as soon as they are available.
Book A Mind Without Craving
We are working on the finishing touches of Delson’s first book A Mind Without Craving. We plan to publish the book in physical format and online distributions. In it you will find a lot of information which is valuable when doing a retreat, day by day. It is filled with many explanations of key principles from the suttas and relevant for our practice. If you’re inclined to donate to make the publishing possible, you can find more information on the following page: http://suttavada.foundation/book-a-mind-without-craving/. We will need pprox.. $2000 for the process, and we’ve already received $350 from 2 generous donors, Sādhu.
Dāna
First and foremost, a big thank you for all of you who generously donated. We are a small foundation, run by volunteers and completely rely on dana. You are most welcome to donate. On our Dāna page you can see the various projects we are currently working on, and to which you can donate. We’d like to highlight Delson lives by the dhamma, and fully relies on dana for his livelihood. Any contribution (one-time or recurring) is highly appreciated. Sādhu
That’s it for now.
Thank you very much for your attention and for the ongoing, tremendous support you have given Delson. It makes us smile and encourages us to continue to provide you with many opportunities to deepen your practice, while aiming to keep the Dhamma alive and free for all beings. Sādhu, Sādhu, Sādhu!
With mettā and a smile,
On behalf of the Suttavāda Foundation,
Koen, Khin, Pablo, Syl, Els and Patricia
