I have been teaching at the Buddhist Retreat Centre in Ixopo, South Africa, for over 7 years with my colleague Makhosi Nomusa who is the resident Zulu Sangoma. The BRC as it is commonly known, is in the heart of traditional Zulu land. We are the first sangomas or traditional african healers to be teaching at the centre. I recently wrote an article in the Odyssey Magazine Summer edition 2022 sharing some of the stories and teachings during these years.
My journey began with Korean Zen practice in the early 1990’s. I went to South Korea in 1992 and participated in a 3 month silent retreat. At the end of it I was invited by the late grand Zen master Seung Sahn to become a Zen monk and join his “monk army”. I declined because I felt the call to become an african dancing monk instead. Click below to read the full story.
We will be leading our 8th retreat at the Buddhist Retreat Centre next year 2023 from the 27th - 30th Jan. Our ceremony is called ‘The Way of Ubuntu’. Ubuntu means humanity. It involves a circle of interconnectivity, starting with ourselves and spreading into the the plant and animal worlds. The focus of the ceremony is helping people to re-connect to their soul or umoya, the part of us that does not die, followed by our Ancestors and the natural world. As we do this we connect to the tree of life. If this speaks to you then join us.
