Postcards from Sacred Mountain (Dharmagiri)

I’m back from the month-long retreat at Dharmagiri in South Africa and (almost) over the jet-lag. (It’s a 16 1/2 hour flight just from Jo’burg to Atlanta!) I didn’t take a lot of photos — this wasn’t a sight-seeing trip like last year in Burma —  but I did at least “document” the retreat center.

This is the group of retreatants. That’s me, with the pink-streaked hair, standing behind teacher Kittisaro (short guy, wearing a hat). Thanissara, his wife and c0-teacher, is standing in the back (with glasses and dark hair).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the meditation hall, with breezeway leading to the kitchen/dining hall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are some of the cabins for retreatants. The center can house 12. My room (with private bath) is the second from the left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is my room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the view from my window.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the main house, where Kittisaro and Thanissara live.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the Dharmagiri “office.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a small meditation hut where I often sat (and behind which I watched a troop of several dozen baboons playing and fighting and strolling from one side of the mountain to the other!)