Events for the fourth year since the Master’s passing
From September 24th to October 1st, 2022, on the occasion of the fourth year since the Master’s passing to another dimension, Merigar coordinated a series of practices and events that involved all the Gars of the Community, the main organizations headed by Merigar, and the Community as a whole, with the support of the International Gakyil and the Atiyoga Foundation.
Ganapuja in the Merigar Gönpa on September 27, 2022
It was an opportunity for dialogue and collaboration throughout the Community; all the Gars and organizations became active protagonists and had the opportunity to communicate their respective situations, activities, problems and future prospects, sharing them with the practitioners present in the Gönpa and with those who were connected in webcast. We practised together, we saw images of the present and the past of the various Gars, we exchanged messages, invitations and greetings. We proposed to stay in touch and continue together the path that the Master has shown to all of us, his disciples.
Recordings of the events can be seen on the webcast website:
http://webcast.dzogchen.net/index.php?id=practices-and-events-merigar-september-2022
You need to log in to the reserved area with the username and password used on www.dzogchen.net
The Cinerarium
At the end of September the ashes of Stoffelina Verdonk arrived at Merigar. Stoffelina died on July 21st together with her sister Janna in a tragic car accident.
The urn with the ashes was deposited in the Cinerarium on September 27. A Guruyoga practice and a thun of the Vajra Dance of the Dimension of Space (12A) were held in her memory.
Dances and tales from India
On November 19th in the Gönpa at Merigar we hosted an evening of Indian dance, Bharatanatyam style, offered by the Natanavedica East/West Performing Arts under the artistic direction of Maresa Moglia.
The evening was a success and concluded with an exquisite South Indian style dinner.
Soon on our Facebook page we will publish videos and photos of this event, follow us
https://www.facebook.com/MerigarWest !
Anniversary of the Birth of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu
A day of celebrations for the anniversary of the Maestro’s birth, on December 8th.
In addition to the practices webcast from Dzamling Gar, which we followed in the Gönpa, there was the extraction of the winners of the first edition of the ‘8 December fundraiser’, who each received one of the objects belonging to Chögyal Namkhai Norbu donated by the Namkhai family. The funds raised will go towards the maintenance of the Great Stupa of Merigar.
The list of winners of the 2022 edition can be found at the link https://www.merigar.it/it/8-december-fund/
In the evening there was a Tibetan dinner in the Gönpa followed by a musical show with Alessandro Golini on the violin and Paolo Batistini on the guitar.
Land maintenance of Merigar
We are continuing maintenance work, which includes water monitoring and securing some areas of the land. Furthermore, our structures are mostly made of wood, and this requires continuous and careful care. We are preparing a list of the necessary works with the relative estimates of costs to be submitted to the attention of our members. Together we will evaluate the priorities and the possibility that part of the work can be entrusted to specialized companies, and part to our Karma yoga practitioners.
We are also carefully studying the maintenance of the green areas, closely linked to the availability of water and its increasing cost. The study also foresees the possibility that at least a part of Merigar’s more than 60 hectares could be used to generate income.
Participation in projects
An interim report of the Evolve app project was presented in mid-May and is about to be completed and submitted for the testing phase. Evolve is an application for the study and practice of methods related to Yantra Yoga and meditation taught by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. The app, in English and Italian, will give visibility to all the centers of the Dzogchen Community and to Merigar in particular, helping to give many people the opportunity to get in touch with the centers themselves, the courses, events, both on site and online.
In mid-June, UBI (the Unione Buddhista Italiana) approved the “Making Peace” project, in partnership with ASIA, and the organizational phase of the “The Silk Road” tender, organized by MACO, also presented to the UBI, began. The “Making Peace”project aims to contribute, through various activities aimed at children, teachers and civil society in general, to the creation of a culture of peace and dialogue. In particular, it aims to make children and adults aware of the importance of human values such as empathy, love, compassion, altruism, respect for others, in order to create a peaceful society that puts an end to conflicts and the resulting suffering. By making peace with yourself, you learn not to project the enemy outside of yourself and relationships based on respect, listening and empathy are established.
At the end of July, ASIA and Merigar also presented a project to the Assimoco Cooperative, which proposes interventions to support the fragility of adolescents in the Amiata area.
Spring and Summer at Merigar 2023
Calendar of courses and events for next spring and summer at Merigar open to all. Details for each course and event will be provided in the related pages.
This Calendar includes courses open to all and courses reserved to those who have received the Direct Transmission.
For the Calendar of events open to all click here.
March
March 11-12 Seminar on Rhythmic Breathing (open to all)
March 18-19 Course on the Base of Yantra Yoga (weekend 5)
March 31-April 2, Meditation and Yoga (open to all)
April
April 7-10 Retreat with viewing of the Master’s Teachings and practices guided by Santi Maha Sangha instructors
April 14-16, Ku Nye Tibetan Massage Seminar (open to all)
April 15 Explanation and practice of the Vajra Dance of Space of the Unborn (12A)
April 22-25, Practices of the Santi Maha Sangha Base
April 28-May 1, Open Seminar of Meditation, Yantra Yoga, Vajra Dance and Khaita Joyful Dances (open to all)
May
20-21 May, Khaita explanation and practice retreat, with Adriana Dal Borgo (open to all)
June
June 2-4, Retreat with explanations and practice of the Dance of the Vajra (open to all)
June 10-11, Meditation and Yoga
June 23-25 , Breathe Seminar
July
June 30 – July 2, Tibetan Ku Nye massage seminar on a chair (open to all)
July 7-12, Contemplation practices retreat
July 16-22 Khaita Training Week, with Adriana Dal Borgo (open to all those who have a basic knowledge of Khaita Joyful Dances)
July 24-30, Meeting and supervision of Yantra Yoga, with Fabio Andrico and Laura Evangelisti
August
August 11-15, Meditation Retreat, Yantra Yoga, Vajra Dance and Khaita Joyful Dances (open to all)
August 16-20, Retreat with viewing of the Master’s Teachings and practices led by Santi Maha Sangha teachers
August 18-20, Dance Retreat for the Benefit of Beings (open to all)
August 26-27, Khaita Joyful Dance Retreat (open to all)
August 28 – September 3, Teachers’ Training of the preliminaries and the First Series of Yantra Yoga, with Laura Evangelisti (open to all those who already have a basic knowledge of Yantra Yoga)
September
September 15-17, Meeting with the instructors of the Dance of the Vajra, with Adriana Dal Borgo and Prima Mai
September 16-17 Meditation and Yoga
September 23-30 Practices and events for the fifth anniversary of the Passing of the Master
