Monastic Tour 2023 – Week Four: Wales

Day of Mindfulness: Falling in Love with Mother Earth, 8th June

On 8th June, the Monastics offered a Day of Mindfulness with the theme ‘Falling in Love with Mother Earth’ in a beautiful roundhouse in Ty Santiadd, Trefacwn, Pembrokeshire.

The atmosphere of the day is best expressed by the participants:

The Day of Mindfulness was a special and unique event led by the eight joyful and insightful monastics from Plum Village.  We were blessed in being able to host the event in the beautiful round house recently completed and it seemed fitting to be one of the inaugural events in such a beautiful space.  The delight and joy of the walking meditation was to discover the beautiful lotus/ water lilies in the pond and swimming pool and to be able to link the poetry of Brother Generosity’s talk to the mud and the lotus so beautifully described by Thay.  I found all the sessions so wonderful and enjoyed my various encounters with others during the Dharma sharings – which gives me hope that there are over 100 of us with the same seeds of joy and hope to continue to share this path with such wisdom and simplicity to grow our mindfulness habits and share them with each other.  This was a remarkable achievement prepared beautifully by Elizabeth and her Sangha team in St David’s – worth driving from Stourbridge to be present! – Virginia

This was my first experience of a day of mindfulness. The programme was full but flowed gently and easily through the day. Afterwards i realised the chattering in my head had totally ceased as i had become completely immersed in every moment of the day, which had left me in a deeply peaceful place. The mindful walking through the beautiful wild setting of trees and wild flowers was profound.I walk a lot alone in nature but the experience of walking in peaceful silence with so many others was unique and rarified. When we reached a hill overlooking the landscape,the sea and sky ,i felt like we were a tribe seeing our beautiful planet for the first time. The Monastics were friendly,approachable and playful whilst also imparting their knowledge and guidance. The venue,a beautiful Roundhouse, and the natural environment provided a perfect space for the event. A deeply enriching experience. – Brenda

The Day of Mindfulness has been organised by Elizabeth and Open Waves Sangha from St Davids.

Photos by: Anne, Holly and Elizabeth