Lolland

How can I convey the feeling of Lolland Retreat Center? Just the wheat fields around me are a joy to me. Most of my life has been surrounded by sugar cane fields and coffee plantations, so the golden fields all around make my soul sing. And the wind mills in the sunset are a sight to see. The colours here are beyond description and I lose speech as I see the sun sinking in the golden fields.

Many high teachers have come to this center, the XVIth Karmapa actually did the Black Crown Ceremony here, and Jamgon Kontrul Rinpoche gave initiations, Lopon Tsechoo also loved this place. The blessings are many and we can feel this as we meditate by the stupa or in the Gompa. This place is bursting with inspiration.

We left Hamburg on Tuesday morning, and drove for a short while until we reached Puttgarden, where we boarded the ferry that took us into Denmark. We are all like excited children. After weeks of pissing rain, Scandinavia offers us a real summer, with a bright sunshine and actually warm air. We cannot get over being over the Baltic Sea. Szabi becomes quite an expert explaining that the abundant Jelly Fish we see in the water are due to the fact that the ocean is clean, then laughs at himself and says "Yeah! What do I know? I'm just a Hungarian without any shore to claim my own." And we all burst out laughing and tease him about being a marine biologist.

The trip is joyful and we reach Lolland quite quickly, set up our tents and leave to Copenhagen. 

I will not write about this city because I barely had time to look around, the time I spent in Copenhagen was spent at the Buddhist Centre, quite a historical place for us Diamond Way. Our Sanghas were all born in this basement. And just like at the Lolland Retreat Center, this place is filled with blessings from the Highest Lamas of our Lineage.

They say this Gompa is very powerful, and that it is especially good for making wishes. I then proceed to make all the best wishes for all the people I love, my family - health and well being for my beloved mother, and all my love and strength for my beautiful children, for Waldo all the love I know he needs in his life - I feel so thankful everytime I think of him. The feelings of love have softly transformed into gratefulness, gratefulness for his kindness, for the way he showed me how lovable I am, for the inspiration his love gave me, gratefulness for this beautiful connection that has only given us good impressions, this is rare and precious and I wish the greatest happiness for him. I also make wishes for my friends, I think of my sweet Gaby in Guatemala, of my dear Carina next to me, of beautiful Grace, and Rosma, and Sandra in El Salvador, may their wishes become true, may they find the partner they need and desire. I start to make wishes for myself but quickly discover that my mind wandered away from the wishes of love and partnership to strong wishes for work and stability to make my move to Prague painless and secure. 


That is where my priorities lie now. 


My wishes extend to those who suffer, and I specifically think of a person I know who is suffering and causing great troubles to those near him, may all his pain dissolve, may he find the light of his true nature, may this inspire him to develop and grow, may he find happiness and joy. He is at the center of all my wishes and meditations.

In Lolland the wish-making continues. I meditate and do prostrations by the Stupa and feel the energy. The power field is intense. The XVIth Karmapa walked around this Stupa, he actually said that a thousand Buddhas would emerge from this place, this makes me dream and wonder. Here I am now. I cannot believe it. I am so blessed.

When we leave for the EC, it is in the joyous company of several friends from the Lolland parties or from other previous courses. We all sing like maniacs "Take me down to the Paradise City where the grass is green and the girls are pretty" and much happiness is shared. Yet Carina and I look at each other with melancholy. It is hard to drive away from you Lolland.

I promise, I will come back.