Green Man Marathon Update - Don't Panic - Mirek is Fine!

First of all, and most importantly, I want to start by letting the readership know that Mirek is perfectly fine in spite of the travails and tribulations of the Green Man Marathon which supporters and friends of the Drala Jong Retreat Centre Appeal walked (slipped, slid, tumbled and almost swam) on Saturday.

The walk started well, with the Vanguard heading from Blaise and linking up with the main body of walkers coming down off Dundry Hill. 

Sky Larks were playing over the heads of the wheat fields, and spirits were high. . .

. . .although after a while the Gaveller was starting to look pensive, perhaps due to his weather sense kicking in. . .

. . . and then, it came. . .

Of course the benefit of a day that saw wind and stillness, rain and bright sunshine, thick black clouds, and clear blue sky (and an occasion that is supporting the vision of Kyabjé Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche), is that a rainbow was inevitable.

The final leg is where 'Uncle Mirek' nearly came unstuck, and started at the Compton Inn.  Here the advance party of Drowang, Thrinlé, Shé-zér, 'ö-Dzin, Mirek, Isa, and A-gyür were joined by Namgyal, Libby and the four children (Raechel, Tom, Milan and Jana) for the final 3.7 mile section - all seen on their way by Khandro Déchen, for whom a knee injury had alas sidelined her from being able to take direct part in the walk itself.

It turned out that following weeks of heavy rain, and a downpour during the penultimate section of the walk, the final leg had somewhat treacherous footing.  Fortunately however the six inch deep mud cushioned the various impacts that happening during the home stretch.

Two of the team of walkers did take major tumbles during the 22.5 mile 'Moon-wise' secton of the Green Man course, which follows the Bristol Community Forest Path around the City.  A-gyür took the first dip in the murk, shortly followed by Isabelle.  Despite this, fortunately 'Uncle Mirek' survived his nasty brush with death (aka a mud-soaked Isa) without a scratch upon him.

Various records were set during the walk (albeit none of them relating to the pace of travel), including most biten by horseflies (Thinlé - 5) most times having a shoe sucked off her feet (Jana - 3), most times teased about not wanting to get even a spot of mud on him, whilst his wife was virtually swimming through the murk & mire (Mirek - 547) and most times staring down a charging Bullock that seemed intent on attacking the walkers from behind (again Mirek - 1).  Also Drowang (The Gaveller of the Honorable Order of Woodwoses) has officially declared that this was the muddiest excursion ever for a Green Man event.

All who participated enjoyed the event immensely, and are thinking of walking the other half of the 45 mile route next year.  Well, nearly all. . .

. . . and in addition to the mud, they are all now proudly sporting a Drala Jong Appeal wristband (send £2 + £1 P&P to sncd.treasurer@gmail.com for yours. . .)

Having been introduced by Drowang, run by Rin'dzin (the Mad-as-a-Snake Khandro) last year for Aro Ling, and now walked by sangha, friends and family this year, the Green Man (now renamed by those who walked it the 'Green Man, Brown Woman' walk looks set to be a sangha fixture

With about half the donations for the event declared, we're delighted to advise that so far £488 has been pledged to the appeal. 

If you still want to make a contribution you are of course most welcome to do so, by sending a credit or debit card payment via paypal to sncd.treasurer@gmail.com

My profound thanks to all who took part, Lama 'ö-Dzin who took the photos, all who came along to support, all who couldn't attend but have pledged their petrol money to the appeal, to those who donated, or who just wished they'd been there to see Mirek jump a full 12 feet in the air when Isa approached him covered in mud.

Here's to brilliant blue skies, and the swift establishment of the Drala Jong Retreat Centre, and the enactment of Kyabjé Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche's vision.



Green Man Challenge

On Saturday June 30th - fifteen apprentices and friends of the Aro Tradition will be undertaking the Green Man Challenge as a sponsored walk to raise funds for the Drala Jong Appeal.

The Green Man Challenge follows the 45 mile course of the Community Forest Path around the city of Bristol.

We will be undertaking the challenge as a relay team with people undertaking legs of between 4 and 22 miles each depending on their age and ability. Two hardy souls - Naljorma Thrin-lé and Drowang Pawo have both committed to completing half the walk each - 22 miles, and our younger participants Tomas (age 5) and Raechel (age 9) have committed to walk 4 miles each.

If you would like to sponsor our team effort you can do so via Paypal or for other methods please get in touch. 

Just 5 pence per mile for Thrin-lé & Drowang's efforts would make all the difference.  Send your £2.20 donation to sncd.treasurer@gmail.com via www.paypal.co.uk and if you are a UK income tax payer include your name, house number and post code marking it 'Gift Aid' and we'll claim 55p tax relief on your donation.

 Now we're just hoping it won't rain. . .

Earthen Spirituality

Sky McCain will be signing his book Planet as Self, an Earthen Spirituality in Aro Ling at 2pm on Saturday 24th March. 

In his book, Sky McCain challenges us to stop and and think about possible alternatives in the way we look at the planet and to question our suppositions as to what it means to be part of a living planet. 

As a response to this challenge, Chris Bloor (Dro-wang Pawo) will lead an Earthen Spirituality Walk before the signing at 11am from Aro Ling. The walk will explore Green Spaces around the Gloucester Road in search of a practical and experiential answer to Sky's challenge.

The walk will be from 5 to 6 miles long (or less than 4 if we catch a bus to cut off the last bit) depending on the abilities of those who turn up. You will need to be fit enough to walk at least 4 miles and to have appropriate footwear and clothing. The walk is free, but you will need money for bus fare and refreshments.

In the afternoon (2pm) Aro Lamas She-zer Khandro and Namgyal Dorje will be exploring a Buddhist respose to Sky's challenge.

There are no charges for the walk, talk or discussion, all donations on the day will go to the Drala Jong Retreat Centre Appeal. Refreshments will be available on a donation only basis.

Mad as a snake

Well, things are building up nicely to the next main fundraising event on Friday 25th November at Aro Ling.

The calligraphies have arrived for the exhibition, talk and sale in a fortnight's time.  There are 15 different calligraphies, each of which has been specially commissioned in support of the fund raising appeal, as well as a set of 5 calligraphies of the syllable Hung.  Several of the sangha were here at our place last night, and the desire-to-acquire inspired.  In fact early pledges to support this fund raiser mean that at least 4 calligraphies will sell within moments of the doors of Aro Ling opening on the 25th - all from admirer's of Ngak'chang Rinpoche's art, and the Drala Jong project as a whole.  This means the day has paid all its costs and is already £150 to the good even before the exhibition starts.  Over all we hope to raise £6,000 from this fund raiser - and in the process we aim to give pleasure to all who come to the free talk and display (recommended donation £5 - all proceeds to the appeal. . .).

On the day we'll also have copies of the yojohnnycowpunk CD on sale, which has already raised £80 at time of writing, and also several select Raechel's Risible Rabbits items, which has also raised about twice that amount - both since last weekend alone.  Lama Bar-ché Dorje, who is just starting to learn the art of calligraphy, has also donated some of his early small scale practice pieces (which read 'Gar-tak') on offer for a mere £20 each, so there will be an opportunity for everyone to fully satisfy their acquisitive inclinations on the day, regardless of the depths of their pockets.

All told, this means year to date in 2011 we've raised nearly £4,000 for the appeal, most of which has come since we tickled this Blog into life a few months ago.  Will we make five figures, by the end of the year?  We shall see.

Of course the kindness of donors and fund raisers, large and small, is impossible to repay - whether for the Drala Jong project, supporting the existing Aro Ling centre, or any of the other works of our charity Sang-ngak-chö-dzong.  Still, I wonder what HH Dud'jom Rinpoche (who directed the creation of the charity) or Kyabjé Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche (who directed us to establish a retreat centre) would have said if they had heard of Naljorma Rin'dzin 'Mad as a snake' Pamo's efforts, running the Bristol Green Man Marathon (check this link as it has footage of the inestimable Chris Bloor on it) ALL FORTY FIVE MILES OF IT.  Indeed as well as qualifying as a woodwose (and would a wose by any other name smell as sweet?) Rin'dzin win's this Blog's entirely unofficial mad-as-a-snake award for not only running the whole marathon (and raising over £1,000 for the Aro Ling centre as a result) but actually stopping near the end and running back a couple of miles before re-running the same leg of the trip.  She is the only person we know of to run 48.6 miles of a 45 mile run.  Actually, she likes to pretend that she dropped her phone on the route and went back for it, but we know truthfully that 45 miles just wasn't tough enough for that Pamo.

That feat (and those feet) is of course remarkable - but any and all fund raising is remarkable.  If, like Rig'dzin Palden Tashi, we could find just 1,900 remarkable dagger wielding fund raisers, and they raised just £222 each, we'd be able to establish Drala Jong.  Small is beautiful, and anyone, regardless of their knowledge, experience, and personal bank balance can make a difference.  From selling  unwanted books on Amazon, to donating art works and music for sale, to garage sales, to sponsored runs, sponsored sits, promise auctions, or just tapping up friends to give a contribution (how about 22 friends to give a tenner each) we can and we shall establish Drala Jong. 

All we need to do is think positive.  If you think that Drala Jong will be there, it will be there. 

Just avoid the negative waves, that's my advice. And I have a friend who tends to agree.. . .





So, on that note - how about working out how to raise £222.  Think you can do it?  I do.

All the best

Oddball