www.examiner.com Harold Mandel

2011-01-11 【Share to Friend】 【Print Friendly】

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The Buddhist Channel has reported on a Buddhist retreat centre in South Africa. Peter Fabricius of Pretoria News has reported Zen Buddhism sings softly in the hills, http://bit.ly/hXqv5C. This is of interest to Buddhists here in Syracuse who are always inspired by the powerful presence of Buddhism across the world.

Louis van Loon, the founder of The Buddhist Retreat Centre at Ixopo arrived in South Africa from Amsterdam at 20 years old in 1956 searching for adventure in a faraway country. He arrived in South Africa with a suitcase of clothes and some art materials and was not certain if he was going to pursue a career in civil engineering which he trained for in Amsterdam or give art a try.

Louis van Loon also had an interest in Buddhist philosophy, which was beginning to have an impact internationally on young people. The influence of Buddhist philosophy was however limited in South Africa at the time because the country was isolated from and ostracized from the world by its apartheid policies. Still, he felt that calmness and clarity, balance and compassion in the most challenging circumstances were the hallmarks of Buddhist practice. And he believed that those qualities have been attracting increasing numbers of Westerners to Buddhism, particularly the practice of “mindfulness” that is so intrinsic to this 25-centuries-old philosophical tradition.

The interest of Van Loon in Buddhism deepened so much that he decided to build a meditation retreat centre and to establish Buddhism as a subject of academic study in South Africa. At that time Buddhism was not yet being taught at South African universities. However, Van Loon’s published Buddhist studies resulted in invitations to lecture in Buddhist philosophy at the Universities of Durban-Westville and Cape Town. And this eventually lead to Buddhism becoming an established academic subject at most major universities in South Africa.

While busy with a professional practice as an architect and consulting engineer, lecturing at two universities and still travelling extensively,  Van Loon also began work on the Ixopo Buddhist Retreat Centre.  The Buddhist Retreat Centre developed by Van Loon was ready to open its doors for the first time in April, 1980. Over time as interest in Buddhism burgeoned worldwide and with the gradual opening up of South Africa to the outside world, the retreat centre began to flourish.

Buddhist retreats are held on a wide variety of subjects every weekend, and even for as long as nine days. Traditional meditation retreats which are conducted by eminent international scholars fill the centre to capacity with 40 or more visitors from all over South Africa and from overseas. Although the primary focus of the centre is to study Buddhist philosophy and meditation, yoga, chi kung, Japanese brush painting, raku pottery, creative writing, sketching and other activities are also part of the retreat schedule.

The Buddhist Retreat Centre in South Africa is now considered to be one of the finest in the world. And it is exceptionally beautiful. Buddhists here in Syracuse may therefore want to join Buddhists internationally for a retreat at this magnificent Buddhist centre when the time and money is available to do so. For more information the website for this centre is at: http://www.brcixopo.co.za.



루위스 반 룬은 남아공 익소포 불교 명상 센터의 설립자이다. 1956년 20세의 나이에 먼 나라에 모험을 쫒아 암스테르담을 떠나 남아프리카에 왔다. 루위스는 국제적으로 젊은이들에게 강한 인상을 주기 시작한 불교 철학에 관심이 있었다. 그러나 당시 남아프리카에서 불교철학의 영향은 제한적이었는데. 인종차별 정책 때문에 세계로 부터 고립되었기 때문이다. 그럼에도 불구하고 그는 가장 어려운 상황에서의 고요함과 깨어있음, 균형과 자비가 불교수행의 척도라고 생각했다. 이런 점들이 점점 많은 서양인을 불교, 특히 2500년 된 철학 전통의 본질인 알아차림 수행이 이끌었다고 믿었다. 갈수록 불교에 대한 관심이 깊어져 선수행 센터를 세우고 학문적 연구의 대상으로 확립시키려 노력했다. 그 결과 그 전까지는 남아프리카 대학에서 불교를 가르치지 않았지만 더반 웨스트빌과 케이프타운의 대학에서 반 룬이 출판한 불교연구의 강의를 요청, 드디어 불교가 주요 대학에서 정규 과목이 되었다.

건축가와 설계사로서, 두 대학에서의 강의와 많은 여행으로 바쁘지만 반 룬은 익소포 선 센터 일을 하고 있다. 1980년 4월에 개원 한 후, 차츰 불교에 대한 관심이 세계적으로 싹텄고, 남아프리카가 점차 바깥 세계에 개방되면서 선 센터는 활기를 띠었다.

국제적으로 유명한 학자들이 진행하는 전통 안거는 남아프리카와 외국에서 온 40여 명의 방문객들로 꽉 찬다. 센터의 주요 관심이 불교 철학과 선 수행이지만 요가. 기공. 서예. 창조적 글쓰기. 그림 그리기. 도예 그리고 이외 활동도 안거 스케줄에 포함된다.