mettavalokanaya_international_buddhist_magazine_september_2020

The Body
Zen….
so far not many humans have walked on
Earth. However, it does exist, and it is
open and free for all. All are invited.
From 14 to 16 February 2020
we held our first Body-Zen Retreat in
Europe, at Europe Monastery Gut Aich
in Austria’s beautiful inner lake region
of Salzkammergut at Lake Wolfgang,
a former Celtic settlement area. Lead
by Gabriele Seewald, who had herself
trained directly with Earth Zen Person
Master Hung Chi Sung and Zen Teacher
Lynn Gong of Taiwan, twelve participants
from Austria joined the retreat and
benefitted from the immediate release
and relieve that Body-Zen brings to
over-tired and aching bodies, minds and
hearts. Participants were astonished by
the simplicity of the practice and the
immediate positive effects with longheld
pains, both physical and emotional,
being gently and loving, deeply and
lastingly relieved and a sense of original
ease, peace and joy returning to the
body, mind and heart.
We also integrated body-based
practices of lovingly uniting the two
main poles/energies in the body – yin &
yang, the feminine & masculine principle
or negative and positive charges. This
initiated a wonderful conversation
about these principles and how we can
bring further understanding and healing
of these two seemingly opposing and
often severely judged parts of us – in
each of us, man and woman and in
the world and in our relationships with
each other - into harmony and unity.
One of the participants who is a highschool
teacher for Religion and English
Language in Vienna, is keen to bring
Body-Zen into her classroom at school
and found it a wonderful way to bring
the girls and boys in her classes closer
to themselves, their own essence and
to each other.
Two other participants are
planning to go to Taiwan in late April to
train as Body-Zen teachers themselves
with Earth Zen Person Master Hung Chi
Sung and Zen Teacher Lynn Gong. One
of them, who is an Integrated Health
Practitioner and Massage Therapist in
Austria also started to apply Body-Zen
in her institute when working on her
clients, who immediately noticed a deep
sense of relieve and were surprised by
the gentleness and depth of release,
healing and regeneration that occurred
when we lovingly let go and restore our
bodies to their original state. Europe
Monastery Gut Aich provided us with
the perfect space and environment
for the retreat. Since 1993 Gut Aich is
inhabited by Benedictine monks and
in 2004 it became Europe Monastery
with the intention of nurturing Peace
in Europe and among people from all
over the world and all religions.
The monks live by the principle of
Saint Benedict: ora et labora and spend
their days in contemplation, meditation,
work and creation – whether in their
own herb garden, in production of
herbal essences and balms, artworks
and jewellery, as well as sharing their
lives and wisdom and lending an open
ear and loving support to anyone who
wishes to visit or stay with them for a
while. Europe Monastery Gut Aich also
houses a Natural Healing Center by
the teachings of Hildegard von Bingen,
accommodations and a store where
their own essences, balms, medicinal
liquors, artworks, teas and the likes
are available. Europe Monastery Gut
Aich also holds their own seminars and
retreats throughout the year.
Gut Aich is also the home
monastery in Austria of Brother David
Steindl-Rast, who is internationally
known for his teachings on Gratefulness
and his commitment to interfaith
dialogue. Lake Wolfgang and the
surrounding Salzkammergut inner
lake area are one of Austria’s most
naturally beautiful regions and oldest
settlements with pristine landscapes,
crystal-clear lakes with drinking-water
quality, salt mines, high mountains and
healing nature. A perfect place and way
to let go completely, restore to original
state of being, heal, regenerate and
nurture health and wellbeing of body,
mind, heart and soul.
The Beauty Way...an Invitation...
What happens, when we ask
different questions? What
happens, when we change our
perception? What happens, when we
listen to our Heart and let ourselves
be guided from there? What happens,
when we stop asking how we can fight
this virus, but start asking, how we
can truly become healthy again? What
happens, when we stop trying to return
to ‚normal’, but start asking how we
truly want to live? What happens, when
we for once truly get in touch with our
fears? The fear of sickness, the fear of
death, the existential fear, the fear of
life and nature? Listen to her and ask
her, what she wants to tell us?
What happens, when we do all
of this not with our head, but with
our heart? What does our heart say?
What does it feel? What does it deeply
yearn for? Does head start to speak
right away again, telling us: ‚that’s
not realistic. How should that work?
How will we survive?’ Maybe tears are
flowing...? Heart: ‚yes, my dear Head, I
hear you and I understand you. I love
you. And I ask you: do you prefer to
merely survive, or do you truly want
to live? Live in Health? Live in Balance?
Live in Peace? Live in Beauty? Live in
Comfort? Live in Abundance? Live in
Harmony with Nature and each other?
Truly live?... You are not alone with this
yearning. Not alone at all.
Yearnings and dreams become
reality, when we let them become
reality. With our hearts, our feelings, our
inner knowing and beliefs, our innate
wisdom, our love, our thoughts, our
words and our actions. Each of us and
together. Head: ‚actually, I have wished
for this for a long time myself...thank
you for being back, my Heart. I will from
now on listen to you and let you guide
me. Together, we will (co)create this!
Thank you.’ Heart: ‚and when you think,
there is no way or only the hard way, I
show you the gentle way, the loving way,
the healthy way, the joyful, creative way,
the nature way, the regenerative way,
the beauty way. Walk, only you can,
Human.’ It’s up to each and every one
of us to choose their way and to invite
others – especially also those running
our Nations at the moment – to walk
the beauty way together. It’s a path that
“Practices
of loving
Uniting”….
Austria
Gabriele
(Gabi) Seewald
20 l Mettavalokanaya l September l 2020 2020 l September l Mettavalokanaya l 21