Omahu Hut

Omahu Hut

Meditation Retreat 2005
by Karen Meredith

This and similar articles are also available
in the June 2005 edition of the Newsphere
See also Poem for the Wangapeka Sangha

Omahu is Wangapeka's most remote retreat cabin. Nestled high up the slope from the Bluff trail at the top of the pine forest, this lovely cabin offers a true refuge for those wishing to deepen their meditation practice in solitary retreat. When Sue emailed me to say that the cabin was available from January to March, it sounded too good to be true. So despite the exorbitant air fare from Canada, I made the arrangements to come.

I was duly forewarned by a few people who have done retreat work in Omahu that it is quite a climb up to the cabin. And when I arrived in mid-January, Chris and Phil reconfirmed that I could expect to be "fit" by the end of the retreat. Well, how bad could it be, I thought. And off I set up the winding path through the woods with my first load of supplies. At the end of this first ascent, I found a gorgeous cabin, with delicious views, and amazing vibrations from previous meditators - a true haven for meditators in the mountains. So the walk up really didn't seem too far or too steep to me then.

Ah, but three days later, and nine trips up and down hauling supplies and belongings for the three months, I was singing a different tune. Ha!; They were right, this is a steep hike! However, once I was happily installed in the cabin I quickly forgot my uphill battles (except every 4-5 days when I came to the Main Hall for food and ice). And besides, how else could one get such spectacular views in so quiet and isolated a spot!

And so I began a very well supported three month retreat, surrounded by spectacular views, amazing variety of trees and plants, pigs and rabbits and moths, the stars of the southern hemisphere, and the rushing sound of the river! Ah, what a wondrously supportive place it is. Here, one can only contemplate with love and amazement, the many beings who, inter-connectedly, have founded and nurtured the Wangapeka Trust, providing cabins such as this for those who wish to practice.

But what really makes this such a conducive spot for meditation practice is the support of the Wangapeka Sangha, especially the caretakers. Sue, Chris, and Mike make the journey possible. Without their hard work and efforts to maintain the buildings and the property and supply food and take care of necessities, none of it would be possible. And looking further into the extended mandala, one can see the many moments of love and time that a vast number of beings have given over the years, and continue to give now, to support the centre so it can be a place of refuge for many beings.

And I can only hint at my deep gratitude and appreciation to Tarchin, who made it possible for me to do the retreat (offering up the cabin to me during the first 2 months of the three year program), and who supported me in the retreat with great compassion, awareness, and wisdom.

When I eventually emerged from the retreat in early April, I found even more blessings falling like the rain and the sun at Wangapeka! I was able to spend an extra month partaking in the first year of the three year program that Tarchin is guiding at Wangapeka entitled Body, Speech, Mind (you can read about the program in previous issues of the Newsphere and on this website here). An inspired and resplendent body of work it has been this past month; including explorations of the Paramis, the Heart Sutra, the human body, the senses, the neural system, theories of consciousness, the stars, the sun, water, rocks and minerals, and Anapanasati - a rich panorama of studies and meditations to awaken us to the wisdom that is ripening all beings.

And now as I prepare to depart from Wangapeka at the end of Leander's "Liberation through the Body" course, I am contemplating and reflecting upon all the richness and ripening that is happening here. I find the mind turning again and again to Tarchin's touching the earth practice, which so aptly reflect my feelings about Wangapeka and the work of unfoldment that is being supported here, for the sake of all beings:

Standing, Breathing, Present;
Recollecting our teachers - the sources of our inspiration, our ancestors, our ecological ground ( plants, animals, earth, water, air, sun), the interconnectedness and inseparability of all these,
while letting go of clinging and negatives, and radiating loving kindness to all beings,
Om, Ah, Hum, we touch the earth.

~Tarchin Hearn

Sarva Managalam - All is Blessing