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Brother initiates build makeshift bathrooms
for their retreat at the new center in Australia.
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This four-bedroom wooden house serves effectively
as a temporary meditation hall.
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[Goulburn]
At long last, with Master's blessings, initiates from Sydney and Australia's
capital of Canberra purchased a piece of land on which to hold retreats.
The 40-hectare center is located in Goulburn, a large town about a two-and-a-half-hour
drive southwest of Sydney within convenient access of initiates from
that city, Canberra and Melbourne.
During the Australia Day 2002 national holiday, about
100 initiates from Perth, Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney participated
in a three-day retreat at this venue. The retreat was also open to teenagers,
for whom the local center designed a series of activities, including
computer games, outdoor activities, meditation sessions and a tour of
the land, along with healthy foods and beverages. The adult initiates
meditated together, shared their understanding of Master's teachings,
enjoyed tea and admired the full moon. Besides, some work activities
were shared by fellow practitioners, such as cleaning up the environment,
selecting spots for planting trees, and making feasible plans to turn
the new center into a potential site for international retreats.
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Initiates enjoy lovingly prepared food in a
kitchen that they built themselves.
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After the retreat, Australian initiates expressed satisfaction
with the results of the first stage of construction at the site, proposed
turning it into a place where initiates could come for short or long
stays, and discussed the purchase of necessary facilities. The initiates
left their new center reluctantly and looked forward to seeing each
other again during the Easter holidays at the end of March.
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