We will be having a house concert/ fundraiser at the River and Bridge meditation hall (and community centre) on June 7, featuring the Celtic group Cairde, along with one or two storytellers. Have a look at this poster.

If you would like to come, let Randall Flower know so we can get an idea of the total number coming. He will be coordinating this (not me). His contact info is on the poster linked above. There will be no fee for attending, so the amount you donate is entirely up to you.  

If you want to skip the inconvenience of social contact and go directly to the donation part of the program (I hope you know that’s intended as a joke), you can make e-transfers to Sandra Martindale at  rogernsandra@gmail.com . Sandra is one of Lama’s students who lives near his home.

The Details

We had been planning to have a fundraising event for a while, to raise money to bring in teachers and support the River and Bridge group. In the past week circumstances have arisen to change our focus for that a bit.

Lama Sidney (Lama Tsultrim or Namdak Rinpoche) is a Dharma teacher living in Courtenay, who was a long time student of Namgyal Rinpoche. He has taught in Winnipeg a number of times, and has been a teacher to a number of us here over the years. He has always been very generous with his time and very undemanding. He is also a terrific teacher. 

He is now eighty years old, and has been in poor health for quite a while. Recently he had a mild stroke, which has moved him to make plans to move into an extended care facility on Vancouver Island. However, he may not be able to get a placement for at least nine months, and in the meantime needs people to stay with him in his apartment to help look after him. 

A couple fo his students from near Courtenay have been organizing a list of people who can stay with him for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. They have also been organizing shopping and cleaning for periods that no-one is able to stay, and ongoing home care every day for making breakfast, organizing lunch and helping him with bathing.

We are looking at assisting with the general fundraising effort to help at least pay for part of the air travel required for people coming from Winnipeg or elsewhere to stay with him, as well as funding for food, cleaning and home care. 

I think the situation with Lama Sid will help us all start learning how we will look after each other as we age, and certainly how  to look after members of the Sangha who are in real need.

Let Randall know if you’d like to attend.

Best regards,

Brian