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July, 2000
Message from Sifu Eric Sbarge 
Announced in last month's newsletter, the 10-day trip Debra and I took up to New York was hectic but well worth it. The focus of Debra's activities was at the Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, NY where she participated in a prayer and meditation retreat with Sakya Trizin, the supreme head of one of the four Tibetan sects of Buddhism, whose spiritual influence is second only to that of the Dalai Lama. I also would have loved to attend the retreat if I'd had time, but I did at least get a chance to spend time with Sakya Trizin and his entourage at a special private dinner. The dinner was held at a posh Chinese restaurant in Manhattan and was arranged to honor the monks by Debra, her sister, and their friend, the Buddhist nun Bao Lin. All of the monks were warm and wonderful people.
The main focus for me was martial arts. I of course visited my teacher, Grandmaster DeMaria, at his new school in Croton, NY and also saw several of my own training brothers there whom I haven't seen in years and who are now instructors of Grandmaster DeMaria's martial arts. I also visited my older brother in the arts, Master Phil Sant in Brewster, NY, who just built a new school as well. In the middle of my trip, I detoured for four days to Baltimore to attend Master Park Bok Nam's pakua internal kungfu camp. The temperature was in the mid-90s and it was humid every day, so training outdoors all day long proved challenging. Would I do it over again? Of course. Master Park is an inspiration and a storehouse of information for anyone who wants to cultivate chi for health or practice internal martial arts. One hundred and twenty people came from all over the U.S., Europe and South America for the opportunity to train with Master Park for four days. With his international reputation, I feel all the more grateful that he'll be right here at The Peaceful Dragon on July 28th and 29th to lead an intensive seminar on chi cultivation and pakua kungfu. I can assure you it is one of the best investments of time and money you can make for yourself and I urge you to attend whether you are a martial artist or not. Finally, upon returning to New York, Debra and I went to Flushing, Queens to visit Venerable Guo Lin. Master Guo Lin is the authentic 34th generation Shaolin monk who, in 1994, left China's renowned Shaolin Temple (where Zen Buddhism and Shaolin kungfu both originated) to open the only sanctioned Buddhist Shaolin Temple outside of China. He gave us a tour of his new temple and took time from his busy schedule to join us for tea and refreshments. Though I know he doesn't travel because his hands are full running the large temple and teaching numerous classes, I nevertheless was presumptuous enough to invite him to come down to Charlotte to teach Shaolin kungfu and Ch'an (Zen) meditation. Low and behold, he accepted my invitation and is coming the first week of November! This was one of the nicest surprises of our trip. After driving a total of 3500 miles in 10 days, I'm glad to be back, and so appreciative of our students and staff keeping things running smoothly while we were away.
Classes & Workshops Geoff Bragg, Chef at The Pewter Rose, and George Lu, Head Chef at The Peaceful Dragon, will explain the basic principles of how to cook delicious vegetarian dishes with an Asian flare. Among many questions that will be answered: "What the heck do you do with tofu?" and "What is there besides tofu?" The workshop will cost $59 for the public, and $39 for Peaceful Dragon students and members. Register before Friday, July 21st and save $10!
Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm. Beginning Feng Shui.
Cancellation
Optional: Friday, July 28th 7 - 9pm. Saturday, July 29th 11am - 5pm.
Pakua Chi Kung and Martial Arts:
Sunday, August 20th 9am - 6pm. Day Long Meditation Lunch will be included and will be part of the meditative training. To make this as accessible as possible for everyone, the price is just $29 for students and members, $39 for the public. Wear loose, comfortable clothing (socks on feet) and bring a meditation bench or cushion and a towel or small blanket to cover your legs. The Peaceful Dragon will have some meditation cushions and stools for sale if you need them.
Sunday, August 27th, 1 - 5pm. Living Zen
Saturday, September 9th Noon - 9pm 4th Annual Tai Chi and Asian Health Arts Festival It's our big annual event, so do stop by and enjoy all the activities. Debra's famous veggie burgers and noodle soup will be available, of course. Plus, there will be discounts on joining any class and a raffle for a FREE year of classes.
Friday, September 22nd - Monday, September 25th. Mountain Tai Chi Retreat If you've never done tai chi or the related arts, this is an excellent chance to discover how great they can make you feel. If you're already a student of these arts, this intense uninterrupted training can help you break through barriers and reach new levels in your skill and understanding. Everyone is welcome: students, members, friends and family. Retreat hours are 1pm Friday, September 22nd - 4pm Monday, September 25th . Directions are available at The Peaceful Dragon, or by calling the Assembly directly at (828) 669-8497. Make reservations at The Peaceful Dragon. Prices are just $329 for students; $429 for members. (Anyone can become a Peaceful Dragon member for just $19.95 and receive our member's discount - or you can become a student and get the full student discount). Take advantage of a family discount (2 or more people) and save $30! A 50% non-refundable deposit is required at the time of registration (check, cash or credit card accepted.) In the event The Peaceful Dragon must cancel the retreat for any reason, you will receive a full refund.
Saturday and Sunday, November 4th - 5th Shaolin: Uniting Zen - Meditation and Kungfu
Venerable Shi Guo Lin, former coach of the authentic Shaolin Temple kungfu monks, who is nicknamed the "Iron Arhat" because of his tremendous chi kung skills, came to the U.S. in 1992 to spread the word of Ch'an (Zen). In 1995 he founded the Shaolin Temple Overseas headquarters, which he currently directs in Queens, NY. He rarely travels outside of New York for lectures or workshops, but because of the close brotherhood between the Temple and the American Center for Chinese Studies (where Sifu Eric Sbarge trained), he has agreed to come to North Carolina to teach Shaolin kungfu, meditation and chi kung. This workshop is suitable for students of all arts, at all levels. Workshop Price: Early-bird price $189 public; $169 members; $149 students. After Nov. 1 add $20. Lunch tickets are available for vegetarian lunch Saturday and Sunday, $6 each. Lunch tickets must be purchased in advance.
What's New?
Sad News
Phra Ajahn Yantra has several broken bones throughout his body as well
as an injured spleen. The other passenger, Phra Montri, has dislocated
cervical bones and cannot feel or move his legs.
Prayers and blessings, letters and cards, have been coming from several
places around the world into the hospital where they are being treated,
but much help is still needed. The monks have asked for continued prayer
and meditation to help in the healing process.
On Saturday, June 24th, a prayer and meditation session including
donations for the hospital expenses, was held at The Peaceful Dragon.
However, expenses will be very high and the impact on the monastery and
the future of the tour of course are not known. If you want to, you can
E-mail good wishes directly to Phra Mana or to Sheri Sundby at the
hospital at these addresses: phramana@att.net or
dreamspeaker@uswest.net.
You can send cards and letters as well as donations directly to the
monks:
Phra Ajahn Yantra & Phra Montri
or
Phra Ajahn Yantra & Phra Montri
From June 21st, the monks will be in the hospital at least two more
weeks.
Notice: This means also that the much anticipated 4-week
yoga/meditation workshop has been cancelled.
Happy News
Saturday and Sunday, July 8th and 9th. Clean-up Day and Carpet Installation
New Brochures
As an expression of how you value what The Peaceful Dragon offers you,
please help us promote it. If you know of places that would willingly
display or distribute our brochures, come in and get some. We even have
custom-printed display boxes and coupons to accompany the brochures.
Some suggestions for display locations are: alternative or mainstream
health centers (acupuncturists, chiropractors, nutritionists, massage
therapists, etc.); retail stores (health food, vitamin stores, Asian
markets, etc.) or any other places that cat
Volunteer Committee List
Young Dragons News
We are pleased to announce that Geoff Bragg is now working along with
Sifu Sbarge and volunteer instructors Lynn Adams and Randy Powell to
help teach the Young Dragons classes. Geoff has shown himself to be a
disciplined and dedicated student at The Peaceful Dragon, studying
Shaolin kungfu, tai chi and shuai chiao. His dedication to martial arts
and strong interest in working with young people make him an ideal fit
for our Young Dragons program.
When not practicing martial arts, Geoff
works as a chef at The Pewter Rose, a fine restaurant here in Charlotte.
(See announcement in this newsletter for details about the upcoming
lecture and workshop on Asian vegetarian cooking that he and Peaceful
Dragon chef George Lu will soon be conducting. We're all looking forward
to this one!)
Reminders
Please don't be shy - any student is welcome to submit an article appropriate to some aspect of our school, or your personal experience. Please see Wes Adams or Michael Ballantyne, or E-mail to bmk@carolina.rr.com. 400 words max. Put your classified ad in this newsletter, 40 words for $10, an additional 40 for $5 more. See Wes or George. To contact The Peaceful Dragon:
Call: (704)-544-1012
Write: The Peaceful Dragon E-mail: comments and suggestions to staff@thepeacefuldragon.com |