Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage, Kholo, Brisbane, Australia
I have been here for over two weeks now. After som initial adjustment to the new situation, I have settled into my usual routine of formal meditation, physical exercise and study - developing spiritual practise in terms of body, mind and spirit/emotion.
There is also a fair amount of teaching/talking which adds another dimension to the practise as well.
I am staying in te Mahathera Room (with a heater for the 10C nights) next to the library. This has given me some incentive to do some editing on the series of talks on the Five Hindrances which friends in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia have diligently transcribed, and which may eventuate into another book. This has been a source for my study as well as stimulating some themes for deeper reflection.
The hermitage is in a very quiet, rural setting bordering a huge area of conservation land and a National Park. From the top of the hill there are expansive views of the forested hills of the D' Anguilar Range with patches of Lake Manchester to the west. The main vegetation is dry eucalypt forest which unfortunately is fairly homogenous and notably unexciting. Presumably the area was previously logged as almost all the trees are between 10 and 20 meters high and so evenly spaced that one suspects they have been deliberately planted. Only in the vallies are there trees towering to 30+ meters. However the homogenity of the flora is offset by the diversity of the fauna, especially the exotic bird ife common to Australia. There is continuous bird song of the most unusual variety, from the more familiar twittering and chirping of smaller birds to the screeching and squacking of a range of parrots and cockatoos. And of course there is the outrageous sqaucking laughterof the kookaburras which never fails to bring a smile.