SAP ran from March through to September 2024, guided by the consistent presence of Mark Schrader and Kath Mitchell, with huge support from Tracy, Bonni, Matthew, and many others. SAP itself is an evolution of many years of community hui and dreaming around what the needs of Wangapeka are, and what it could look like to have a more consistent community of practice at Wangapeka.
The original objectives of SAP were :
– To reaffirm having Dharma at the centre of this Dharma Centre
– To explore the fundamental role of Service to the Path of Liberation, and opportunity to explore the many facets of what this means
– To support the presence of consistent ongoing practice at the centre throughout the year
– To support the cultivation of a continuous sense of community on the land, and share the workload required to maintain the centre
– To explore a more sustainable model of practice, service and retreats that provide precious opportunities for people to experience and integrate the teachings in their lives, while ensuring Wangapeka has the practical and logistical support that it needs to function well into the future.
It would seem, from all reports, that the inaugural year of SAP has been a great success. After a relatively slow start, SAP places quickly became fully subscribed, with people staying a minimum of 2 weeks, and one stayed for 4 months! Many visitors to the Centre commented on the noticeable aliveness and hum of having more people on the land. SAP coexisted well with retreats that were run, and offered a lot of support to various retreats and courses.
The BoT have formally requested Mark and Kath to be involved in another iteration of SAP in 2025 and they have accepted this request. Georgia and Dan are currently in a working group/support role, to see how this evolution/experiment can continue to build on all the learnings from this year and carry it forward into 2025. Watch this space!