From shearer to enlightenment
There’s no booze, no cigarettes and no sex permitted at this unique accommodation but the slice of Kiwiana nirvana is well worth the trip to New Zealand’s holiday heartland.
Tucked away north of Colville on the Coromandel, the Mahamudra Centre for Universal Unity has opened its doors for travellers allowing people from all walks of life to stay in their cabins usually reserved for people seeking enlightenment on meditative retreats.
Featuring daily guided meditation from an ordained nun, yoga lessons, Buddhist teachings and serene gardens to enjoy, the location is a holiday destination with a spiritual difference.
The entrance is marked with an impressive stupa standing proudly along State Highway 25. Possibly passed as a curiosity by motorists, those inclined to pull over will discover a tranquil experience. Walking around the stupa three times is said to promote happiness and help guide you to enlightenment.
Self-contained cabins are dotted around the grounds, allowing guests to stay overnight. There is a meditation room that can seat 80 and a Dorje Khadoro statue where fire cleansing rituals can be completed to burn away past mistakes.
Guests have to observe five rules based on buddhist teachings to preserve the location’s tranquillity. These include: protecting living beings, respecting others’ belongings, speaking truthfully, refraining from sexual contact and refraining from using intoxicants (including tobacco).
Some guests will be unable to speak to you as they are undergoing a retreat from the world for up to three months at a time. When visited, two guests were undertaking this retreat. The only contact they would have is a note requesting food to be purchased. Those put off by the talk of religion need not be concerned as nun Tenzin Palyon says Buddhism is a nonevangelical religion.
‘‘The teachings are on offer if anyone chooses to participate,’’ she said.
Palyon takes the free meditation classes each morning and says almost all guests take up the offer. Meditation is part of the enlightenment process. Tibetan Buddhists believe in karma and reincarnation. The ultimate goal is to uproot ignorance through guided reflection, meditation and soul searching.
Those booking a room at the centre might be more open to karma than they first realise. ‘‘People have to have some level of karma in their mind that will allow them to be able to come here and experience this centre,’’ she said. But how did a Tibetan Buddhist retreat end up at the top of the Coromandel to begin with?
The answer lies with founder Roy Fraser, who wanted to share Tibetan Buddhist philosophy with New Zealand and did so by shearing sheep. It gave him the money to buy the farmhouse and build many of the cabins, by hand. Fraser discovered the religion on a spiritual journey near Mt Everest. He took on a Buddhist retreat with Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Lauwdo in the Himalayas and wanted to bring the teachings to New Zealand.
Fraser bought the farmhouse in 1985 and added the cabins, mediation hall and the stupa over time. Fraser decided to open up the centre to allow accommodation to help support the centre.
‘‘We have not had a business arm supporting the centre for a while,’’ he said. ‘I’m hoping allowing people to book accommodation will be our fundraising. We had all these rooms that would be empty two thirds of the time.’’
The centre accommodates short-term stay and longer retreats. One thing Fraser enjoys is seeing people open their minds to new ways of thinking and gaining the benefit of meditation.
‘‘People have to have some level of karma in their mind.’’