Buddhafield Festival sells out; largest-ever

Last weekend saw the 14th Buddhafield Festival, the largest-ever at around 3,000 people. The Festival is by far the biggest event in the FWBO calendar outside India, and involves over 700 people in all the many teams, workshops, cafes etc that combine to put it on.

This year the weather was not kind – but spirits were high and the theme of “Skilful Living in a Changing World” unfolded in a thousand places across the field.

Rather than write a review we’re happy to present excerpts of a report posted on the ‘Explorations of Truth’ blog (http://explorationsoftruth.blogspot.com/) by an unknown author. He or she says –

Buddhafield - Life As It Should Be
“I’m at the Buddhafield Festival gathering at the moment near Glastonbury, England and am definitely loving it. It’s a large gathering of people who share a love of community, a capacity for celebration, are trying to live more consciously, and many of whom are working actively towards making the world a better place. There are probably around 3,000 people here all camping in a very beautiful forested countryside. I came here with my friend Marcus and a sweet woman sharing the ride there named Natalie.

“I’m writing here because I want to acknowledge how happy I am to be here. There is so much love being spread around. Everywhere you look there is a positive interaction happening between people. There are so many things happening here, music constantly at different venues, lots of cafes, teepees serving chai around a fire, nudie saunas, dances, consciousness raising talks, healing services (massage, etc.). playgrounds for kids, interactive games for adults, cinema, drum circles, ceremonies, classes, etc.. For those of you who’ve made a life of attending these events, it may seem like an everyday thing, but to someone like me who has only been to some music festivals, it’s quite amazing.

“While here, I’ve also been to a dance which was another amazing experience. I won’t get into the details of it, but I will report that the levels of Love and contact and celebration that can happen within a group of open hearted people is soooo much more than most people reading this (and the person writing it) have ever experienced. What a blessing it was to be a part of that.

“Other workshops, drum circles, film, live music, completely hysterical improvisational cabaret. It’s rained every day here, sometimes gusting torrents of rain, but that seems to have passed over finally, although the mud seems to be here to stay.

“Needless to say again, I am loving it. What it most feels like to me is Freedom. It feels like how life is supposed to be. Life is worth celebrating. Life is wonderful in community. Life is wonderful when spent with people who just naturally square their face to you and take the time to smile meaningfully at you and share a greeting.

“It’s also about as hippie a festival as I’ve ever been to as well and I am sure glad I lived long enough to see another side to life, another way that things can be.

“Noticed self-consciously today that the rain jacket I’m wearing has an Adidas logo on the sleeve. Here, no-one that I’ve seen, not one of the thousands here, is wearing any form of corporate logo or even sports team emblem. None. Other niceties here include composting toilets, lots of raw and organic veggie vegan food, and a big board constantly added to of singing, dancing, dharma, healing workshops and other events. It’s wonderful. Nothing less. My cheeks are a little cramped from smiling so much. I love it when that happens”.

Thanks to our unknown reviewer! The mud did stay, sad to say - but who cares?!

 There’s some photos of the Festival on FWBO Photos (www.flickr.com/photos/fwbo/sets ) and also on the Buddhafield page on Facebook.

SADHU Buddhafield!