F I NDIN G Z E N I N ZU LU L AN D
K AT H F O U R I E J O U R N E Y S T O T H E H I L L S O F I X O P O A N D , R E L U C T A N T LY, F I N D S H E R C E N T R E
“Hi, do we take our shoes off here?” I
mouth in a stage whisper to a woman
dressed in a purple, Himalayan-style
poncho. “Yes, but you’re not supposed to
talk here… at all,” she responds, with an
index finger pushed against her lips and
her eyes wiggling meaningfully at the sign
on the wall that states, “The lodge is a
place of noble silence.” I blush and untie
my muddy Vans, shoving them beneath a
30 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE
bench, out of sight of the golden Buddha
and fresh flowers atop the tea station.
The Buddhist Retreat Centre (BRC)
is unique, nestled in the heart of rural
Zulu countryside. Ninety minutes from
Pietermaritzburg, a dog-leg turn just
before the town of Ixopo leads visitors
into a compound of gardens and buildings,
lanterns and pathways, prolific veggie
patches and a huge gleaming white statue
of the Buddha, comically referred to as
the “garden gnome” by the centre staff.
Standing on the edge of the plateau
where the action occurs, I stare down
at rolling hillsides dotted with Nguni
cows and brightly coloured homesteads.
Singsong voices echo and call to each
other, dogs bark and the dong of the
gong pulls me back to the format of
the weekend.