It was 4 years ago I travelled to Sabah to climb Mount Kinabalu (which you can read about here). We returned this time not only to see the mountain and take in the fresh mountain air but also to visit the Mitraville Meditation Centre as my wife has been involved with this by means of donations.

We travelled to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah and after one night on a beachfront resort we drove up the steep mountain road to Kundasang. Kundasang sits at a height of around 2000m and sits directly below the majestic Mount Kinabalu. The Mount Kinabalu Park Headquarters, where most of the treks commence for those climbing the mountain, is only 6 kilometres away. The town is the closest town to Mount Kinabalu so many trekkers stay here before climbing.

The accommodation in Kundasang is very basic and although our accommodation had magnificent views of Mount Kinabalu it was sadly let down by poorly maintained facilities and terrible food.

The Mitraville Meditation Centre sits on a prime 13 acre site  on the Pinosuk Plateau directly next to Mount Kinabalu Golf Club and directly below the south side of Mount Kinabalu. “Mitra” means ‘friend’ in Sanskrit and Mitraville basically means a village of true friends.

We were lucky to have contacted the caretaker of the facility so this allowed us access to view the magnificent stupa and the multi-purpose building including a huge meditation hall. There were also a few houses built on the site for accommodation and a large tract of land had been set aside for natural farming of local vegetables and crops.

The Aloka Stupa at Mitraville is a monument of peace, anchoring spiritual energies, and providing inspiration and blessings to all. This stupa has deep significance to the Buddhist community as it symbolises the path to Enlightenment – to ultimate peace – through the cultivation of the mind: by reducing and eliminating greed, hatred and delusion; and developing generosity, loving-kindness and wisdom.

The facilities of Mitraville offer a number of activities :

• Meditation Retreats
• Holistic Health Retreats/Healing Therapies Workshops/Seminars on healthy mind and body
• Healthy Eating/Cooking
• Eco-Farming
• Exercise – QiGong, Yoga, Cane Exercise, Sun Gazing

The setting of the stupa and surrounding buildings is magnificent with the imposing view of Mount Kinabalu and the densely forested hills so it is a perfect site for meditation and relaxation.

Passionate Photographer …. Lost in Asia

Stuart Taylor of HighlanderImages Photography has been making images for over 25 years and can offer a diverse range of photo imaging services with a focus on Asia and a documentary/photojournalistic style. These services include planning and executing a photo shoot on location but importantly all the post-processing and image preparation needed for the specific finished media format required by the customer. Stuart’s experience and knowledge in all of these aspects makes HighlanderImages Photography a one-stop-shop for a comprehensive and professional image production service.

Stuart can be available for a variety individual assignments or projects and he specialises in areas such as photojournalism, commercial, architectural, real estate, industrial, interior design, corporate, urbex, adventure, wilderness and travel photography. Stuart can also offer some innovative and advanced techniques such as HDR (High Dynamic Range) and Panoramic Photography.

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