The closing of Reading Buddhist Priory

Many of you will know that our order has had a small temple in Reading, Berkshire for many years, called the Reading Buddhist Priory. It was the first of the small temples outside Throssel to be set up in the UK, in 1990, and many different monks have been resident as the Prior over the years. The most recent Prior, Rev. Gareth, has stepped down from that role, and unfortunately there aren’t currently any monks available to take on the job. Our main monastery Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey, for example, isn’t really able to spare anyone as they are already quite stretched running the monastery with the number of monks that they currently have.

This Sunday, the 3rd of March, is the first anniversary of Rev. Master Saidō’s death.

Rev. Saido was a much loved and respected member of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, and Prior of Telford Buddhist Priory in Shropshire. He died on Friday 3rd March 2023, not long after having been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Rev. Saidō was a great friend to the temple, and his steady presence and wise council are greatly missed.

This coming Tuesday we will be holding a memorial for Rev. Saidō at our evening meeting, marking the 1st anniversary of his death.

Visit to Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey

Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland is our order’s main monastery in the UK, and it was very nice to have the opportunity to visit during January. It was good to see members of the community again, although unfortunately a number of them caught covid whilst I was visiting, and in the end the visit had to be cut short by a few days. It was also lovely to see Rev. Master Daishin who was staying at Throssel during January as well.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year

Thank you to everyone who has shared their practice,
and supported the temple in so many different ways,
during the past year.

Wishing you all a healthy and peaceful 2024.
Let us offer the merit of our practice to all beings;
may all beings be able to realise the truth.

Season’s Greetings.
Wishing you all a very merry festive season and best wishes for 2024.
Thank you all for your support throughout the year, which is very much appreciated.

Forthcoming Events:
Festival of the Buddha’s Enlightenment
The understanding that the Buddha came to during his enlightenment is the basis for the whole of Buddhist practice, and on Saturday the 9th of December we will be celebrating the Festival of the Buddha’s Enlightenment to mark this important event in the life of the Buddha.

In the story of the enlightenment, the Buddha had spent many years following ascetic practices in his search for the truth. Close to death as a result of these hardships, he realised that this was not the way, and after eating a meal decided to sit in meditation as he had done naturally as a child. As he sat in meditation, many thoughts, feelings and memories arose which could have distracted him from his purpose, but the Buddha continued to sit. As the morning star arose he gained a deep insight into the nature of existence.

Ceremony of Interment of Ashes
for Rev. Saidō

On Sunday the 8th of October a Ceremony of Interment of Rev. Saidō’s Ashes was held at Telford Buddhist Priory. The day went very well, with nearly 60 people there in person. The ceremony started in the meditation hall where Rev. Mugō (who was the celebrant) made a dedication and we recited a number of scriptures. The photo below shows the main altar in the Meditation Hall at Telford.

Monastic Gathering at
Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey

As many of you know, Turning Wheel Buddhist Temple is part of a larger organisation, the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives (OBC), which is an umbrella organisation for monks and temples in the lineage of Rev. Master Jiyu Kennett. The order has temples in the US, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and Latvia, as well as here in the UK. With such a wide geographic spread it is important that we meet together regularly, and we currently have monastic gatherings every other year, with the venue alternating between the UK and the US. The gathering this year was at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland.

Forthcoming Events:
The Festival of Avalokiteshwara Bodhisattva

On Saturday the 9th of September we will be celebrating the Festival of Avalokiteshwara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. The name Avalokiteshwara is Sanskrit (Japanese: Kanzeon, Chinese: Kwan Yin, Tibetan: Chenrezig), and means “The one who hears the cries of the world”. To live with compassion is to hear the cries of suffering within ourselves and within all beings, and to be willing to respond, and the festival will focus on this centrally important aspect of Buddhist practice.

Visit from Rev. Master Daishin

It was lovely to be able to welcome Rev. Master Daishin to the temple for a visit in mid-July. Rev. Master is the former abbot of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland, and Rev. Aiden is one of his monastic disciples. This was Rev. Master’s first visit to the temple since we moved to the new property, and we had an event on Saturday the 15th of July so that members of the local lay Sangha could come and meet him. Rev. Master gave a Dharma talk and answered questions, and then joined us for the bring-and share lunch.

Forthcoming Events:
Visit from Rev. Master Daishin

On Saturday the 15th of July, Rev. Master Daishin will be visiting the temple. Rev. Master is the former abbot of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland, and Rev. Aiden is one of his monastic disciples. This will be Rev. Master’s first visit to the temple since we moved to the new property, and he will be giving a Dharma talk and answering questions at an event on the Saturday morning. This event will just be for existing lay Sangha members, as we don’t have room to accommodate all those who might wish to come along. The event is now booked up for attendance in person, but there won’t be any limit on how many can join via zoom, so if you have the zoom details you are very welcome to join that way.

Celebrating the Festival of the Buddha’s Birth

The highlight of our calendar in May is always Wesak, the Festival of the Buddha’s Birth, which this year we celebrated on Saturday the 13th. It was very nice to have ten people here in person at the temple (including Rev. Aiden and Rev. Alicia from Sitting Buddha Hermitage) to celebrate Wesak together. Another 13 people joined via zoom, including six members of the Leeds group who were meeting together in person in Leeds. The photo below shows those who were at the temple in person (except for one who left just before it was taken).

The Festival of the Buddha’s Birth

The highlight of our calendar in May is always Wesak, the Festival of the Buddha’s Birth, and this year we will be celebrating Wesak on Saturday the 13th of May.

Wesak will be a full day event, from 10am to 4pm. The festival and Dharma talk will both be in the morning, so you can come just for those if you would prefer. There will then be the option to stay on for a bring-and-share lunch and a social afternoon, which will include a meditation period at some point, followed by tea and biscuits. Rev. Alicia from Sitting Buddha Hermitage in Derbyshire is planning to join us for the day.

Sad news of the death of Rev. Saidō

We were very sad to hear that Rev. Master Saidō, who was based at Telford Buddhist Priory in Shropshire, died on the 3rd of March, not long after having been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Rev. Saidō was a great friend to the temple, and his steady presence and wise council will be greatly missed.

Rev. Saidō’s funeral was held in Telford on Saturday the 18th of March, and the text of an “In Memoriam” article written by one of the senior monks of our order, Rev. Master Mokugen, is included below.

Induction of the new Abbot at Throssel Hole

The Induction Ceremonies for the new Abbot of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey, Rev. Master Berwyn will be taking place on Saturday the 25th of March. Rev. Aiden will be travelling up to Northumberland for the ceremonies, and so the temple will be closed from Friday the 24th of March to Monday the 27th of March inclusive.

The last Induction Ceremony for a new abbot at Throssel was in March 2019, when Rev. Master Leandra became the abbot, and the one before that was in 1982, when Rev. Master Daishin became the abbot. The installation of a new abbot is a major event in the life of the monastic community, and will also have an impact on the OBC Lay Sangha throughout the country. Below are a couple of photos from the inductions of Rev. Master Leandra and Rev. Master Daishin, plus a photo of Rev. Master Berwyn.

Funeral for Alan MacCormick

On the 13th of January we held a funeral for Alan MacCormick, who was a very long established member of our Nottingham Meditation Group, and a great supporter of Buddhism throughout the East Midlands for many decades. Alan died in mid-December, and his funeral was held at Gedling Crematorium in Nottingham. The photo below is from the funeral booklet.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year

Thank you to everyone who has shared their practice,
and supported the temple in so many different ways,
during the past year.

Wishing you all a healthy and peaceful 2023.
Let us offer the merit of our practice to all beings;
may all beings be able to realise the truth.

Season’s Greetings.
Wishing you all a very merry festive season and best wishes for 2023.
Thank you all for your support throughout the year, which is very much appreciated.