Re-opening the temple for in-person events
It has been lovely to be able to welcome visitors back to the temple over the last few weeks, which is a big step forward after having been closed for nearly eighteen months. Our initial events have just been for existing Lay Sangha members, and with a limit on the number of people who can come to each event, but the numbers coming in person have been gradually growing throughout the month.
Welcoming visitors back to the temple
After being closed for nearly eighteen months, we will be welcoming visitors back to the temple from the start of September. However, we will be starting off cautiously, with events being initially just for existing Lay Sangha members, and with a limit on the number of people who can come to each event, as cases of coronavirus are still quite high.
Redecorating work continues
Now that our Meditation Hall and Common Room have been redecorated and are functioning again, attention has turned to the new entryway which leads to these rooms. The first parts to be decorated were the two WCs which are on the left as you come in the front door. These were painted in the first half of July, and the flooring was fitted on the 20th, so that these facilities are now ready for use when we start to have in-person events again.
Redecorating the Meditation Hall
We are very pleased that the redecoration of the Meditation Hall is now complete, and a picture showing the room before and after all of the building work and redecoration is shown below.
Redecorating the Common Room
We are very pleased that the redecoration of the Common Room is now complete, and a picture showing the room before and after all of the building work and redecoration is shown below.
The Festival of the Buddha’s Birth
At this time of year we would normally be welcoming people to the temple to celebrate Wesak, the Festival of the Buddha’s Birth. Unfortunately, we will again not be able to meet in person this year, but on Saturday the 8th of May we will be holding the festival over zoom so that Lay Sangha members can join in from where they are. Details will be sent out by email during the coming week.
We hope that you have a joyful Wesak, however and wherever you choose to celebrate it.
Completion of the Building Work
March the 26th was the date by which the builders had agreed to complete all the work on the property, and we are very happy to report that all of the building work was successfully done by then. There was still a bit of plumbing work to finish off after that, but that has now been done too, and we hope to get our completion certificate fairly soon.
Progress with the Building Work
The building work has continued to progress rapidly during February, and most of the work downstairs is now complete. Below is a photo showing the front of the property before and after the porch was constructed, and you can see that we now have the new front door, with a ramp in front of it to give easy access. The upstairs windows have also been replaced.
Progress with the Building Work
There has been a lot of progress on the building work in the last month, with the builders returning in early January and finishing off the roof of the porch. The new windows were installed on the 14th, and the photo below shows the porch in late January.
Events on New Year’s Eve
On New Year’s Eve we will be holding the traditional New Year’s Eve Festival, starting with meditation at 7.30pm. Unfortunately we won’t be able to meet in person for the ceremony this year, but we will be holding it via zoom.
