February 2018 Newsletter
Forthcoming Events:
Festival of Avalokiteshwara Bodhisattva
On Saturday the 3rd of February 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 day will focus on this centrally important aspect of Buddhist practice.
During the festival, a wide variety of different images of Avalokiteshwara are placed around the walls of the meditation hall, and we circumambulate the hall and bow to each image as we pass it. This symbolises the fact that compassion can appear in many different forms, sometimes in a way that we least expect, and that if we want to know stability and contentment in our lives we must accept, and bow to, all these different appearances of the nature of reality. This is one way in which we ourselves express compassion for all living things.
The day will start at 10am with a meditation period, followed by the ceremony. After the ceremony there will be a Dharma talk, and at about 1pm there will be a bring-and-share vegetarian lunch. In the afternoon there will be two periods of meditation from 2pm, followed by a Dharma discussion and tea. You are welcome to come for any part of the day.
Festival of the Buddha’s Parinirvana
On the evening of Friday the 16th of February we will be celebrating the Festival of the Buddha’s Parinirvana. This festival commemorates the death, and entry into boundless meditation, of Shakyamuni Buddha. As we recite the Scripture of Great Wisdom, all the lights in the meditation hall are extinguished, one by one, except for a single light in the Founders Shrine. As the scripture continues, we make the wish for the Light of Buddha to return to the world.
The light is then brought back from the Founders Shrine into the rest of the hall, and we recite the Adoration of the Buddha's Relics and the Scripture on the Immeasurable Life of the Tathagata in celebration of the ongoing life of Buddha, and the way of ceaseless practice.
The Light of Buddha is seen in the world whenever we give rise to the sincere wish to live in harmony with what is true, and to find the end of suffering for ourselves and for all beings.
The evening will start at 7.30pm with a meditation period. We will then have the festival, with a short rehearsal beforehand, and after the ceremony there will be another meditation period, followed by tea and biscuits, ending at 9.30pm.
Discussion Morning
On Saturday the 24th of February we will be having a discussion morning at the temple. The purpose of discussion mornings is to provide an opportunity for Sangha members to explore together their understanding of a particular area of Buddhist practice, as an active way of taking refuge in the Sangha.
The topic for this morning is: What is really meant by ‘taking refuge in the Sangha’. The Sangha is the community of all those who follow the Buddha's teaching. The word Sangha can be used to refer just to monks, but in our tradition often refers to the 'fourfold Sangha' of female and male lay trainees, and female and male monastic trainees.
We often recite, "I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha", but was does it mean to truly take refuge in the Sangha? How does it apply to relationships with other lay trainees and with monks? Is it a formal "process", or more immediate and integral to practice? Or both?
The morning will start with two periods of meditation, and there will be tea and biscuits available for the discussion. If you would like to come just for the discussion, that will start at 11.00am.
For other events in February, please see the events calendar.
Visit to Throssel in January
It was lovely to be able to spend a week at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey during the January retreat time. There was patchy snow on the ground the whole time, and I think it snowed at least a bit each day apart from the last day. It was nice to be able to have some walks around the property and along the valley, especially when it was sunny.
It was also very nice to be able to catch up with members of the monastic community there. Apart from an overnight visit in August I hadn't been to stay at Throssel since December 2016, and it was nice to spend some time with the monks there, many of whom I have known for over twenty years.
It was also nice to be able to have several opportunities to talk with Rev. Master Daishin, who has been at Throssel for most of December and January.
in gassho
Aiden
Property Purchase Update
We think that the outstanding legal issue has now been resolved, and our solicitor is just waiting to receive some official documentation. Once they receive that we hope that they will be able to set dates for the exchange of contracts and for completion.
Any additional support for the property purchase would be most welcome, and details of how to help are on the Building Fund page of the temple website. Thank you for all your support.
Alms Bowl Requests
Thank you to all those who have donated items to the temple. We are very grateful for donations of any household or other items that the temple might be able to use. Please contact Rev. Aiden if you have an item to offer but are not sure whether it would be useful.
Donations of Food
Offering food is a traditional way to support a monk, and all donations of vegetarian food are most welcome. In particular:
- fresh fruit and vegetables (except garlic or peppers)
- fresh or dried herbs
- porridge oats
- yoghurt and eggs
- peanuts or other nuts
- brown rice and pasta
Any other suitable items would also be appreciated.
Donations
The temple is dependent on donations for its continued existence, and any financial support you are able to offer is greatly appreciated. Details of how to offer support can be found on the Donations page of the website.