March 2019 Newsletter
Forthcoming Events:
Festival of the Buddha's Renunciation
On Saturday the 9th of March we will be celebrating the Festival of the Buddha's Renunciation. Renunciation, or letting go, lies at the heart of all Buddhist practice, and the story of the Buddha’s Renunciation is a way of conveying the importance of this aspect of training. This festival day will focus on renunciation and letting go, and how we express this within our daily life.
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.
For other events in March, please see the events calendar.
Visit to Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey
A few of us from the East Midlands Sangha will be travelling up to Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland for the Induction Ceremonies for the new Abbot of Throssel, Rev. Master Leandra. The ceremonies will be on Wednesday the 20th and Thursday the 21st of March, and we will be staying on for a few days afterwards.
As a result, the temple will be closed from Wednesday the 20th of March to Monday the 25th of March, inclusive.
The last Induction Ceremony for a new abbot at Throssel was in 1982, when Rev. Master Daishin became the abbot. It is a major event in the life of the community, and will also have an impact on the OBC Sangha throughout the country. Below are a couple of photos which are from the Throssel Newsletter, which you can view on the Throssel website.
Update on Recent Steering Morning
On the 9th of February we had a steering morning at the temple, and the following is a brief summary of the main things that we discussed.
Finances
We have managed to cover our costs over the last couple of months, even though heating costs are higher during these winter months, and visitor numbers are usually a bit lower as well. Also, the temple was closed for a few days in December, and for about a third of January, so there were fewer events during these months than usual. The graph below shows our net core incomings (which is incomings minus outgoings) plus chaplaincy income for each month.
There is much more information, and many more graphs, on the finances page of the temple website.
Property Alterations
We now have some accurate floorplans of the temple building, and we looked at these and discussed possible alterations to the property that would help improve the layout of the temple. In particular, we would like to change things so that people don't have to go through the Meditation Hall in order to get to other areas, such as the kitchen and the stairs to the first floor.
The next Steering Morning will be on Saturday the 9th of April. Please do get in touch if you have any questions or comments about any of this, or anything else related to the temple.
A new home for the Ancient Buddha statue
The stone statue that was in the Meditation Hall now has its own shrine in the Common Room. At some point it would be nice to have a higher altar shelf, mounted on the wall, but for now the glass-topped semi-circular table gives the statue a more prominent position than it has been in recently.
Spring Bulbs
Last October we planted a lot of Spring bulbs in the garden, and it is nice to see them starting to appear. We have quite a few crocuses flowering in the lawn, and the daffodils and tulips are beginning to appear in the borders.
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:
- porridge oats
- peanut butter
- peanuts or other nuts
- fresh fruit and vegetables (except garlic or peppers)
- dried herbs
- yoghurt and eggs
- 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.