The Festival of the Buddha’s Parinirvana

On Thursday the 12th of February we celebrated the Festival of the Buddha’s Parinirvana at the temple. This festival commemorates the death of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, and the photo below shows the Parinirvana statue of the Buddha on the front of the main altar for the ceremony, together with the three candles which represent the three refuges of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Behind the Parinirvana statue you can see the base of our usual main altar Buddha statue; the main altar statue is traditionally obscured behind a curtain during the Parinirvana ceremony.

During the ceremony we recite the Scripture of Great Wisdom, and as we do this 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. A chaplain carrying a bowl processes in front of each participant, in order to ‘collect’ these wishes, and this bowl is shown in the photo above, after it has been placed on the altar.

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 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.

Forthcoming Events:
The Festival of the Buddha’s Renunciation

On Saturday the 7th 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.

In addition to welcoming visitors to the temple for the festival (please book in advance), we will also be holding the festival over zoom so that Lay Sangha members can join in from where they are. This festival day will run from 10am to 12.30pm, and full details of the festival will be sent out by email to Lay Sangha members prior to the festival.

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Remembering Rev. Saidō

Next Tuesday, the 3rd of March, will be the third anniversary of Rev. Master Saidō’s death, and we will be marking the occasion at our meeting that evening by holding a memorial for Rev. Saidō.

Rev. Saido was a much loved and respected member of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, and Prior of Telford Buddhist Priory in Shropshire. He was a great friend to the temple, and his steady presence and wise council are greatly missed.

In October 2023 Rev. Saidō’s ashes were placed in a Stupa at Telford Buddhist Priory. The Stupa, which Rev. Saidō himself built, is shown in the picture below.

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Signs of Spring

We still have a lot of snowdrops in flower at the temple, and in the park next door the daffodils are already in flower. We have hyacinths, tulips and daffodils coming up, but they are not in flower yet as they don’t get as much sun at the ones in the park. As the photo below shows, we do have lots of crocuses in flower at the moment though, both in the flower beds and coming through the lawn, and these really help to give a sense of the changing of the seasons.

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Alms Bowl Requests

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
• peanuts or other nuts
• peanut butter
• fresh fruit and vegetables (except garlic or peppers)
• dried herbs
• cheese, eggs and yoghurt

Any other suitable items would also be appreciated.

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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.

All donations are received with gratitude