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 16th 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 also include a meditation period followed by tea and biscuits. Rev. Alicia from Sitting Buddha Hermitage in Derbyshire is planning to join us for the day.

Any lay Sangha members who would like to come to Wesak in person would be very welcome to do so, and we will also be holding the festival over zoom so that lay Sangha members can join in from where they are. Please could you let us know if you will be coming in person, as it is really helpful to know in advance how many people will be here. Details of the day will be sent out by email nearer the time.

We hope that you have a joyful Wesak, however and wherever you celebrate it.

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The Jukai retreat at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey

by Rev. Aiden

For anyone who feels committed to Buddhist practice, an important way to deepen that commitment is to formally take the Buddhist Precepts. Within our tradition this is done in the ceremony of Lay Ordination, which is part of a week of meditation and ceremonial held each Spring at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey.

This retreat is called Jukai, which means “receiving the precepts”, and in late April I travelled to Throssel for this year’s Jukai retreat. There were nine people taking the Precepts for the first time, and a total of 22 retreatants. The weather was unusually dry and sunny for Northumberland in April; the nights were quite chilly, but it was pretty warm during the day, with 17°C on the last full day. At Throssel that would be nice weather for June!

It was nice to spend some time with the monastic community, and to see some lay trainees who I haven’t seen for many years, and congratulations to all those who took the Precepts for the first time.

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Spring Flowers

The plants at the temple garden seem to have enjoyed the recent warm, dry weather, and we have had a lovely display of blossoms, spring bulbs, and other spring flowers.

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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