This page has the temple's most recent newsletters.
Please see the full list for older issues.
March 2020 Newsletter
Forthcoming Events:
Festival of the Buddha's Renunciation
On Saturday the 14th 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 call to let go of our attachments can be as deeply challenging as this.
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.
New Bowing Seat
Towards the end of last year we were offered a Bowing Seat for our Meditation Hall by Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey. We are grateful to Throssel for offering it, and also to those who kindly helped transport it to the temple.
Those of you who have been to Throssel or to other OBC temples will know that a Meditation Hall or Ceremony Hall has a large mat at the centre called the Bowing Seat, which is used by the celebrant for ceremonies. It provides a focal point in the middle of the room, and points towards the main altar, which is of course the main focus of the room. We haven't had a Bowing Seat for the last five plus years, so it is very nice to have one.
When we enter a Meditation Hall, the traditional way to walk around it to get to our meditation place is to walk in straight lines around the sides of the hall, with hands in the walking meditation 'clasped hands' position, rather than, for example, cutting across it diagonally. At our previous property the room was too small for this to be practical, or to even make sense, and we haven't emphasised this aspect up until now. Now that we have the Bowing Seat in place, however, it is a good opportunity for us to follow this way of walking around the hall.
We don't step on, or over, the Bowing Seat when walking around the hall, and we also don't cross the hall between the Bowing Seat and the altar. This includes when someone is a chaplain for a ceremony; in this case, after handing the candle to the celebrant, the chaplain can go back behind the Bowing Seat to their starting place, and then back to their standing/sitting place, or go behind the altar back to their place.
This may sound like a lot of detail when written down, but it is much more straightforward in practice, and helps us to maintain the sense of stillness and meditation as we move around the hall.
Preparations for Spring
Our geranium plant in the Common Room is in it's seventh year with the temple, which is very impressive. It has been growing very luxuriantly, even flowering throughout the winter.
It needs cutting back each year so that it doesn't overload it's roots, or take up too much space, and we hope it will bounce back again to provide us with colour and vibrancy throughout the year.
Update on Recent Steering Morning
On Saturday the 8th of February we had a Steering Morning at the temple, and the main things that we discussed were the temple finances and the plans for alterations to the buildings.
Finances
Support of the temple from regular donations by standing order has remained steady over recent months, which we are very grateful for. Guest Donations placed in the temple's alms bowl have also been fairly consistent over the winter, which is good considering that the temple was closed for part of December and January.
As a result, our core cash incomings and outgoings have only been about £75 in the red over recent months. The graph below shows this "net core incomings", month by month.
The temple also has other income (including from chaplaincy and outside events such as school visits) so overall we have broken even each month, but the "net core incomings" is an important indicator of the underlying health of the temple's finances. It is nice to see the trend improving over time, and hopefully we will get closer to breaking even in future months, particularly when heating costs go down as the weather warms.
There is much more information, and many more graphs, on the finances page of the temple website.
Thank you to all those who are so generously supporting the temple through your standing orders, donations in the alms bowl, food donations and other donations in kind, in addition to the support of your practice.
Plans for alterations
We discussed various issues relating to the building works, and looked at the plans. The steering meeting was held before the date that the council planned to give us a decision on our planning application, but we have since heard that that has been approved.
The next steering morning will be on Saturday the 11th 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.
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
- peanuts or other nuts
- fresh fruit and vegetables (except garlic or peppers)
- dried herbs
- cheese, eggs and yoghurt
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.
All donations are received with gratitude
February 2020 Newsletter
Forthcoming Events:
Festival of Avalokiteshwara Bodhisattva
On Saturday the 1st 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”.
January 2020 Newsletter
Events on New Year's Eve
On New Year's Eve we will be holding the traditional New Year’s Eve Ceremony, starting with meditation at 7.30pm.
During the ceremony we recite the Scripture of Great Wisdom, and a ceremonial copy of the scripture arranged in a fanfold design is "revolved", symbolically showing it and offering it in all directions. After this we all drink a glass of celebratory New Year juice together, making a wish for the peace and prosperity of the temple and the Sangha during the coming year.
Continue reading →Season’s Greetings
Season’s Greetings.
Wishing you all a very merry festive season and best wishes for 2020.
Thank you all for your support during this past year, which is very much appreciated.
December 2019 Newsletter
Festival of the Buddha’s Enlightenment
and Fifth Anniversary Celebration
The understanding that the Buddha came to during his enlightenment is the basis for the whole of Buddhist practice, and on Saturday the 7th of December we will be celebrating the Festival of the Buddha’s Enlightenment to mark this important event in the life of the Buddha.
November 2019 Newsletter
Forthcoming Events:
Festival of Founders Day
On Saturday the 2nd of November we will be celebrating the Festival of Founders Day. This festival is an opportunity to offer our gratitude for the life and practice of all those who have practised Buddhism, from the far distant past to the present day. In particular we celebrate those in our own lineage who have passed on the teaching from generation to generation for over 2500 years, and are the founders of this temple. These include Rev. Master Jiyu (the founder of our order), her master Koho Zenji, Great Master Dōgen(1200-1253) and Great Master Keizan (1268-1325).
October 2019 Newsletter
Monastic Gathering at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey
As many of you know, Turning Wheel Buddhist Temple is part of a larger organisation, the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives (OBC), which is an umbrella organisation for monks and temples in the lineage of Rev. Master Jiyu Kennett. The order has temples in the US, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as here in the UK. With such a wide geographic spread it is important that we meet together regularly, and we currently have monastic gatherings every other year, with the venue alternating between the UK and the US.
September 2019 Newsletter
Recent Trustees’ Meeting
On the 24th of August we had a meeting of the charity’s trustees, with Rev. Alicia from Sitting Buddha Hermitage joining local lay Sangha trustees and Rev. Aiden for the day.
August 2019 Newsletter
Forthcoming Events:
Festival of Great Master Dōgen
On Saturday the 10th of August we will be celebrating the Festival of Great Master Dōgen. Dōgen was a thirteenth century Japanese monk, and he has a very important place in our tradition, as he brought the Sōtō Zen school of Buddhism from China to Japan. This festival is an opportunity to celebrate his life and teaching.
July 2019 Newsletter
Forthcoming Events:
Festival of Achalanatha Bodhisattva
On Saturday the 13th of July we will be celebrating the Festival of Achalanatha Bodhisattva. Achalanatha, the "Immovable One", represents commitment and determination in Buddhist practice. Achalanatha is portrayed sitting in meditation amidst the flames of the passions, and is not driven away from the place of meditation by them, however much they seem to burn. Achalanatha holds the Sword of Wisdom to cut through delusion, and offers us the rope of the Buddhist Precepts. To begin with this may seem like it constricts us, but when we look more closely we see that it liberates us.
June 2019 Newsletter
Forthcoming Events:
The Festival of Kshtigarbha Bodhisattva
On Saturday the 8th of June we will be celebrating the Festival of Kshtigarbha Bodhisattva. Kshtigarbha is usually depicted as a monk, carrying a staff and a “wish-fulfilling jewel”, and symbolises gentleness and the importance of offering.
May 2019 Newsletter
Forthcoming Events:
The Festival of the Buddha's Birth
We will be celebrating Wesak at the temple on Saturday the 11th of May. Everyone is cordially invited to come and celebrate the Buddha’s birth with us on this festive day, and you are very welcome to bring family and friends along to see the temple and join in as well.
April 2019 Newsletter
Invitation to Wesak:
The Festival of the Buddha's Birth
We will be celebrating Wesak at the temple on Saturday the 11th of May. Everyone is cordially invited to come and celebrate the Buddha’s birth with us on this festive day, and you are very welcome to bring family and friends along to see the temple and join in as well.
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.
February 2019 Newsletter
Forthcoming Events:
Festival of Avalokiteshwara Bodhisattva
On Saturday the 2nd 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.
January 2019 Newsletter
Events on New Year's Eve
On New Year's Eve we will be holding the traditional New Year’s Eve Ceremony, starting with meditation at 7.30pm.
During the ceremony we recite the Scripture of Great Wisdom, and a ceremonial copy of the scripture arranged in a fanfold design is "revolved", symbolically showing it and offering it in all directions. After this we all drink a glass of celebratory New Year juice together, making a wish for the peace and prosperity of the temple and the Sangha during the coming year. The evening will end at about 9.30pm or so.
Continue reading →Season’s Greetings
Season’s Greetings.
Wishing you all a very merry festive season and best wishes for 2019.
Thank you all for your support during this past year, which is very much appreciated.
December 2018 Newsletter
Celebrating the Festival of
The Buddha's Enlightenment
The understanding that the Buddha came to during his enlightenment is the basis for the whole of Buddhist practice, and on Saturday the 1st of December we will be celebrating the Festival of the Buddha's Enlightenment to mark this important event in the life of the Buddha.
November 2018 Newsletter
Forthcoming Events: Festival of Founders Day
On Saturday the 3rd of November we will be celebrating the Festival of Founders Day. This festival is an opportunity to offer our gratitude for the life and practice of all those who have practised Buddhism, from the far distant past to the present day. In particular we celebrate those in our own lineage who have passed on the teaching from generation to generation for over 2500 years, and are the founders of this temple.