Forthcoming Events:
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 9th of December we will be celebrating the Festival of the Buddha’s Enlightenment to mark this important event in the life of the Buddha.

In the story of the enlightenment, the Buddha had spent many years following ascetic practices in his search for the truth. Close to death as a result of these hardships, he realised that this was not the way, and after eating a meal decided to sit in meditation as he had done naturally as a child. As he sat in meditation, many thoughts, feelings and memories arose which could have distracted him from his purpose, but the Buddha continued to sit. As the morning star arose he gained a deep insight into the nature of existence.

Ceremony of Interment of Ashes
for Rev. Saidō

On Sunday the 8th of October a Ceremony of Interment of Rev. Saidō’s Ashes was held at Telford Buddhist Priory. The day went very well, with nearly 60 people there in person. The ceremony started in the meditation hall where Rev. Mugō (who was the celebrant) made a dedication and we recited a number of scriptures. The photo below shows the main altar in the Meditation Hall at Telford.

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, the Netherlands and Latvia, 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. The gathering this year was at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland.

Forthcoming Events:
The Festival of Avalokiteshwara Bodhisattva

On Saturday the 9th of September 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 will focus on this centrally important aspect of Buddhist practice.

Visit from Rev. Master Daishin

It was lovely to be able to welcome Rev. Master Daishin to the temple for a visit in mid-July. Rev. Master is the former abbot of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland, and Rev. Aiden is one of his monastic disciples. This was Rev. Master’s first visit to the temple since we moved to the new property, and we had an event on Saturday the 15th of July so that members of the local lay Sangha could come and meet him. Rev. Master gave a Dharma talk and answered questions, and then joined us for the bring-and share lunch.

Forthcoming Events:
Visit from Rev. Master Daishin

On Saturday the 15th of July, Rev. Master Daishin will be visiting the temple. Rev. Master is the former abbot of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland, and Rev. Aiden is one of his monastic disciples. This will be Rev. Master’s first visit to the temple since we moved to the new property, and he will be giving a Dharma talk and answering questions at an event on the Saturday morning. This event will just be for existing lay Sangha members, as we don’t have room to accommodate all those who might wish to come along. The event is now booked up for attendance in person, but there won’t be any limit on how many can join via zoom, so if you have the zoom details you are very welcome to join that way.

Celebrating the Festival of the Buddha’s Birth

The highlight of our calendar in May is always Wesak, the Festival of the Buddha’s Birth, which this year we celebrated on Saturday the 13th. It was very nice to have ten people here in person at the temple (including Rev. Aiden and Rev. Alicia from Sitting Buddha Hermitage) to celebrate Wesak together. Another 13 people joined via zoom, including six members of the Leeds group who were meeting together in person in Leeds. The photo below shows those who were at the temple in person (except for one who left just before it was taken).

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 13th 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 include a meditation period at some point, followed by tea and biscuits. Rev. Alicia from Sitting Buddha Hermitage in Derbyshire is planning to join us for the day.

Sad news of the death of Rev. Saidō

We were very sad to hear that Rev. Master Saidō, who was based at Telford Buddhist Priory in Shropshire, died on the 3rd of March, not long after having been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Rev. Saidō was a great friend to the temple, and his steady presence and wise council will be greatly missed.

Rev. Saidō’s funeral was held in Telford on Saturday the 18th of March, and the text of an “In Memoriam” article written by one of the senior monks of our order, Rev. Master Mokugen, is included below.

Induction of the new Abbot at Throssel Hole

The Induction Ceremonies for the new Abbot of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey, Rev. Master Berwyn will be taking place on Saturday the 25th of March. Rev. Aiden will be travelling up to Northumberland for the ceremonies, and so the temple will be closed from Friday the 24th of March to Monday the 27th of March inclusive.

The last Induction Ceremony for a new abbot at Throssel was in March 2019, when Rev. Master Leandra became the abbot, and the one before that was in 1982, when Rev. Master Daishin became the abbot. The installation of a new abbot is a major event in the life of the monastic community, and will also have an impact on the OBC Lay Sangha throughout the country. Below are a couple of photos from the inductions of Rev. Master Leandra and Rev. Master Daishin, plus a photo of Rev. Master Berwyn.

Funeral for Alan MacCormick

On the 13th of January we held a funeral for Alan MacCormick, who was a very long established member of our Nottingham Meditation Group, and a great supporter of Buddhism throughout the East Midlands for many decades. Alan died in mid-December, and his funeral was held at Gedling Crematorium in Nottingham. The photo below is from the funeral booklet.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year

Thank you to everyone who has shared their practice,
and supported the temple in so many different ways,
during the past year.

Wishing you all a healthy and peaceful 2023.
Let us offer the merit of our practice to all beings;
may all beings be able to realise the truth.

Season’s Greetings.
Wishing you all a very merry festive season and best wishes for 2023.
Thank you all for your support throughout the year, which is very much appreciated.

Forthcoming Events:
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 10th of December we will be celebrating the Festival of the Buddha’s Enlightenment to mark this important event in the life of the Buddha.

In the story of the enlightenment, the Buddha had spent many years following ascetic practices in his search for the truth. Close to death as a result of these hardships, he realised that this was not the way, and after eating a meal decided to sit in meditation as he had done naturally as a child. As he sat in meditation, many thoughts, feelings and memories arose which could have distracted him from his purpose, but the Buddha continued to sit. As the morning star arose he gained a deep insight into the nature of existence.

Forthcoming Events: The Festival of Founders Day
On Saturday the 5th 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 2,500 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).

Forthcoming Events: The Festival of Great Master Bodhidharma
On Saturday the 1st of October we will be celebrating the Festival of Great Master Bodhidharma. Bodhidharma is an important figure within Zen, as he is credited with bringing the meditation school of Buddhism from India to China. His emphasis on “pure meditation”, and the need to spend time “just sitting” facing a wall, are still central to our tradition. This festival is an opportunity to celebrate the life of Bodhidharma and to focus on some of his important teachings.

Funeral for John Ferris
In early August we were very sad to hear that John Ferris, our friend and long-time Sangha member from Nottingham, had died. His health had been declining for some time, and we received a message from his daughter that he had been taken into hospital. Rev. Aiden and several Sangha members were able to visit him there, as were many of his friends and relatives, and John died a few days after being admitted.

John was in his early eighties and had been an active member of the Nottingham meditation group for many years.

Regional Sangha Day in Leeds
It was lovely to see so many Sangha members in Leeds for the Regional Sangha Day on the 16th of July. The event was held at the Jamyang Buddhist Centre, a Tibetan Buddhist centre in the Holbeck area of South Leeds.

Three monks travelled down from Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey for the day; Rev. Mugo, Rev. Sanshin and Rev. Kanshin, and there were also three monks from the Midlands there, Rev. Saido from Telford Buddhist Priory, Rev. Alicia from Sitting Buddha Hermitage in Cromford, and Rev. Aiden. Altogether there were nearly 30 people there for the day.

The day started at 10am with a meditation period, followed by Morning Service and a Dedication of Merit Ceremony. We then stopped for a cup of tea, and this gave us all a chance to catch up with old friends, as many of us haven’t met since late 2019. After the break Rev. Saido gave a Dharma Talk on Ceremonial, which took place in the main hall at the Jamyang Centre, as had the meditation period and ceremony earlier in the day.