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. 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).
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 November, please see the events calendar.
Day Retreat with Memorials
On Saturday the 17th of November we have a day retreat at the temple, and as part of that we will have a memorial service for three long-standing lay Sangha members who died earlier this year.
Brenda Birchenough was a long-serving lay minister and regular visitor to Throssel Hole. Brenda helped many people by supporting local meditation groups in the Lancaster and Preston areas from the late 1970s, and her straightforward, friendly and compassionate nature will be remembered with great fondness by those who met her. She died on 12th July, and her funeral was held in Lancaster with Rev. Master Mugo as celebrant.
Vajira Bailey started the Birmingham Zen Meditation Group, and over many years she gave much support to the Buddhist community in the area. In 1967 she became the Chairman of the Birmingham Buddhist Society and invited Rev. Master Jiyu to come to Birmingham to lead a weekend retreat. She later took Jukai at Shasta Abbey. She also offered her house to Ven. Dr. Rewata Dhamma (a Theravadin monk) until he found his own premises. She died on 8th August, and her funeral took place on Thursday 23rd August with Rev. Master Mugo as celebrant, followed by a memorial service at the Pagoda of the Buddhist Vihara in central Birmingham.
Pat Oldham had been active as a lay minister for many years, helping to run the Harrogate Meditation Group and later was a member of the Leeds group. Due to declining health, she decided to step away from being a lay minister about ten years ago. She died on Thursday 6th September, and late the previous evening members of the Leeds Meditation Group visited and recited scriptures and sat with her. Her funeral and cremation were held on Friday 21st September.
During our Day Retreat, the memorial service will be at about 10.30am, after the first meditation period, and everyone is welcome to come and join us as we say farewell to Brenda, Vajira and Pat, and offer our gratitude for their life of practice.
Garden Work
The garden looked quite bare when we moved in last March, as it had virtually no spring bulbs. In the last few weeks we have now planted a lot around the garden, including crocuses in the lawn, and daffodils, tulips and hyacinths in the borders. We planted just over a hundred bulbs during one of our work mornings, so hopefully things will be a bit more colourful next Spring.
The drifts of leaves falling from the trees in the neighbouring park continue. The parking area at the from of the temple needs clearing almost every day at the moment. We now have some leaf grabbers and rakes to make the job a bit easier, and also an electric blower/vac for when a major clear-up is needed after a few days of stormy weather.
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.