Forthcoming Events:
The Festival of Founders Day

On Saturday the 9th 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 Kōhō Zenji, Great Master Dōgen(1200-1253) and Great Master Keizan (1268-1325).

The festival day will start with two periods of meditation at 10am. These will be followed by the Festival Ceremony and a Dharma Talk and discussion, ending at 12.30pm.

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. Full details of the festival will be sent out by email to Lay Sangha members prior to the festival.

Replacement of the temple’s fences

When we first bought the temple property in 2018, the fences around the back garden were serviceable, although definitely showing signs of age. After cleaning them up and staining them during that first summer they were looking a lot better, as the picture below shows:

Over the years since then they have gradually deteriorated, with many of the wooden posts rotting and breaking at ground level. It would have been good to replace them a year or two ago, but with the building work that we had done a few years ago, and the redecoration afterwards, we hadn’t got round to it. This year it seemed that it would be a good idea to replace all of the fences before the stormy weather damaged them further, and after getting a number of quotes for the project we had them all replaced in late October. The picture below shows the fence on the south side, adjacent to the park, before and after it was replaced.

As you can see from the photo, the new fence has concrete posts and gravel boards which won’t be liable to rotting in the way that the wooden ones did. Other than that they are just the same height, and the panels are pretty much the same design. Below is a picture of the north fence before and after replacement. In the top photo you can see the tie ropes which had to be attached to the fence to keep it upright in windy weather, as almost every post was broken. If the wind was from the north then sturdy wooden props were also needed to stop it blowing over from the other direction. It was definitely time to replace it!

The final photo, below, shows a view of the garden from an upstairs window; firstly with the old fences, then after the old fences had been taken away, and then with the new fences in place. The garden had a very different look and feel when there weren’t any fences at all, but we were very grateful, from a security point of view, that the fence next to the park was replaced the same day.

The fencing contractors made a very nice job of putting up the new fences, and we hope that they will serve us well for many years to come. It would be good to stain the new panels at some point, but that will probably have to wait until next spring or summer.

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Removal of a tree

Behind the shed at the end of the temple’s back garden there is a small triangle of land which is part of the temple property, and which had a medium-sized conifer growing in it. As it had grown, it had gradually got a bit too big for the area that it was in, and this year it started to rub on the back of the shed, causing it some slight damage. It was only going to be a matter of time before the conifer started to push against the shed and damage it structurally, and since we were just about to have the fences replaced, it seemed like a good idea to have the tree taken down before that.

It was a real shame to have to take down the tree, as it was very nice to look at, and provided lots of nest sites and perches for the birds. Fortunately, there are lots of other trees in the park next door. A local tree surgeon quoted us a very good price for taking the tree down, and as he was highly recommended by one of our neighbours, we asked him to do the work for us. The picture below shows him working on the trunk of the tree, after the canopy had already been removed.

The work was done very quickly and tidily, and the photo below shows the new view without the conifer. The garden feels quite a bit lighter as a result, and we still have a nice view of trees as there were several behind the conifer.

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Tenth anniversary celebrations

The temple first started renting a property in Leicester on the 1st of December 2014, so next month will be the tenth anniversary of the temple’s founding. We will be celebrating the Festival of the Buddha’s Enlightenment on the 7th of December, and that will also be a very fitting opportunity to celebrate the temple’s tenth anniversary.

I hope you will be able to join us for this joyous occasion, and full details will be sent out to lay Sangha members nearer the time.

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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