Forthcoming events
The Festival of the Buddha’s Enlightenment will be celebrated on Sunday 7th December. There will be a meditation period at 9.45am and the ceremony will begin, after a brief rehearsal, at 10.30am. This will be followed by a Dharma talk and discussion. Please contact the Priory if you would like to attend.
The Priory will be closed 22nd – 30th December (inclusive). There will not be any events at the Priory during this time. On Wednesday 31st December there will be a Meditation and Contemplation Day, from 10.00am to 4.45pm. There will then be a Meditation Evening at 7.00pm and the New Year Ceremony at 8.00pm, followed by a short social tea until 9.00pm. If you would like to come along to the Ceremony, please contact the Priory. On New Year’s Day, there will be a Sangha Morning with Renewing the Precepts. There will not be an Evening Meeting on Thursday 1st January.
Recent events
The Priory’s 12th anniversary was celebrated on 2nd November, with a ceremony to express our gratitude for the life and teaching of our founder, Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett. The Dharma talk and discussion afterwards focussed on two extracts from ‘The Wild, White Goose’ about the koan appearing naturally in daily life. The ceremony was well-attended and we were delighted to have Rev. Alicia, from Sitting Buddha Hermitage in Derbyshire (who is one of our charity’s trustees), with us for the ceremony, as part of an enjoyable visit that she made to the Priory that weekend. Below is a photo of all of us after the ceremony.
We held a five-day sesshin at the end of November. Seven of us sat all or most of the retreat in person and another three joined for much of the sesshin online, with other people participating for shorter periods. The intensive retreat was held in silence and included several periods of seated meditation each day, as well as the daily ceremonies and formal lunch eaten in the meditation room. There were also daily Dharma talks, on The Scripture of Great Wisdom, and Dharma discussions. In addition, the schedule incorporated working meditation and time for reading or quiet contemplation. The sesshin evoked gratitude for the opportunity to sit together and to focus on meditation for a few days. Thanks to everyone who attended and who contributed to the smooth running of the sesshin, especially to the people who supervised the preparation of the meals.
Thanks
Thank you very much to everyone in the garden group who continued to turn up each week until the end of November, as well as to the housework crew who met up at the same time. This ensured that the Priory received a much appreciated tidy-up, outside and inside, every Tuesday. The photo below shows the workers enjoying a well-deserved tea break.
Thanks also to the two trainees who have been working on exterior maintenance projects, including repairing a gate, painting fences and installing a weed-proof membrane under the gravel on the drive.
In addition, my gratitude goes to the people who continue to help with the book-keeping and accounts, as well as to those who have provided me with some wonderful cooked food.
With best wishes and in gassho,
Reverend Leoma