Forthcoming events
We’ll be celebrating the Priory’s ninth anniversary on Sunday 6th November (which is also the 26th anniversary of the death of our founder, Rev. Master Jiyu). The morning will begin with a meditation period at 9.45am, followed by a Festival Memorial for Rev. Master Jiyu and then a Dharma discussion. You are welcome to attend in person (please let me know if you’d like to do this) or online.
A month later, on 4th December, the Festival of the Buddha’s Enlightenment, one of the major events of the Buddhist year, will take place. The schedule will be as for the anniversary, with meditation at 9.45am, followed by the festival ceremony and a Dharma talk.
The Priory will be closed 23rd – 29th December (inclusive). On 31st December there will be a Meditation and Contemplation Day from 10.00am until 4.45pm. A Meditation Evening (with two meditation periods) will begin at 7.00pm and the New Year Ceremony will be at 8.30pm, followed by a short social tea until 9.30pm. On New Year’s Day, we’ll be holding a Sangha Morning with Renewing the Precepts.
Recent events
The day retreat on 8th October was well attended and it was particularly good to welcome members of the Cambridge Group. The opportunity for us to meditate with other Sangha members at the Priory for an extended period was greatly appreciated. The Dharma talk explored various aspects of ‘Ceaseless Practice’ and this provided a focus for the day’s sitting.
Various improvements have been made to the Priory building over the summer and autumn. The most notable has been the installation of a new front door. In addition, repairs to several windows and one of the patio doors should improve the insulation and draught-proofing of the property.
Thanks
My thanks to everyone who helps to keep the Priory well-maintained and functioning smoothly. The garden group have continued their weekly sessions enhancing and maintaining the grounds. A recent project of theirs was to improve the system of water butts that collects rainwater from the garage roof, to make this much more user-friendly. Small-scale repairs and maintenance work inside the building have been ongoing, including painting of all the internal doors, while the library now has two smart sets of shelves. I am also grateful to those people who continue to help with cleaning the Priory and with various administration tasks.
With best wishes and in gassho,
Reverend Leoma