Remembering Rev. Saidō

This Sunday, the 3rd of March, is the first anniversary of Rev. Master Saidō’s death.

Rev. Saido was a much loved and respected member of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, and Prior of Telford Buddhist Priory in Shropshire. He died on Friday 3rd March 2023, 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 are greatly missed.

This coming Tuesday we will be holding a memorial for Rev. Saidō at our evening meeting, marking the 1st anniversary of his death.

After the memorial ceremony we will watch together the video of the Ceremony of the Interment of Ashes at Telford Buddhist Priory last October, when Rev. Saidō’s ashes were placed in the Stupa which he himself had built at the priory. The video can be found on this page of Rev. Mugō’s Jade Mountains blog, and a picture of the stupa is below.

A video of Rev. Saidō’s excellent Dharma Talk on the Four Noble Truths can be found on the Telford Buddhist Priory website.

There is also a page on the Telford website entitled Remembering Rev. Saidō which has a number of videos on it, including:

Rev. Saidō’s coffin arriving at Telford Priory.

A Group Evening at Telford Priory, on the evening of the day on which Rev. Saidō died.

The video of Rev. Saidō’s funeral, which was held at Telford Crematorium on Saturday the 18th of March 2023.

A memorial held on the 49th day following Rev. Saidō’s death, when some of his religious items were ceremonially burnt.

A talk entitled Remembering Rev. Saidō, which Rev. Mugō gave at the Regional Sangha Gathering in Leeds on the 1st of July 2023.

The final stages of the construction of the Stupa at Telford.

A slideshow of photos from throughout Rev. Saidō’s life, accompanied by monks singing The Scripture on the Immeasurable Life of the Tathagata.

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Rev. Saidō’s death has left a large hole in our order, as well as in many other organisations, and we offer the merit of our practice to Rev. Saidō, out of gratitude for his great compassion.

Forthcoming Events:
The Festival of the Buddha’s Renunciation

On Saturday the 9th of March we will be celebrating the Festival of the Buddha’s Renunciation. Renunciation, or letting go, lies at the heart of all Buddhist practice, and the story of the Buddha’s Renunciation is a way of conveying the importance of this aspect of training. This festival day will focus on renunciation and letting go, and how we express this within our daily life.

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. This festival day will run from 10am to 12.30pm, and full details of the festival will be sent out by email to Lay Sangha members prior to the festival.

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Signs of Spring

The recent warm and sunny weather has encouraged quite a few of the spring bulbs to come into flower. At the moment we have a lot of crocuses, although mainly the lilac/purple ones as in the photo below; the yellow ones and white ones seem to be a bit slower. The hyacinth flowers are just beginning to open as well, as are some of the daffodils.

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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