Hello, my name is Reverend Aiden, and I'm a Zen Buddhist monk within the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives (OBC). I am the resident monk at Turning Wheel Buddhist Temple, and I'm responsible for the teaching that the temple offers. I run the calendar of events and regular weekly activities, and I offer support and guidance to anyone who practices in this tradition or is interested in finding out about it.

I was ordained in 1996 by Rev. Master Daishin Morgan, the former Abbot of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland, and received Dharma Transmission from him in 2002. In 2004 I was authorised as a teacher of Buddhism, and I have been teaching meditation and Buddhist practice since then.

Before becoming a monk I studied engineering at Loughborough University, and worked in the car industry for several years. During that time I read many books on different traditions, but it was Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism in particular, that seemed to resonate most for me. In 1994 I visited Throssel Hole for the first time, and went to live there at the end of the year.

I was a member of the monastic community at Throssel Hole from 1995 until 2014. For much of that time I worked on maintenance of the buildings and the grounds, as well as looking after the many thousands of trees that the community has planted there.

From 2010 to 2014 I was the Bursar at Throssel, looking after the finances and other related areas.

During my time at Throssel I also spent several periods training at other temples of the OBC, including nine months in the USA during 2000 and 2001, mostly at Pine Mountain Buddhist Temple, and three months at Shasta Abbey in the summer of 2014.

In 2014 I moved from Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in order to establish Turning Wheel Buddhist Temple. I had been visiting the Nottingham and Leicester meditation groups for the previous five years, running day retreats several times each year, and the East Midlands congregation were very supportive of the possibility of the new temple being in this area.

Being resident at the temple is an opportunity for me to offer help and support to anyone who is interested in meditation and Buddhism, and you are very welcome to come along and join us.

I look forward to meeting you.
with best wishes
Aiden