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Home » December 2024 Newsletter

December 2024 Newsletter

Turning Wheel Buddhist Temple, Leicester Posted on by November 30, 2024

The understanding that the Buddha came to during his enlightenment is the basis for the whole of Buddhist practice, and on Saturday the 7th of December we will be celebrating the Festival of the Buddha’s Enlightenment to mark this important event in the life of the Buddha.

In the story of the enlightenment, the Buddha had spent many years following ascetic practices in his search for the truth. Close to death as a result of these hardships, he realised that this was not the way, and after eating a meal decided to sit in meditation as he had done naturally as a child. As he sat in meditation, many thoughts, feelings and memories arose which could have distracted him from his purpose, but the Buddha continued to sit. As the morning star arose he gained a deep insight into the nature of existence.

The Buddha sitting beneath the Bodhi Tree
The Buddha sitting beneath the Bodhi Tree

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. The Festival of the Buddha’s Enlightenment will also be a very fitting opportunity for us to celebrate the temple’s tenth anniversary together. I hope you will be able to join us for this joyous occasion.

The altar at last year's Enlightenment Festival
The altar at last year’s Enlightenment Festival

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 day will be sent out by email to Lay Sangha members prior to the festival.

This festival day will run from 10am to 4pm, with the Festival and Dharma Talk both in the morning so that people can come just for those if they would prefer. There will then be the option to stay on for a bring-and-share lunch and an afternoon of meditation, followed by tea and biscuits and an opportunity to ask questions.

Turning Wheel Buddhist Temple Logo

It was lovely to meet with members of the Nottingham group for a day of meditation and practice at the Day Retreat in Chilwell on Sunday the 3rd of November. There were ten of us there altogether and the building was nice and quiet as the library which shares the building with the community centre is closed on Sundays.

The main room at the community centre, which we use for meditation, is very large, and we also have a couple of other rooms and a small kitchen, giving us plenty of space to arrange things for the day.

The photo below shows the main room during one of the morning meditation periods.

Practising meditation together at the Nottingham Day Retreat
Practising meditation together

Thank you to all those who helped organise it and make it happen, and for all your support and donations in many different ways. We hope to hold another retreat at the same venue next Spring.

Many of you know that the temple is part of a larger organisation called the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives. Recently, the Head of the Order, Rev. Master Haryo, has retired from that position after twenty years in the role. There is an announcement about this on the order’s website: https://obcon.org/news/. We are grateful to Rev. Master Haryo for being willing to serve in this role for over 20 years.

As you will see, discussions regarding a replacement will probably start in the New Year, and in the meantime the Order is being administered temporarily by a four-monk “Head of the Order Council” which is fulfilling the usual responsibilities of the Head of the Order.

You’re welcome to contact Rev. Aiden if you have any questions about this, and we can also discuss it at our regular meetings.

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.

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

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