February 2022 Newsletter
Memorial for Thich Nhat Hanh
You may have heard the sad news that Thich Nhat Hanh died on Saturday the 22nd of January. He was a Vietnames Buddhist monk who founded the Order of Interbeing and the Plum Village Tradition. He has been a major figure in Buddhism since the 1960s and it was nice to be able to hold a memorial for such a prominent teacher.
We held the memorial at the start of the evening meeting on Wednesday the 26th, and it was nice to have so many people attend; there were two people here at the temple in person, plus over twenty joining via zoom. A photo of the memorial altar is below:
The discussion period that we had scheduled for that evening was a nice opportunity to talk about and remember Thich Nhat Hanh and his teachings, and several people brought along quotes and excerpts from his many writings to share with the group, as well as other reflections and memories they had.
Forthcoming Events:
The Festival of Avalokiteshwara Bodhisattva
On Saturday the 5th of February we will be celebrating the Festival of Avalokiteshwara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. The name Avalokiteshwara is Sanskrit (Japanese: Kanzeon, Chinese: Kwan Yin, Tibetan: Chenrezig), and means “The one who hears the cries of the world”. To live with compassion is to hear the cries of suffering within ourselves and within all beings, and to be willing to respond, and the festival will focus on this centrally important aspect of Buddhist practice.
During the festival a wide variety of different images of Avalokiteshwara are placed around the walls of the meditation hall, and we circumambulate the hall and bow to each image as we pass it. This symbolises the fact that compassion can appear in many different forms, sometimes in a way that we least expect, and that if we want to know stability and contentment in our lives we must accept, and bow to, all these different appearances of the nature of reality. This is one way in which we ourselves express compassion for all living things.
In addition to welcoming a small number of visitors to the temple for the festival, we will also be holding the festival over zoom so that Lay Sangha members can join in from where they are. I hope you will be able to join us, and full details will be sent out by email prior to the festival.
Visit to Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey
by Rev. Aiden
Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland is our order’s main monastery in the UK, and it was very nice to have the opportunity to visit during January. This was the first time I had been able to visit since January 2020, and it was very nice to see all of the community again, and particularly to be able to talk with Rev. Master Daishin who was also visiting.
Throssel usually gets a fair amount of snow over the winter, and this year was no exception. There was a significant fall of snow on the second evening I was there, which continued overnight, and the photo below shows the view up the valley the next morning, with the rising sun just starting to light up the hills across the valley.
The cold weather continued for most of the week, so that the snow continued to lie on the ground for most of the time I was there. A further fall later in the week meant that we had to clear the snow on the lane so that delivery drivers could get up to the main buildings.
The photo below shows the main driveway on the first morning, before any snow clearing had started.
Fortunately the weather warmed up towards the end of my stay and the snow melted away, so that I didn’t get snowed in.
During January Rev. Master Daishin had several meetings with the community, which were an opportunity for monks to ask questions relating to his new book Delving, which was published late last year (for details see the Throssel website). It was lovely to be able to join in with two of these meetings whilst I was there, and to join the remaining ones via zoom once I was back in Leicester.
Two full years is by far the longest I have been away from Throssel since I first visited in 1994, and I hope it won’t be anything like as long as that before I am able to visit again.
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.
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