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TUESDAY 22 Dec 2015 ~ Pagan Celebrations
Today we did our last shopping before Christmas. Shopping before Christmas. Shopping is certainly a pretty Pagan form of celebration, indulging in all the sensual attractions of food, colour, and goodies. We bought a tree and lights and have already
Read more…MONDAY 21 Dec 2015: Welcome from Gods and Mice
The Journey
We were up soon after 5am today. It was pouring with rain so packing the car was a bit of an operation, especially as we are carrying quite a quantity of stuff - much of it food, books and tools that we acquired in UK and elsewhere along
SUNDAY 20 Dec 2015
It is hard to believe we are so close to Christmas and the end of the year, the weather is so mild. Around the area where we are staying there are buttercups flowering - they should not be out until February. We have enjoyed our stay with Maitrisimha
Read more…SATURDAY 19 DEC 2015: Quan Yin in Town
Still in Den Haag. Amazing to find a statue of Quan Yin in the middle of all the gaity and commercialism of Christmas...
FRIDAY 18 DEC The Hague (Den Haag) in Netherlands
Travelled to The Hague to stay in the co-housing community where La Ville au Roi (Eleusis) members Maitrisimha and Annetta live.
THURSDAY 17 DEC Oud Turnhout in Belgium
I travelled to Oud Turnhout and stayed with La Ville au Roi (Eleusis) member Katrien. As usual we had some wonderful discussions about Buddhism, relationships, solitude and the stages of life.
Read more…WEDNESDAY 16 Dec 2015 In Holland & Belgium
Elja is visiting friends in Netherlands and I am visiting friends in Belgium. Bit by bit we are making our way back toward Eleusis, seeing several good friends along the way. The weather continues to be astoundingly mild. We are in mid-December and I
Read more…TUESDAY 15 DEC; Pyjama day
We are having a wonderful relaxing day in Belgium. We are staying in the B&B of Karin. We slept, ate and talked and were strolling around on the internet... a perfect way to rest after an intensive retreat.
Read more…MONDAY 14 DEC: Onward to Belgium
Watford
We spent last night at the home of Susthama and Damian in Watford. We had many good conversations and reflections upon the retreat in Malvern of the past week. Their daughter, Selena, age 3, had asked if I would take her to nursery school thi
SUNDAY 13 DEC; finale
We have already left the temple in Malvern. We are slowly traveling towards Eleusis, but first we will spend some time in Belgium and Holland. I am looking back to a very special week on the Bodhi retreat. It is not easy to catch in a few words what |
SATURDAY 12 DEC: A Day of Chanting
It is traditional in Far Eastern Buddhism to hold a retreat at the beginning of December and in our school this retreat includes a period of extended chanting, so, today, we spent twelve hours chanting the nembutsu invocation of Amitabha Buddha. We a
FRIDAY 11 DEC: A joyful morning
We have had a very happy morning today at the Buddhist temple. It is Day Four of the Bodhi Retreat. This morning we had a ceremony which in one stage in the ordination of a member of the sangha, Lut from Belgium, also a member of La Ville au Roi (Ele
Read more…WEDNESDAY 9 DEC; Body Dharma
Today is the second day of the Bodhi retreat. It has been a wonderful energetic day. The morning service was beautiful with strong melodic chanting. And the rise of the morning sun encouraged our chants and filled the meditation hall with beautiful m
Read more…TUESDAY 8 DEC: Enlightenment Day
The first day of our Bodhi Retreat here at Amida Mandala Buddhist Temple in the beautiful town of Malvern in Worcestershire in England. In Far Eastern Buddhism, December 8th is taken as the anniversary day of the enlightenment of Shakyamuni Buddha an
Read more…MONDAY 7 DEC 2015 the day before the retreat
These days the Malvern temple is as busy as a beehive. Everywhere are people working and preparing all kinds of things for the upcoming Bodhi retreat. Like repairing toilets, baking chocolate chip cookies, cleaning, shopping, taking care of fresh f
Read more…SUNDAY 6 DEC
We had a quiet day. Did some shopping for garden tools and found a nice local shop. Bought a small statue of Aphrodite too. Nice encounters around the temple. Nothing special to report.
Read more…SATURDAY 5 DEC 2015: A charmed day
Christmas Shopping: Today we took the opportunity to do some Christmas shopping. I had several people to buy for and, of course, there were some I knew what I wanted to buy and some for whom I hadn't a clue. However, the gods were with us. The first
FRIDAY 4 DEC 2015 relaxing and socialising
Tonight there are several community activities. We had a real community dinner; a nice mixed group of people; sangha members, inhabitants of the temple and people who are involved with the activity’s of the temple.
I have a cold and decided to stay
Read more…THURSDAY 3 DEC 2015
It was a delight to join in with sangha in morning devotions at the Amida Mandala Temple. Then, after breakfast, we headed off to the Midlands for the day. I had some business to attend to in Narborough and then we went to the house of my daughter in
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