Here at The Buddhist House there have been many comings and goings recently, Paul and Judy have returned to Hawaii and all the guests who were here for the Bodhi Retreat have departed. This theme continues in the week leading up to Christmas! Dharmavidya and Prasada will be leaving on Wednesday to begin teachings abroad in Hawaii and North America. Ronnie (my roommate over the last three months) will be leaving on Tuesday to go back home to Israel for Christmas. She'll be back in January with her husband and will probably be moving to Coventry.
Modgala will be returning to Amida France on Thursday and I'll be going with her! I'll be spending Christmas and New Year there and beyond into 2007, I'm really looking forward to being close to the earth again, surrounded by so much beautiful open space :) I'll be going to Liverpool on Wednesday to catch up with my family before I leave. And another departure, Sudana will be leaving in January to go to Zambia for a year to volunteer at the project there. Amida jet set!!
Moggy and Jodo will be staying put!
We've just finished our main term at The Buddhist House It's Sunday and I'm sitting at the desk in my room, reflecting, relaxing and listening to Richard Ashcroft. Bliss :) The Bodhi retreat finished yesterday, the main retreat of the year. We've spent the last couple of weeks preparing for this retreat. We kicked off with the 24 hour nembutsu chanting. I was part of the bell team with Mudita (formerly Lisa!) and Gareth. It's hard to know what to say about this practice of chanting Amida Buddha's name for 24 hours. I've never experienced anything like it before, during those 24 hours, I felt many things, profound peace, chronic fatigue, willingness, resistance, acceptance and irritation. So many changing mind states ... The community spirit in the group was a shining light, without one another, no individual could have completed the practice. The retreat flowed on from this beginning. There were lots of pratice periods, seminars, discussions, good food and ceremonies, admissions to the Amida School and the Amida Order . Susthama and Mudita had their ordination ceremonies on Friday, it was a deeply moving occasion. Susthama ordained as an Amitarya in the Order and Mudita as a Chaplain, and received her Buddhist name. I was confirmed as an aspirant, aspiring to train as a chaplain, Gareth was confirmed as a postulant, in training for the amitarya path. I also confirmed my membership in the Amida School and took the five Buddhist precepts to guide me in life; to refrain from destroying living creatures, to refrain from taking that which is not given, to refrain from sexual misconduct, to refrain from incorrect speech and to refrain from consuming intoxicants. In the ceremony, the precepts were phrased in a beautiful way by Modgala. They began with 'I pray' and for sure this foolish being needs some outside help in keeping them, especially the right speech one!
