A Flurry of Activity
Picture: Jonathan at work building the new tool shed
The Full Moon day for this month falls today, Wednesday, 24th October; the next Full Moon will be Thursday, 22nd November. This year's Rains Retreat has ended with a flurry of not just falling autumn leaves, but also of significant increased activity. The community spent most of the final 2 weeks of our 3 month retreat in noble silence, perhaps contributing to the feeling of contrast we are now experiencing. Last Sunday Luang Por Munindo offered a talk called The Middle Way Is Not Beige, which discussed how to handle intensity when that is what life gives us. Preparations are currently afoot for the annual Robe Material Offering Ceremony (to be held next Sunday 28th October). We are anticipating as usual the welcome arrival of many sangha members visiting from our sister monasteries down south, as well as a goodly crowd of more local friends and supporters. Our helpful resident builder Jonathan is hoping to have the new tool shed completed and tidied up by then. We also expect to have finished the new kuti which is presently being built next to Mangala House (though probably it will not habitable). The annual shipment of calendars and books for free distribution from the Katanyuta Group in KL, Malaysia, might not arrive in time to be distributed at Sunday 28th's gathering. However we do hope the new books by Luang Por Munindo, Sanity in the Midst of Uncertainty and Servant of Reality, will be available by then. The resident community will be changing with samaneras Mahesako and Sangvaro heading down to Amaravati and Chithurst respectively, in time for the Winter Retreat, and Tan Pasado heading back to Amaravati. We look forward to welcoming the potential team of Harnham Winter Retreat volunteers who will be arriving shortly to familiarize themselves with the place. Our last lake work day was a success, finishing all the jobs with plenty of time to spare; the next lake work day will be Saturday 24th November, as as always all welcome.
The new kuti being constructed next to Mangala House
