New Moon Newsletter_November 23rd, 2022
Today, Wednesday 23rd, is the New Moon day for the month of November 2022. The next Uposatha Day will be the Full Moon which falls on Thursday 8th December.
In our last newsletter it was mentioned that two bhikkhus would be joining in with the Kathina at Cittaviveka Monastery in West Sussex. Unfortunately that didn't happen. Covid happened instead. (Conveniently) about half of the community went down with it first, then the second half had it. Hopefully we are all now well-stocked with antibodies.
Before, during, and after the Covid attacks there has been quite some travelling. Tan Sucinno visited his ninety-six year-old grandmother in Borneo, Tan Samacitto is presently with his parents in Germany, Ajahn Punnyo is at his mother's in Ampleforth, and Samanera Nibutto has returned from Cittaviveka as well as attending funerals of both his grandparents who passed away in close succession.
On Sunday 13th November I offered a talk titled, So Happiness Follows. It started with considering Dhammapada verse 2: All states of being are determined by the heart. It is the heart that leads the way. As surely as our shadow never leaves us, so happiness follows when we speak from a pure heart. In the process of reflecting on the consequences of acting from a pure or impure heart we considered how many of us have trouble even accessing our own hearts. With affluence comes increased possibilities for avoiding the natural dukkha of life. Habits of avoidance lead to increased unawareness, then, until around mid-life we discover our heart has grown numb and we wonder why we have become addicted to distraction. The entertainment and travel industries profit from this situation but our hearts are not necessarily enlivened. That which brings warmth and life back to our hearts is reality, or Dhamma. If we are interested in being happy it means we are obliged to be interested in reality. Thankfully these days we have access to many great teachings that can help guide us through the quagmire of denied life and in the direction of reality.
This month there is a Lake Work Weekend planned for 26th - 27th. Do feel free to join us. No need to contact us in advance, just turn up. Unless that is you wish to stay over night in which case please do write to guestmaster@ratanagiri.org.uk
With good wishes,
Ajahn Munindo
