New Moon Update: November 2020
Today, Sunday 15th, is the New Moon day for the month of November 2020. The next Uposatha day will be the Full Moon which falls on Monday 30th November.
Several work projects are currently ongoing at the monastery. The kutis by the lake required refurbishment involving new fascia boards and repainting. Also at the kutis water butts are being installed. The flue and fan in the kitchen have been serviced and four chimneys have been swept. Having Samanera Caggadhammo here from Cittaviveka Monastery means a lot of gardening is getting done. Next lake work day the plan is to clean the boardwalk.
In preparation for our annual winter retreat period, a small number of guests have either arrived or are about to arrive. Observing quarantine and keeping strictly to Covid restrictions can be tricky, but so far we are managing.
One of the most recent talks I gave was called The Actuality of Sadness. Of course we would all prefer to not have to endure sadness, but in this human existence, so long as we have gladness we will have sadness; so long as we have joy we will have sorrow. What I tried to point out in that talk was the way that the Buddha wanted us to be interested in the reality of sadness and not blindly turn away from it. When we try to ignore such dukkha, we push it into unawareness where it festers and becomes more difficult to deal with later on. As we work with understanding sadness, one of the things we will hopefully realize is that it is at the core of compassion. We can’t feel compassion if we ignore feelings of sadness.
Before we can skilfully face sadness and learn what there is to learn from it, we need to be in touch with a sense of inner strength and inner goodness. This is where the point of cultivating virtue becomes obvious: the more we respect ourselves and trust ourselves, the more we feel able to look after ourselves. When we can truly look after ourselves, we can truly generate benefit for others.
For those who have not noticed we recently made a new recording of the parittas which can be found here: https://ratanagiri.org.uk/teachings/talks/paritta-chanting
And once more, anyone wishing to come to the monastery to leave offerings should be sure to read this announcement for full details.
If you have any questions or concerns, either email us at dana@ratanagiri.org.uk or telephone us on 07958 394 796
ROAD CLOSED: The road from the A696 that comes up the front of the monastery is due to be closed for road works from 19th October for approx. 6 weeks. Once restrictions are lifted and visitors are allowed again, they should use the road that comes from the north i.e. upon leaving the village of Belsay, follow the fork to the right leading towards Bolam lake. If in doubt look at this map before setting out. Be aware that this road up the hill can be muddy and slippery; drive carefully.
Our Evening Puja is still live streamed every night at 7pm BST, except Mondays, and you are warmly invited to join us.
With sincere well-wishing,
Luang Por Munindo
