New Year's Greetings
UPDATED - 6th January 2022
Today is Wednesday 29th December. Soon the year 2021 will end and 2022 will begin. I want to take this opportunity to express appreciation for your kindness, your patience, and your understanding through these difficult times. For the most part, here at Harnham Buddhist Monastery, we have weathered the Covid pandemic relatively unscathed, however I am aware that the lives of many others have been painfully disrupted. For a number of non-Covid related reasons there have been times in the monastery when things have been a bit difficult, but when I hear what others have had to endure I realize we are fortunate.
The last talk I gave on Sunday 12th December was called Simplify. In Dhammapada verse 91 the Buddha says: Alert to the needs of the journey, those on the path of awareness, like swans, glide on, leaving behind their former resting places. When we forget our commitment to cultivating awareness we easily fall into old habits of complicating our lives. For instance, a few weeks ago when the big storm blew through it was apparent how dependent we have become on electricity. In recent weeks two bhikhus who have been living here for some time moved on to live at Amaravati. One of those was the person overseeing much of the technology and without him it would be challenging to manage the live-streaming of the New Year's Eve 'Forgiveness and Renewal' ritual and the New Year's Day 3pm Paritta chanting. So regrettably these two planned events will now not happen.
What will be happening is the closing of the Dhamma Hall conservatory and reverting back to having tables set up in the vestibule to our Dhamma Hall so those who wish can leave offerings. If you wish to leave cooked food please feel free to leave it on the tables in the vestibule before 10.45 am so our kitchen team can collect them in time for the meal. However, unless we hear from you in advance that you particularly want to see a monk, there will not normally be anyone to meet you.
It turns out this that year we have a particularly small support team in place for the three months of the Winter Retreat. So anyone wishing to help out is welcome to be in touch at sangha@ratanagiri.org.uk
And we have been updating our 'Volunteer Drivers' list. Some who used to be on the list have moved away or for other reasons are no longer available. So if you have a driver's license, some spare time and wish to be added to the list, please write to guestmaster@ratanagiri.org.uk
Although the photo of two swans standing by the edge of the lake looks cold, please rest assured we do have plenty of firewood and gas and (thankfully) electricity. That photo was from several years ago anyway. So far this year the weather has been mild.
With good wishes,
Ajahn Munindo
