View From the Lake
Picture: Harnham Monastery lake
Today, Tuesday 16th, is Asalha Puja, the Full Moon day for the month of July 2019. The next Full Moon falls on Thursday 15th August. Around mid-July there was a series of comings and goings: Tan Niddaro (who some of you will remember from about 4 years ago as Anagarika Andreas) has returned to spend the Rains Retreat (vassa) with us; Samanera Thitamedho has arrived from Santacittarama in Italy for a 3 month stay; and Samanera Nipako has departed for Santacittarama to spend the Rains Retreat there. At least part of his time will be spent sewing robes in preparation for his upasampada ceremony at Amaravati on Friday 1st November. Last Saturday 13th July Samaneras Mahesako and Samvaro received their upasampada at Amaravati, with Ajahn Amaro as preceptor, and have now returned to Harnham as bhikkhus. Our Gardens & Lake workday for July was pleasant and productive in many ways. A lot of tidying up was done and the weather was particularly agreeable. (N.B. Next Gardens & Lake workday is scheduled for Saturday 3rd of August.) Tomorrow the monastic community at Harnham will formally enter our annual 3 months Rains Retreat. With 6 bhikkhus, 3 Samaneras and 2 Anagarikas we are quite full. We are happy to hear from the Trust's secretary, Penny, that nearly all the electricity used at the monastery is from a supplier using 100% renewable sources (wind, solar, hydroelectric, biomass and landfill gas). Also we were happy to have at last met our new neighbours, John and Jules. Now we wait and see what the future brings.
Tan Mahesako (l) and Tan Samvaro (r)
