Last Sunday, October 23rd, we had a very big occasion here when Dr. Khanungnit Garnett (Khun Tugktaa) of Banbury kindly organised a Tort Pah Bah for us to help repay the debt still outstanding on the purchase of Bhavana Dhamma (Wood Cottage). I’m delighted to say that it was a huge success with one of our biggest turnouts for many years and the largest sum ever raised for us at an event like it. 

To begin with the weather didn’t make a very good start to the day but we were better prepared than usual with a second marquee obtained from eBay and a rather good heater so when our guests arrived they had a modicum of comfort in which to enjoy a welcome cup of tea or coffee. The proceedings kicked off in our usual style with respects being offered to the Triple Gem, then those who wanted to took the Refuges and Precepts and the almsround followed. By then the rain had stopped. After the food we all reassembled in the Shrine Room for the offering of the cloth, the proceeds of the money tree and the array of supplies surrounding it. Then as a response to this impressive show of kindness and generosity I gave a talk in which I touched on the hundreth anniversary that’s just passed of the return to Burma of an English monk who led the first ever Buddhist mission to this country in 1908. That led me on to speak of the importance of establishing a home-grown branch of the bhikkhu sangha and the debt that we all owe to the monks from Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka who aided by their supporters have done so much to help us establish Buddhism on this island. When the money was counted it didn’t quite reach £5,000 so the lady with the mike made a determined plea for a little more and in minutes it was over £5,000, which then in another burst of enthusiasm led to a rounding up to what was considered an acceptable figure of £5,099.99. That was when we noticed that the clouds had dispersed and the sun was shining.

We have benefitted lately by a windfall from my late mother’s estate and a generous contribution from the estate of Rosemary Alcockand these accompanied by other contributions when added to the £5,099.99 have this week brought the total debt on Bhavana Dhamma down to £52,250. Anumodana!