Today we had our meal early and then set off for London and Leicester Square where we were to join the Bathing of the Baby Buddha Celebration organised by the London Fo Guang Temple. This is an annual event and as I said in my short speech, it’s one of the highlights of my year. This time I took the opportunity to reveal one of my latest ideas, one that has become a dream that I would love to see come true. In this great and marvellous city, in London, which isn’t just the capital of the United Kingdom but a major city of the world, we as yet have no major building that honours the Buddha. We have a few that dishonour him, the Buddha Bar etc, but no place of national importance where Buddhists can gather, where celebrations like this one in Leicester Square could be held and where the great festivals of Buddhism could be given the national significance and respect they so richly deserve. I said that I had thought to call for the building of a Buddhist cathedral but then I had come round to thinking that cathedrals can be pretty deadly places and that what is really wanted is a Buddhist powerhouse. Which led me to think of the place that once supplied London with electricity. Wouldn’t it be marvellous if Battersea Power Station could be transformed into a Buddhist powerhouse!

Lord Avebury also attended and my old friend from far off theatre days, Victor Spinetti, perched himself outside and listened before signalling that he was off home and would see us later. Victor lives nearby in a little flat overlooking China Town and that’s where we repaired to afterwards for jasmine tea and to be marvellously entertained with anecdotes and tales from Victor’s rich and varied past.

We got back to the Forest Hermitage just in time to see that all was ready for our celebration tomorrow.