We came out in time to be at Wat Pah Pong for the Ajahn ChahMemorial Day on the 16th. After that we stayed on at Wat Pah Nanachat for a few days and visited a few friends and favourite places. Then we moved down to Wat Ratanavan near Kow Yai for a couple of days, then it was back to Bangkok. On Sunday we went out to Ajahn Jundee’s wat at Chonburi for Patimokkha and on Monday most of the day I spent at a very smart hospital for a check-up. Then Tuesday we came to Sri Panwa on Phuket. I’ve posted some pictures here.

We’re off tomorrow and should be arriving in Bangkok in the afternoon of the 14th, then going to Ubon to Wat Pah Nanachat the following day for the Ajahn Chah Memorial Day at Wat Pah Pong on the 16th. After that we’re not too sure what we’ll be doing but we’re booked to return on the 1st of February. If I can I will blog some news of our trip as it unfolds.

This was the scene at The Forest Hermitage on Saturday last when Ven. William Noblett, the Chaplain General to the Prison Service, commenced his presentation before taking questions and participating in a challenging dialogue with those present at a very well attended Angulimala Workshop.

And this was the moment when William very firmly told me that a Spirituality programme drawing on various faith disciplines and practices that Prison Service Chaplaincy HQ is developing had been discussed at meetings of the Chaplaincy Council that I had attended after I had claimed that prior to an announcement at a meeting in November I had known nothing about it. Afterwards I checked the minutes of Chaplaincy Council meetings and not finding it mentioned I was relieved to form the conclusion that perhaps I’m not quite gah gah after all.

It was late, pretty dark and very icy along our lane by the time people got on their way home and poor Samacitta and passengers didn’t get very far before almost ending up down in the Fulbrook of Lower Fulbrook. Fortunately no one was hurt but the car had to be towed away.

I invite you to read the debate in the House of Lords on November 25th, the night before the new Points Based System (PBS) went live for tiers 2 and 5 of the new Immigration Rules. Lord Avebury opened the debate and you will read there how he set out the problems that we are going to face now when attempting to bring monks and nuns in from overseas or when enabling some of those already here to stay. This is a very serious matter that threatens the future of some of the smaller temples and in terms of cost alone will be a significant burden on several.

If you start investigating the new rules and requirements you will find on the Internet pages of densely packed information that even I as a native English speaker recoil from. Put simply, from now on a Thai, Burmese or Sri Lankan Buddhist monk or nun coming to stay at any of our temples as anything more than a very temporary visitor will have to enter under Tier 2 as a Minister of Religion , a Missionary or as a Member of a Religious Order, in each case with a demandingly high level of competence in English required or just possibly under Tier 5 as a Religious Worker in a Non-pastoral Role. Temples will have to register as a Sponsor, a complex process that will cost three or four hundred pounds, and then for everyone coming in a Sponsorship Certificate will have to be issued at a further cost of £170, followed by the visa fee. And although Buddhist monks are not supposed to have money they will have to have a bank account with at least £800 in it as well as guarentees of sufficient maintenance by the sponsoring temple or body. The real problem however is the high level of English competence that will have to be complied with.

Unfortunately no one thought to talk to us before this became law. A couple of lay contacts were apparently informed but not the Sangha and we only found out too late.

Yesterday, well it’s past midnight so I suppose I’d better call it yesterday, I had to go to a Prison Service Chaplaincy meeting at a Christian conference centre in what used to be a very dodgy part of London down the end of Cable Street. The place was called St Katherine’s and not far from the dock of the same name. Just across the river is Jamaica Road where my Granddad lived before he ran away to sea. For years I’ve meant to find where Granddad was born and brought up and go there but never done it. Just before I left yesterday I suddenly thought of it again and quickly looked up the address, grabbed an old photo of him as a little boy with his mum and dad in about 1890 and after the meeting I found Keeton’s Road but not no. 74 where he was born. It’s all been knocked down and rebuilt, including the old Peek Freans biscuit factory. Never mind, but here’s the photo if you’re interested. By the way, although Granddad might be a bit surprised to know what I’m doing he must have seen Buddhist monks about a hundred years ago. I have ageing postcards he brought back from Burma.

Last night, with Rob driving, I motored down to London to attend a reception in celebration of Lord Avebury’s eightieth birthday a few weeks ago. It followed a concert by the London Bach Society – which I did not attend – and was held in a pretty swish joint between Regents Street and Grosvenor Square. Judging by the expression on the receptionist’s face as I strolled through the door of the Savile Club they are not terribly used to seeing a Buddhist monk there. Once the poor chap had recovered and satisfied himself that I hadn’t just flown in from another planet and that I really was on the guest list, Rob and I were allowed to make our way through and up the stairs to a wonderful room that quickly filled with a lot of very interesting and lively people. It was a stand-up, chat and circulate sort of affair with only three speeches that were all funny and inspiring. Funny because they really were funny and inspiring because they told of Lord Avebury’s incredible dedication and commitment to making things better. The first speech was by Jeremy – the first two pictures – who was the only journalist to forecast the Orpington by-election win for the young Eric Lubbock, as Lord Avebury then was. He had us in stitches telling us all about that and other of Eric’s achievements and interests and it was he who as a member of the Savile kindly hosted the evening. Then the next speech was by Eric’s daughter, Victoria, who told us about his arrest when he once stopped to talk to someone he knew who was demonstrating about something and the tee shirts she had printed for the trial that should have said ‘Lord Avebury is innocent’ but which instead came back from the printers bearing the legend ‘Lord Avebury is indecent’! Then there’s a picture of Lord Avebury himself who in his speech vowed never to retire but to keep on going for as long as he could and to keep on saying what is unpopular. And the other photos are some of the guests. Two and a half hours passed just like that. It was a wonderful evening with a very great man. Thank you very much Eric and long may you continue to be such an inspiration and example.

Many years ago, before I went to Thailand and while I was still an actor, I set up the Lay Buddhist Association for Wat Buddhapadipa which was then located at East Sheen on the outskirts of London. While I was drafting the constitution I sought some advice from a Buddhist solicitor who was recommended to me. His name was George Goulstone and he had a rather eccentrically arranged office in Lincolns Inn, at least I think that’s where it was, at any rate somewhere around there. He received me affably enough and gave me some helpful advice. Later when I returned from Thailand with Ajahn Chah and set to trying to revive the Hampstead Vihara I discovered that George had been a Director of the English Sangha Trust. He still lived up the road from the Vihara and I or someone made contact to see if he was interested in helping again but he wasn’t. In any case by the time I had met him all those years earlier he had already moved towards Tibetan Buddhism and was quite close to Chime Rimpoche who I knew well. The next time I heard of George was about ten or more years ago when Stanley de Freitas told me of this elderly Buddhist lawyer who had retired to a nearby village and who was not in the best of shape. George had retired to Goring on Thames with his partner Christine Kemp and I believe he had had to have both legs amputated. When he died a year or two later, one of his prize possessions, an old and very fine image of Amitabha standing, was sent over to us by Christine who I’d never met. I subsequently corresponded with her briefly and put her on our mailing list. Then in August this year I had a letter from a solicitor to say that Christine Kemp had been killed in an accident and in her will had left The Forest Hermitage a three foot high Buddha Rupa and some framed Bodhi leaves. She had been killed very tragically as she was walking just down the road from where she lived when the doors of a passing van flew open and hit her. She was killed instantly.  I was able to call and collect the framed Bodhi leaves earlier this month on my way back from Broadmoor but the Burmese Buddha Rupa had to wait to be removed professionally and brought here. It finally arrived last Monday and we’ve installed it in the room in which we eat.

Khun Nui who has been a year with us left today and so we are once again in need of help. We need a Retreats Manager, help with housekeeping at Bhavana Dhamma and help with cooking generally. We offer accommodation and food, a beautiful place to stay and a great opportunity for some worthwhile practice. If you think this might suit you, please get in touch as soon as possible.

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!