This was the scene at the end of our meeting on Monday of the Armed Forces Buddhist Chaplaincy Endorsing Authority. From the left, Lama Jampa Thaye, Rev. Saido Kennaway, myself, Dh. Sunanda and Colin Ash. We met as we so often do in the London Fo Guang Temple near Oxford Circus. They’re very kind to us there and look after us very well with tea and refreshments.

The purpose of this group as it was originally conceived is to endorse and support the Buddhist chaplain to the Armed Forces. It was properly constituted as an independent body and successfully lobbied for the original part time appointment of the Armed Forces’ Buddhist chaplain to be upgraded and become full time. Unfortunately there was a totally unconstitutional attempt to get rid of four of us and reconvene a new committee with a different membership. That was of course unacceptable to us but apparently not unacceptable to the Ministery of Defence despite the two successive ministers concerned repeatedly saying that the provision of a Religious Endorsing Authority for the Buddhist Civilian Chaplain to the Armed Forces is a matter for the Buddhist communities to agree on. Although by now it should be plain that we do not agree with the MoD’s appointment of Ron Maddox as the Buddhist Religious Adviser to the Armed Forces they stubbornly insist on retaining him. More importantly this whole business brings up the vital question of how the Government and its agencies contact and consult with the Buddhist communities. It is plainly ridiculous to hang on to the Buddhist Society, a lay organisation of limited membership, run by a small inner circle in SW London, as the recognised primary point of contact. I think I only know three people who belong to it and probably most of the Thais, Burmese and Sri Lankans who come here have never heard of it.

Most of our time on Monday afternoon then was occupied with how we might resolve the current impasse and move things forward.

You can find more details under the tab Forces Chaplaincy.

At last I’ve begun to get back up to speed. For the first two weeks after we got back from Thailand I couldn’t do very much because of the weather, then I got some sort of virus that I seemed to shake off pretty quickly, but that was followed by trouble with a tooth and when I went to the dentist I came away minus two old friends that must have been with me for well over fifty years. The next day I felt dreadful and so then I had more than a week of coping with an infected cavity. But that’s all over now and the last ten days have been pretty active.

A week ago Saturday we had an Angulimala Workshop that was very well attended and which appeared to go extraordinarily well, especially as there was no guest speaker and they had to put up with quite a lot from me. One of the things we discussed was the creeping appropriation of Mindfulness practice and techniques by psychologists, psychotherapists and the like. I was at pains to point out that what Buddhism teaches is Right Mindfulness which is mindfulness skilfully directed and invested with Wisdom and Virtue.

On Monday I visited a Regional Secure Unit for a meeting about a patient who I know there.

On Tuesday I had an early meal then set off for Send Prison in Surrey where at 11:15 there was to be the opening of the new Multifaith building. Fortunately we managed to avoid a traffic problem on the M40 and arrive in good time. The guest of honour who was to cut the tape was Penelope Keith. When I got to have a chat with her I asked her if she had seen Felicity Kendal lately. They had both starred together in a well-known series years ago and even further back I had known and worked with Felicity. Well that led on to a discovery that we’d had one or two other mutual friends. I got away from there around one o’clock and soon after getting back I took my wonderful old cockerel to the vet who it seemed was able to sort him out. Larry the cockerel had been poorly for a few days and had had an earlier trip to the vet the week before. Then in the evening I went to Grendon and Springhill prisons.

On Wednesday afternoon I had a meeting of TBSUK (Theravada Buddhist Sangha in the UK) at the Birmingham Peace Pagoda Temple in Birmingham. That went quite well and was well attended. The main subject of discussion was the new Immigration Points Based System (PBS) which means that temples wishing to invite monks and nuns from overseas or renew visas for those already here must register as a sponsor with the UK Borders Agency. There have been mixed experiences with this. Afterwards I chased down to Heathrow to meet Ant who has been working in France and who that evening was off to Thailand for a computer science conference on Phuket. I had some things for him to take for Sister Khema who is now in the NE of Thailand.

On Thursday it was off to Holloway where our Prison Service Chaplaincy Council was to meet in the afternoon. Holloway was one of the first prisons I went to back in the summer of 1977. It’s changed a bit since then. The meeting was not a happy one and not particularly productive. Afterwards Rob and I drove through Hampstead past some of my old haunts of many years ago.

On Friday I didn’t have to go anywhere which was nice and I did little apart from some tidying in my kuti.

On Saturday morning I let my dogs out as usual and opened Larry’s hutch. He was sitting there looking very comfortable and looked at me. He had been gradually recovering and the previous day had been out walking about and eating. I came back in and a few minutes later I was disturbed by a noise that I took to be a squirrel trying to pinch his food. I went out and discovered that it had been Larry’s last struggle. My poor wonderful cockerel was dead.

On Sunday after the meal I was presented with an electric toothbrush. Then I wrote an update for the section of this site that you’ll find under the Forces Chaplaincy tab. It is a brief summary of the ongoing problem with the MoD and includes a copy of a recent letter from Kevan Jones, the Minister. Do take a look.

And later today I have to go to Holme House Prison near Durham.

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.