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!

Yesterday I rose from my sick bed – it’s only been flu – and paid my first visit to the Thai temple at Kings Bromley where I chaired a meeting of the Theravada Buddhist Sangha in the UK (TBSUK). We had a very good turnout with Bangladeshi, Burmese, English, Indian, Sri Lankan, Thai and Nepalese monks and nuns attending from a number of temples dotted around the UK. And we were very well looked after by Phra Kru Panyasudhammawithet and the monks and novices of the Buddhavihara Temple at Kings Bromley.

There are some more photos on the TBSUK page, the last tab on the right at the top of the page.

Twenty years ago today on the eighth of the eighth, eighty-eight, Venerable Sayadaw U Thilawunta (Aungming Aung Sayadaw) and his assistant monk completed the building of our pagoda after eight days of building. It still had to be painted and the relics brought by Aungming Aung Sayadaw, as well as the Buddha rupas and earth from the Shweh Dagon Pagoda in Rangoon that I had brought back with me the year before, had yet to be enshrined. I don’t keep a diary so I can’t remember how long after it was that the Tih on the very top was formally installed.

In Burma on that day too, twenty years ago, on the 08/08/88, began a series of demonstrations against the tyrranical and dreadful Burmese military government, a regime that we were reminded only a few months ago will stop at nothing to remain in power.

Our Pagoda was named The English Shwe Dagon Pagoda and was dedicated to the welfare and happiness of all beings. Today let us remember all those who were murdered and imprisoned in Burma at those peaceful demonstrations twenty years ago and may we continue to hope that peace, happiness and prosperity will one day return to the Golden Land.

My birthday this year fell on Asalha Puja or as we call it for the prisons, Dhamma Day, on July 17th. As it’s one of the three festivals recognised by the Prison Service as special festivals that Buddhist prisoners can celebrate I went that afternoon to Gartree prison and afterwards to Stocken. In both prisons we managed a short celebration and for the Gartree group I took them a rather fine Buddha Rupa for the shrine that is set up every week for their group meeting.

The picture shows me setting off.

Later when I got back we had a mini invasion of former Warwick students fresh from their graduation accompanied by friends and family. Dr Pie had his PhD robes with him so I had a birthday photo with him in full regalia and we got a quick snap of Dr Boy, sorry, Dr Ant.

Gill came to see me this evening and brought the following sheet about Simon’s funeral on Tuesday.

Simon Bromwich

Simon’s funeral will take place on Tuesday 29th July at 3:00 pm at the Oakley Wood Crematorium, Bishops Tachbrook, Leamington Spa, CV33 9QP (directions attached).
In recognition of Simon’s beliefs, the service will be led by Luangpor Khemadhammo, Abbot of the Buddhist monastery where Simon attended. As you may not have attended a Buddhist funeral before, I thought it would be helpful to tell you the order of service.

1. Evening chanting – led by Luangpor
Please sit and experience the calm of the chanting.
2. Address from Luangpor Khemadhammo
3. Memories of Simon – led by Luangpor and followed by family and friends who would like to speak of Simon.
If you wish to share your thoughts or memories of Simon, please let me know and I will ensure that you have the opportunity.
4. Forgiveness Meditation – led by Luangpor where we can meditate
and receive Simon’s forgiveness and offer forgiveness to him, so
that we can part from him in peace.
This is an opportunity to let go of any regrets or misgivings.
5. The placing of incense, flowers and a candle on Simon’s coffin.

There will be offerings of flowers, incense and candles available at the time which you are invited to place on Simon’s coffin.
There will be flowers from the direct family only. If you would like to make a donation to the Monastery in memory of Simon, there will be the opportunity at the crematorium or send cheques, payable to “The Forest Hermitage” to the undertakers John Taylor Funeral Service at 178 Warwick Road, Kenilworth. If you wish to include your name and address we would like to be able to thank-you.

If you would like to join us after the service, we will be at Lapworth Village Hall, Old Warwick Road, Lapworth, B94 6LD from 4:30 pm (directions attached). If you could bring a small plate of food (sandwiches, cakes, etc.) to share with others, this would be much appreciated. There will be tea, coffee and soft drinks.

Gill and Alex

Daughter Alex with Simon at Visakha Puja

On Tuesday afternoon as I was on my way into London I had a call to say that Simon Bromwich, a long time Forest Hermitage supporter and committee member who had just the previous Friday flown to Vietnam with Gill and their daughter for a holiday, had had a massive heart attack in Hanoi and died.

This has come as a tremendous shock to us all, not least of course to Gill and Alex to whom our hearts go out to. They are both home now. They got back on Saturday morning and Simon’s body arrived on another flight soon after, and in the evening they came to see us.

Simon had no history of heart trouble and seemed a pretty fit forty-niner. Only the other day he completed a twenty something mile walk with Tahn Manapo as a recce for a fund raising walk they were thinking of organising. And then he was at Bhavana Dhamma for a weekend retreat. This was totally unexpected and just goes to show how you can never be sure of anything.

Sad as it is, I hope – and I’m sure Simon would have hoped too – that this might be a wake-up call to not take our time for granted and not to waste it.

Simon’s funeral will be at 3 pm on Tuesday, July 29th at Oakley Wood Crematorium, the South Chapel.

A week ago Saturday three friends from Thailand stopped by for the meal here on their way up north. Ven. Ajahn Jundee is a senior disciple of Ajahn Chah and the Abbot of a very beautiful monastery where I sometimes stay, to the east of Bangkok in Chonburi. Ven. Ajahn Nyanadhammo is from Australia but has lived for many years in Thailand and was for five or six years the Abbot of Wat Pah Nanachaht. He’s moved from there now to a new monastery that he’s built on the edge of Kow Yai National Park. These two senior monks were accompanied by Tahn Moshe and with them from Amaravati came Ajahn Vimalo who back in Hampstead days was known to us as Paul Windmill. They were driven by Alan Yearling who was once Ven. Aranyapo. After the meal we walked over to Bhavana Dhamma and had a cup of tea there before strolling back to see them back into their car and on their way. It was a lovely occasion and I was so pleased that they found the time to visit.

Years ago when I started going occasionally to the old Thai Temple at East Sheen, not far from Richmond, the monks used occasionally to take their guests to Kew Gardens. I’d never been until two days ago. We have someone staying from Thailand, Kew was mentioned and so on Monday, straight after the meal off we went. What a marvellous place and what a wonderful afternoon.

The picture is of me under a Ginko Biloba that Queen Mary planted in, I think, 1927. It looks like they’re pretty slow growing so the little one that I can see from my window back here at the Forest Hermitage has a long way yet to go.

What a great place is Kew for a forest monk to wander in.