Adhisthana, May 2014

Ashvajit writes:

This month ​the Adhisthana campus and the countryside around have been blessed with gentle rain and bright sunshine, making the trees heavy with leaves of innumerable shades of green, and the fields of grass, ​swaying in the breeze, sparkle with millions of little yellow flowers. ​Further afield, the flanks of the nearby Malvern Hills have been carpeted with glorious bluebells of subtle and exquisite fragrance. With nature displaying herself in this sort of way, it is not difficult to see this place as a Pure Land.

Recently Adhisthana has had a retreat for women mitra convenors and for women regional Order convenors, a retreat for preceptors and a meeting of presidents. A retreat on Eros and Beauty co-led by Padmavajra and Subhuti is​ in progress. There has also been an Open Day, lit by brilliant sunshine and enthusiastically attended by friends and neighbours. It gave them the opportunity to view the improvements to the Adhisthana campus over the last year, to listen to a talk by Dhammarati and to be afforded a taste of meditation by Sanghadeva. Buddha Day has also been celebrated here with talks and meditation, and with a puja attended by retreatants and community members alike, led by Padmavajra.

Bhante has had a difficult time both health and sleepwise this month, and though he has seen a few people, notably visitors from the Spanish-speaking world, he has for the time being stopped seeing people altogether pending a return to better health and more regular sleep. He has nevertheless been able to take in Shabda reports and listen to correspondence, though as was the case last month, this has meant that he has not been able to reply to emails and letters as quickly or at the length he would like to have done. He has also been taking his usual morning walk and sitting for a while on one of the seats beside the lake with Buddhadasa.

My list of Bhante's visitors this month runs as follows: Prajnasahaya, Kularatna, Sridevi, Ashokashri​, Tarachitta ​and Ratnaprabha, Dharmanishta; Prajnasiddhi and Amparo Riosas from Valencia; Saddhajoti, Sandra Ruelas and Lupita Martinez from Mexico, and Asha and Avinash Acharya from Nagpur, India.

Yours with much metta to all,

Ashvajit