Vidyaruchi, Sangharakshita’s secretary, writes with news of the past month, saying - “For much of the last month Bhante has been mainly occupied with producing a final edit of Living Wisely. This work has now been completed, and Bhante hopes that Windhorse Publications will be able to publish it before too long. He has since returned to correspondence, which was largely squeezed out while we worked on the book. He also continues to see people most days, and has had visits from numerous groups, including five women from the Highlands of Scotland, three from Dublin, and Padmalila and the rest of the team from the London Buddhist Centre's Lama's Pyjamas right livelihood shop in London.

Paramartha, when he is at home, has been reading to Bhante most evenings, and they have got through The Buddhas of Bamiyan by Llewelyn Morgan; Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Letters and Papers from Prison: A Biography by Martin E. Marty, which is in the 'Lives of Great Religious Books' series, other publications from which were mentioned last month; and Platonism and the Spiritual Life, a short work by George Santayana. Continuing the theme of Platonism, I have read to Bhante The Philosophy of Plotinus by Emile Brehier.

Bhante has been listening to CDs of the works of two poets: Edward Thomas, and Philip Larkin. The latter CD was of the poet reading his own verse. Larkin reads very well, Bhante thought, and is becoming his favourite contemporary poet (contemporary with Bhante that is!).

A few times recently I have heard from people who are under the impression that Bhante has been having health difficulties, but I am glad to say that this is not true, and that he continues in good health for a man of his vintage.

Vidyaruchi