Vassa:The community has finished just over a week of group meditation and is spending a couple of days without much scheduled activity. The new moon is on Friday and some will begin periods of personal retreat using the topmost kuti. We will generally be keeping Noble Silence. The sangha will start a series of vinaya studies, revising our existing knowledge and reviewing its application in the monastery on a day-to-day basis. This is a valuable time and several people are taking advantage of the space by coming to stay at the monastery.
School Visit:We recently had a visit by about 100 students from St. Mathews school in Masterton. view photos They had a lively interest in the Buddhist lifestyle and a keen curiosity about the teachings. We discussed the principles of meditation and had a short guided meditation which they all seemed to find a positive experience. It is always refreshing to encounter this kind of energy in young people.
Sat. Meditation:Just a reminder that the Saturday afternoon meditation workshops are now twice a month – the first and third Saturday of every month. So, the next is this Saturday – 18th. Starting at 1pm.
Palmerston North:The monastery’s relationship with PNth has been a long-standing one and the monthly visits continue to be well supported with 30+ for the Friday evening session of chanting and meditation. There are (almost) double this number for the Saturday gathering which has been extended to include a children’s class which the kids seem to enjoy. There are almost as many adults joining this class as there are kids – yes, it is *that* informative and fun 🙂