It looks likely that News & Musings will continue now over at my WordPress site. Please go to http://luangpor.wordpress.com/ and look at the News & Musings page there.
Earlier today I nipped down to London to Abell House, home of Prison Service Chaplaincy HQ, for a meeting about a multifaith event that we're planning for Prisons Week this year. Originally known as Prisoners' Week when it began in 1975, Prisons Week is a Christian initiative to pray for, and raise awareness of, the needs of prisoners and their families, victims of crime, prison staff and all those who care. I have often wondered why it couldn't include all faiths and one year I remember I did try to have it observed by Buddhists. Now this year thanks to an initiative by Monsignor Malachy Keegan, the Principal Roman Catholic Chaplain to the Prison Service, we are organising in Prisons Week a multifaith celebration to be held in the chapel at Wormwood Scrubs Prison on November 21st with up to two hundred invited guests. Father Malachy has kindly asked me to give the address.
Thai AirAsia flight 244 Bangkok DMK 11:10am (local time) – Mandalay MDL 12:25pm (local time) An early meal and then our little party managed to successfully meet up at Don Meuang Airport. All went well with the flight and entry to Myanmar. The car and driver were at Mandalay airport to meet us and soon we were checking in at our favourite hotel. Our first stop after a wash and brush up was the Pagoda of the Big Book - at least that’s the nickname. Then we went on to ascend Mandalay Hill where we were joined by Neelam and her husband. We stayed there as long as we could and then it was back to the hotel. A very good day.
At Amaravati’s Royal Kathina. A Kathina is the ceremony that may take place where suitable conditions are in place during the month that follows the Vassa and involves the presentation of robe cloth or a robe to the Sangha that then offers the robe sewn from the cloth or the robe to one deserving monk. A Royal Kathina is when the robe is offered by a monarch. This year in England a Royal Kathina was offered by His Majesty the King of Thailand in Devon on Sunday, November 18th and another a week later at Amaravati. During each ceremony a blessing is recited for the King and that is supposed to be done by a monk with the rank and title of a Chao Khun, which is why I was invited to both occasions. I had never before been to Hartridge Monastery, often referred to as the Devon Vihara, and so after the ceremony which was held in a local village hall I was pleased to spend an enjoyable hour there as well. Both occasions were well attended and raised impressive amounts of money, at Hartrid...
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