Sangharakshita in Ipswich

Amoghavajra, Chairman of Triratna’s Ipswich Buddhist Centre, in the East of England, writes to say -

“We were delighted to welcome Bhante recently, as he visited the Ipswich Buddhist Centre nearly one year on from the opening of our new centre.

“On Thursday 17th June he inaugurated our chapter room - a room at the heart of our centre used for study and discussion sessions. The chapter room has a small shrine dedicated to the 1,000 armed Avalokitesvara who is often thought of as a symbol for Triratna activities.

“During a question-and-answer session, Bhante also answered questions on diverse issues such as the difference between thinking of a Buddha image as sensual or sensuous, and how Renunciation was something that the Buddhist tradition offered us living in the 21st century: with the current recession many countries and individuals are needing to live on less, and there was an inequitable imbalance in the consumption of the earth’s resources between developed and developing countries.

“He also took some time to trace some of his family roots in the village of Battisford, near Stowmarket. During a visit to the village with Paramartha, he happened across a woman who possessed hundreds of years of his family history, quite by chance. He also had time to meet with friends in Ipswich.

“For more photos of the occasion check our on-line photo album.

love, Amoghavajra