A jubilant atmosphere has permeated Adhisthana this June. The vibrancy of life buzzes all around us. The air, thick with rose petals swirling in the warm breeze, vibrates to the wing-blur hum of dragonflies, damselflies and bees. Although the midsummer heat-waves have been occasionally oppressive, the long evenings and relaxed events have left the retreat centre feeling almost like a festival at times.
The month began with ‘Opening the Bodhi Heart’, a nine-day meditation intensive retreat for sub30s led by Vidyamala and Vessantara on the theme of metta. The forty or so retreatants had a couple of days to get to know each other before entering full silence for about four days. During this time, such a strong atmosphere of loving-kindness was cultivated between them that, when they finally came out of silence, it was as if they had all been friends for years.
After a week of varied retreats, including the Brixton Sangha meditation retreat, a gathering of Ratnaghosha’s preceptees, and a study seminar run by Nagapriya, we welcomed the European Chairs Assembly for one of their biannual meetings at Adhisthana. Being chair of a Buddhist centre or other institution is (obviously) a highly demanding role, and often the chairs arrive a little heavy with the weight of responsibility, so efforts are made to provide some light relief throughout the meeting. One such event, now an annual occasion, is the Summer Solstice Barbecue, organised by the Operations Team. Vilasamuni and volunteer Frank worked heroically in the kitchen, churning out 80 burgers and sausages, fresh salad, corn on the cob, nibbles, and fruit salad. Yashodeva manned the barbecue grill, giving the vegan “meat” a smoky finish. Annika served a mouth-watering Midsummer fruit fool, and Olivia graciously took on organising the set-up after Hally had to bow out in order to finish formatting the 2027 print programme content and get it over to Dhammarati by the deadline that evening.
That same weekend, Adhisthana participated in an Open Gardens event in aid of All Saints Church in Coddington. There was a feeling of pride throughout the communities as dozens of people from the local area came to explore our fabulous gardens, so masterfully designed and maintained by Sanghadeva and Kerianna. With the beds in full summer bloom, their public reception was perfectly timed, and many a day-tripper departed impressed and delighted by their efflorescent charm.
There was more fun still to be had by the European Chairs Assembly, who were graced by the powerful voice and accomplished fingers of Locana and Manidhara respectively, in a classical concert featuring songs collected by Locana, ‘In Praise of Wingèd Creatures’. Hosted by Vidyaruchi, who would usually run the retreat for classical musicians alongside the ECA meeting, the concert was a beautifully curated exhibition of classical music spanning from 12th-century plainchant to contemporary pieces composed by Locana and Manidhara themselves. Between Locana’s beautiful operatic vocals and Manidhara’s impeccable piano accompaniment, the evening’s performance was rich, impressive and moving.
The festive spirit continued throughout the week, with long, hot evenings festooned by the sweet sound of Vidyaruchi’s classical guitar, featuring a crowd-pleasing lawn sprinkler for cooling off, and raucous, late-night games of ‘Werewolf’. The sweltering weather was ameliorated by Annika’s expeditious menu change, swapping hot meals for delicious, cool wraps and salads. However, the situation was somewhat exacerbated by an inopportune fault with the local water supply, which left us without running water for the best part of a day. Fortunately there was enough bottled water to keep everyone hydrated and the kitchen running.
The site has had a few upgrades – Yashodeva completed his work paving the area outside the office, replacing the unattractive and uneven grey slabs with neat dark tiles, and saving us about £10,000 in the process (by his estimate). We also received a generous donation from Lucy Fallon, who paid for the carpet in the Beams to be professionally cleaned after noticing one or two (or three…) stains during her stay here. Thank you, Lucy!
The month ends with our biannual At Home Days, a chance for the communities to relax, connect and practice together. The plan includes morning sesshin, life stories, a single-sex day, and a “sports day” afternoon, and with the beautiful weather holding out, I think it’s going to be a rather lovely time indeed.
