A Thank You

Burma: At the recent Wesak celebrations involving several Buddhist groups at the Friends Meeting House an appeal was made to help the cyclone victims of Burma. People were very generous and raised £281 or RM1,800, which has been passed on as from the CambridgeBuddhistGroup to Buddhist contacts in Burma who have returned their very sincere thank you.

Post Talk Contributions

Tenzin Dechen Rochard has kindly made available a copy of the "Eight Verses of Transforming the Mind".

Click on the link here. You will need Acrobat Reader to open this file.

Local News Summer 2008

On Saturday September 20th There is a One Day Retreat lead by Stephen Batchelor, see referred to in Programme and also a pdf flyer is available   here.. You will need Acrobat Reader to open this file.

Buddhist Volunteer Wanted to Visit Oakington Immigration Reception Centre

Oakington is a secure detention Centre about six miles North of Cambridge. It is now being used for people awaiting deportation.

There are asylum seekers at Oakington from very many different countries around the world, and the company that run it (Group Four) try to meet some of the religious and spiritual needs of the people detained there. I have been visiting Oakington for some time now as a Buddhist, and have established a shrine in a room shared with Sikhs and Hindus. Most of the people who currently register as Buddhists are Chinese, although there have also been some Sri Lankans recently. Often, people speak little or no English, so generally all I do is provide an opportunity for people to offer incense, bow, chant etc as appropriate. I have also supplied some books. I feel, however, that my monthly visits (which is all that I can currently manage) do not do enough to meet the needs of the Buddhists who are there, whereas someone with a bit more time may be able to make a much more significant difference.

What I am therefore looking for is someone who:

• Would be able to visit regularly, ideally once a week (which could be evenings), at least to provide the opportunity for a short Buddhist service or Puja.
• Might be able to get further involved with Buddhist individuals who are asking for further support, whether this is personal support or some practical help (e.g. phonecards, clothes etc, which are availabe to be distributed appropriately).
• Would be open to all different forms of Buddhism and able, to some extent, to understand the particular religious needs of Buddhists from different cultures.
• Would be able to deal with the frustrations inherent in the institutional way in which things are done in Oakington.
• Might be able, at least occasionally, to attend the monthly Religious Affairs Meeting (on the third Wednesday of the month at 11.30am).

Expenses would be paid. If anyone is interested or would like more information, do contact me.