December 30th, 2018

On October 30th 2018, Sangharakshita, the founder of the Triratna Order and movement, died in hospital in Hereford. Although this was a sad time, it was also a time for gratitude and rejoicing in all he had done to make the Dharma accessible to us in contemporary western culture. His funeral at Adhisthana was a great event characterised by deep gratitude and those of us from Llangollen who attended had a clear sense of the strength of the Order and its ability to carry on the work of spreading the Dharma.

In Llangollen, the Story Sharing event on October 12th was a happy occasion and a chance to get to know the Story Telling group, the Llangollen Refugee Support group and other people of goodwill in the town. The event raised nearly £250 for CEFN, the North Wales Refugee charity, and Berni and Caron from CEFN came and talked about their work with refugees, particularly in Greece. We also heard some great stories, and shared some lovely food!

On Thursdays we have been following a series on the Bodhisattva Path and the qualities to be cultivated in our own lives - generosity, ethics, energy, patience, mindfulness and wisdom. We had a special ceremony in November to welcome Deniz as a new Mitra, and in December we celebrated sangha and spiritual friendship and particularly thanked Padmasara for all she has done to keep the Llangollen group going and to help so many of us on our spiritual path through teaching and friendship. She is planning to move away from the area soon and will be much missed.
We have also had good news that Sion who has been part of our Llangollen sangha for many years has been invited for ordination next year (2019). Sadhu Sion!
Here are some of us at the celebration of sangha and friendship!

We are continuing to meet every Thursday 7pm and are planning some special events in 2019. There will be a weekend retreat at Taraloka in May, and a Mental Health Day in Llangollen in June. And of course we will be welcoming Sion back as an Order Member!