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FESTIVAL CEREMONIES (marked F on the calendar) Everyone is welcome on these Sundays. For those new to the Abbey, they provide a good opportunity to get to know our monastery, and for those who already practice, they can be a time of devotion and inspiration. Festivals are a way of celebrating the teaching of the Ancestors, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and help us reflect within and touch on the stillness and compassion at the heart of our ceremonies. Gratitude, which is fundamental to the practice of Serene Reflection Meditation, is the basis of all our ceremonial.There is a meditation period at 10.15am, and scheduled meditation periods are available in the afternoon. Please let us know if you would like meditation instruction. The festival ceremony begins at 11.15am. After the festival there is a Dharma talk followed by a buffet lunch. If you would like to stay for lunch, please let us know by midday on the preceding Friday.More detailed information on each festival is available on the throssel.org.uk website (go to calendar and click on the first Sunday of the month ‘11.15 Festival’).Dharma Weekends (most first weekends of the month) During these weekends, the schedule is structured to give individuals more flexibility. On the Saturday you can take part in the meditation and work periods or rest and enjoy the peaceful setting. If you have not been to Throssel for some time, these weekends provide a gentle way of returning. You are welcome to arrive on any day during these weekends. The weekends lead up to a festival on Sunday morning followed by a Dharma talk and a buffet lunch.Tours We warmly invite anyone who would like to visit us to come for a tour of the monastery and grounds. Please contact the guest department beforehand so that we can make sure a monk is available to show you around.
Stays & BookingsWe welcome anyone who has attended an introductory retreat to come and stay at the monastery whenever we are open.Retreat registration Please register at least one week before the start of introductory, weekend and three-day retreats, two weeks before any week-long retreats and one month before Jukai.Staying at the monastery outside of scheduled retreats provides an opportunity to experience the day-to-day life of the monastery and supports meditation in all that we do. For our congregation who live locally, you are always welcome to join us for any part of the day.Please email, phone or write to the guest department to let us know when you would like to visit.The Guest Department Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey Carrshield, HEXHAM Northumberland NE47 8AL Phone: +44 (0) 1434-345204 9.30-11.30am and 2.30-4.30pm (except Monday pm) E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.throssel.org.uk Registered Charity No. 506094The monastery is closed to guests 2-15 May and 5-27 December (dates are inclusive).
Winter Sangha Retreat (3-31 Jan)During January, if you are familiar with life at Throssel, you are welcome to come and support the monks whilst they are on retreat. Mostly this involves working in the kitchen, together with other lay trainees and monks. There is ample time for meditation and rest. There is no formal teaching offered during this time.
WEEKEND AND THREE-DAY RETREATS
Introductory Retreats(12-14 Feb; 15-17 Apr; 10-12 June; 8-10 July; 12-14 Aug; 9-11 Sept; 7-9 Oct; 11-13 Nov)We ask anyone new to our practice, and interested in finding out about it, to come to one of our introductory retreats. These provide a clear and gradual introduction to meditation and its application in daily life. A group of senior monks lead these retreats, sharing in the weekend’s activities, giving teaching, as well as being available to answer questions. Private spiritual counselling is also offered. Introductory retreats begin on Friday afternoon at 5pm and end on Sunday around 2pm.
Intensive Meditation Weekends(25-28 Feb and 27-30 May)These silent retreats offer teaching and plenty of meditation for those who have already been practising for a while. A senior monk leads the weekend, giving Dharma talks and answering questions. You are most welcome to come before the retreat starts and to stay on after it ends, joining in the day-to-day life of the monastery. Both retreats are over a long weekend (In Feb it starts on Thursday and ends Sunday after lunch, and in May it runs from Friday and ends on Monday after lunch).
Lay Ministry Retreat (10-13 March)
Family and Friends’ Weekend - Wesak (Festival of the Buddha’s Birth 29 April - 1 May)This joyous occassion is a time for our congregation to bring friends and partners along, who maybe interested in finding out more about us, as well as for families and young people to spend the weekend at the Abbey. On Saturday everybody can join in the various activities, and help in the kitchen is much appreciated. Any children or young people who are interested are shown how to participate in the ceremonial for the Wesak Festival on Sunday.
‘Remembering the Founder’ weekend retreat (4-6 Nov)In 2016 it will be 20 years since the death of our Founder Great Master Houn Jiyu-Kennett. This retreat will focus around the teaching of our Founder, with a day of meditation on the Saturday and a festival memorial and Dharma talk on the Sunday.
Life of the Precepts Retreat (25-27 Nov)If you are considering taking the Buddhist Precepts at the Keeping of the Ten Precepts Retreat (Jukai), this weekend retreat provides an opportunity to explore the commitment of receiving the Precepts and becoming a Buddhist. Those who have already taken the Precepts are also welcome.The Buddha’s Enlightenment Retreat (2-4 Dec)This retreat is centred around the Festival of the Buddha’s Enlightenment, a highlight of the Buddhist calendar. During the ceremony on Sunday we express our gratitude for the enlightenment, profound compassion and wisdom of the Buddha and the fact that we too can find release from suffering.
WEEK RETREATS & SESSHINS
Keeping of the Ten Precepts Retreat (Jukai Jap.) (26 March-2 April)During this week-long retreat those who come to the monastery to receive lay ordination formally express their wish and commitment to keeping the Buddhist Precepts and to making them the central focus of their lives. We welcome those taking the Precepts for the first time, as well as those returning to renew their vows to live by the Precepts. During this retreat there are regular meditation periods, Dharma talks, and a series of deeply significant ceremonies that vividly express the teaching.
Summer Sesshins (18-24 June, 23-30 July and 20-27 Aug)These are silent retreats, with an emphasis on meditation. The June sesshin is a five day retreat, and the July and August ones last 6 days. Sesshin means ‘to search the heart’: a time to drop any distractions and focus on what is most important.
Segaki (22-29 Oct)Segaki (Jap.) means, ‘Feeding of the Hungry Ghosts’. The term hungry ghost represents anything within life and death that seems to be obstructing a being from living and dying fully. Autumn is naturally a time where change and impermanence are more apparent, encouraging us to let go of clinging. This sesshin is for people familiar with the Serene Reflection Meditation tradition.
New Year Retreat (28 Dec 2015-2 Jan 2016; 28 Dec 2016-2 Jan 2017)Some people find it very helpful to take time to retreat at the turn of the year. This is a time of transition when we naturally tend to reflect on the past year and our purpose in life, and to review the direction of our life. At the monastery we celebrate the start of the New Year with a midnight ceremony. On New Year’s Day we celebrate the Festival of the Birth of our Founder, Great Master Houn Jiyu, followed by a feast.
Visits to the Monastery R E T R E AT S 2 0 16
Abo
ut th
e M
onas
tery
and
Our
Roo
ts
the
ser
ene
ref
lec
tio
n m
edit
ati
on
tr
ad
itio
n (s
oto
zen
)O
ur tr
aditi
on o
f Bud
dhis
m o
rigin
ates
in C
hina
and
was
tran
smitt
ed to
Japa
n,
whe
re it
bec
ame
know
n as
Sot
o Ze
n. T
his
trad
ition
em
phas
ises
the
prac
tice
of m
edita
tion,
livi
ng b
y th
e Bu
ddhi
st P
rece
pts
and
actin
g fr
om t
he h
eart
of
com
pass
ion,
love
and
wis
dom
in o
ur d
aily
life
. In
the
Sere
ne R
eflec
tion
Med
itatio
n tr
aditi
on, o
ne s
its s
till i
n th
e pr
esen
t mom
ent w
ith a
n al
ert a
nd
all-a
ccep
ting
min
d, a
llow
ing
thou
ghts
and
feel
ings
to a
rise
and
pass
aw
ay
natu
rally
with
out h
oldi
ng o
n to
them
or t
ryin
g to
pus
h th
em a
way
.
thr
oss
el h
ole
bu
dd
his
t a
bb
ey
Thro
ssel
Hol
e Bu
ddhi
st A
bbey
is th
e la
rges
t tem
ple
of th
e O
rder
of B
uddh
ist
Cont
empl
ativ
es i
n Eu
rope
. It
is a
ret
reat
cen
tre
and
mon
aste
ry w
here
m
ale
and
fem
ale
resi
dent
mon
ks t
rain
tog
ethe
r an
d ha
ve e
qual
sta
tus
and
reco
gniti
on. T
he m
onas
tic m
embe
rs a
re c
elib
ate
and
vege
taria
n. T
he
mon
aste
ry is
und
er th
e sp
iritu
al d
irect
ion
of th
e A
bbot
, Rev
. Mas
ter D
aish
in
Mor
gan,
a D
harm
a he
ir of
Rev
. Mas
ter J
iyu-
Kenn
ett.
Aft
er tr
aini
ng a
t Sha
sta
Abb
ey w
ith R
ev. M
aste
r Jiy
u, in
198
2 Re
v. M
aste
r Dai
shin
was
invi
ted
by h
er
to b
e th
e A
bbot
of T
hros
sel H
ole
Budd
hist
Abb
ey.
ou
r f
ou
nd
er
Born
in
Engl
and,
Rev
. M
aste
r Jiy
u-Ke
nnet
t (1
924-
1996
) be
gan
her
prie
st
trai
ning
in
1962
with
her
ord
inat
ion
into
the
Chi
nese
Bud
dhis
t Sa
ngha
of
Mal
aysi
a by
Ven
. Sec
k Ki
m S
eng.
Sho
rtly
aft
erw
ards
she
con
tinue
d he
r tr
aini
ng in
Japa
n un
der t
he V
ery
Rev.
Kei
do C
hisa
n Ko
ho Z
enji,
who
was
then
Ch
ief A
bbot
of S
ojiji
, one
of t
he tw
o he
ad te
mpl
es o
f Sot
o Ze
n Bu
ddhi
sm in
Ja
pan.
In 1
963
she
rece
ived
the
Dha
rma
Tran
smis
sion
from
Koh
o Ze
nji a
nd
was
late
r cer
tified
by
him
as
a Ze
n M
aste
r. In
196
9, a
fter
Koh
o Ze
nji’s
dea
th,
she
retu
rned
to
the
Wes
t w
here
she
fou
nded
Sha
sta
Abb
ey, C
alifo
rnia
, in
1970
, and
Thr
osse
l Hol
e Bu
ddhi
st A
bbey
in 1
972.
Rev
. Mas
ter
Jiyu-
Kenn
ett
serv
ed f
or t
wen
ty-s
ix y
ears
as
Abb
ess
of S
hast
a A
bbey
, or
dain
ing
and
teac
hing
mon
ks a
nd l
ay t
rain
ees.
She
fou
nded
the
Ord
er o
f Bu
ddhi
st
Cont
empl
ativ
es,
a W
este
rn r
elig
ious
ord
er d
evot
ed t
o Bu
ddhi
st p
ract
ice
with
in th
e Se
rene
Refl
ectio
n M
edita
tion
trad
ition
- th
e So
to Z
en li
neag
e Re
v.
Mas
ter J
iyu
brou
ght f
rom
the
Far E
ast.
Thr
osse
l Hol
e Bu
ddhi
st A
bbey
Cal
enda
r ~
2016
Mon
aste
ry O
pen
to G
uest
sSc
hedu
led
Retr
eat
Mon
aste
ry C
lose
d to
Gue
sts
THR
OSS
EL H
OLE
BU
DD
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BB
EY 2
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er o
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t Con
tem
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ary
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l
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12
34
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3
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89
108
910
1112
1314
78
910
1112
134
56
78
910
1112
1314
1516
1715
1617
1819
2021
1415
1617
1819
2011
1213
1415
1617
1819
2021
2223
2422
2324
2526
2728
2122
2324
2526
2718
1920
2122
2324
2526
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2930
3129
2829
3031
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2930
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lyA
ug
ust
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NM
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SAT
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11
23
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31
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67
23
45
67
86
78
910
1112
45
67
89
108
910
1112
1314
910
1112
1314
1513
1415
1617
1819
1112
1314
1516
1715
1617
1819
2021
1617
1819
2021
2220
2122
2324
2526
1819
2021
2223
2422
2324
2526
2728
2324
2526
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2927
2829
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2829
3031
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31
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tem
ber
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ob
erN
ove
mb
erD
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ber
MO
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NM
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SAT
SUN
MO
NTU
EW
EDTH
UFR
ISA
TSU
NM
ON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN
12
34
12
12
34
56
12
34
56
78
910
113
45
67
89
78
910
1112
135
67
89
1011
1213
1415
1617
1810
1112
1314
1516
1415
1617
1819
2012
1314
1516
1718
1920
2122
2324
2517
1819
2021
2223
2122
2324
2526
2719
2021
2223
2425
2627
2829
3024
2526
2728
2930
2829
3026
2728
2930
31
31
FF
F
F
F F FF
F
F
F
FF
F
cl
os
ed
win
te
r s
an
gh
a
re
tr
ea
t
cl
os
ed
mo
nk
s’
sp
rin
g r
et
re
at
intr
o rtr
inte
nsiv
e rtr
dhar
ma w
/end
in
tro r
tr
ses
shin
dhar
ma w
/end
in
tro r
tr
ses
shin
d/w
dhar
ma w
/end
in
tro r
tr
ses
shin
inte
nsiv
e w/e
ndrt
r
juka
ifr
iends
& fa
mily
w
/end
f & f
w/e
nd
juka
i
lay m
inis
try r
tr
sess
hin
intr
o rtr
intr
o rtr
intr
o rtr
cl
os
ed
mo
nk
s’
win
te
r r
et
re
at
prec
epts
rtr
sega
ki
sega
kine
w ye
ar re
trea
t
dhar
ma w
/end
dhar
ma w
/end
foun
der’s
w/e
ndbu
ddha
’s enl
ight
enm
ent r
tr
sess
hin
sess
hin
intr
o rtr
dhar
ma w
/end
dhar
ma w
/end
juka
i
