from one moment to the next is the endless spinning wheel of samsara." Ajahn Chah |
|
For over a year a large marble sphere has taken a central position in the monastery - first in the middle of the cloister and then at the entrance to the Temple. As a pure geometric form a sphere symbolises unity, completion and perfection. Its surface, as an endless line, represents infinity; that which is unbound. Such an object can in fact be seen as a symbol of the deathless. Over several months gold leaf was gradually applied to it by visitors to the monastery. It was then taken into the Temple and placed in the exact centre of the floor over a vertical shaft. |
| On the fourth of July 1999 our
honoured royal visitor from Thailand, Princess Galyani Vadhana, the King's Sister,
will lower the sphere into the ground. This ritual is led by the Sangha but is a
collective act of blessing and consecration of the Temple by all present. With the sphere
in place and covered over, the activities of monastic life continue as before; the daily
routine of morning and evening meditation, the ordination ceremonies, special festivals
and honouring of the deceased. Built to last beyond us all the Temple is a place where
tranquillity and peace of the heart can be found, and direct access to the 'deathless' is
available for all those who wish to realise it. |
