Sunday 23rd March was an exciting day. I watched the demolition of three high rise flats in the Wyndford, the housing scheme in north west Glasgow where I live. It was very dramatic and lasted only seconds. I remember when those buildings first opened. They were constructed in the late 1950s and this area is not far from where I grew up. I had aunties who moved into those blocks and I remember visiting and being fascinated by the height of the buildings and the lift that took you up to the 20th floor where one of them lived. It felt like a castle in the sky! Yesterday I found myself wondering, in the almost 70 years since then, how many families had lived in those 600 units. How many children grew up there? What dreams and plans were hatched there? And in less than a minute, they’re gone. Impermanence in a very graphic example.
Straight after, I headed off to Woodside Crescent for an afternoon with the Glasgow Sangha in our new premises. Over 50 people attended and, as well as giving practical information, we performed rituals to the cardinal directions, using the Ratna Sutta and acknowledging the past of the property. It is part of a rather elegant crescent of listed buildings and, as mentioned in a previous blog post, it was originally part of a family estate owned by a couple of rich Glaswegian families. Like many at the time, their money came from enslaved labour in the Caribbean where they had tobacco and sugar plantations.
After a welcome from Gunasiddhi and a short sit to ground ourselves, I gave a wee talk, during which I acknowledged the past and also mentioned that, before being residential, the area had been woodlands and had a connection to nearby Kelvingrove Park. I love that our new centre is part of Glasgow’s history and I ended the wee talk by promising that, even from such painful beginnings, a Pure Land (a Buddhafield) can grow. I described some of Buddhism’s Pure Lands - not only mythical realms but a promise of a way of living, teaching and practising. Almost, you might say, a mission statement. As an example, one such Pure Land is Uttarakuru, the Pure Land of Amoghasiddhi, the Buddha of the Northern realm. It is described as “an ideal destination for practitioners who seek to overcome fear, doubt, and hesitation, moving towards enlightened action in a completely supportive environment.” Conditionality in action - from the past, grows the present and now, from the present, we promise a future based on kindness.
Moksadhi then described ways that the Sangha can help, starting with a quote from the Dasadhamma Sutta:
My very life is sustained by the gifts of others. This should be reflected upon again and again by one who has gone forth.
From this she described ways that help will be needed and explained that a “happy to help” list is being set up. Folk could leave their names and contact details so we can contact them and set up a list of who is available and what skills they might offer. If you weren’t there and would like to be included in this we now have a dedicated e mail address where you can let us know that you want to be added. There is also, of course, the ideas book in Berkeley Street. Moksadhi also flagged up that we will, at some point, be launching a fundraising drive as money is also energy and a way of giving.
The e-mail is newcentre@glasgowbuddhistcentre.com.
Maitrinaga then gave us some details on the building itself, acknowledging that there are still a number of unknowns in terms of the works, timelines and exact design. He showed some plans to give us some idea of the possibilities and filled us in on the work already done in terms of replacing electrics, damp proofing and work on the gas boilers. The building is safe for use. We acknowledged the helpful input from Leslie Beck and Sarah Barthélemy.
After a tea break, the rest of the afternoon was spent in a ritual walking around both floors of the premises. Candrika and Viryadevi led this and invoked, not only the spirits of the past and present of the building, but also the five Jina Buddhas relating to the cardinal points. We ended the session with a dedication ceremony, the Shakyamuni mantra and offerings. To end, I chanted the Pali blessings and expressed my wish that the Bodhichitta may flourish.
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