Re: Freda Bedi, by Wikipedia
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A Tour of Biddulph Old Hall: Rigdzin Shikpo takes us on a tour of Biddulph Old Hall in Staffordshire, England. Biddulph Old Hall is the site of some of Trungpa Rinpoche's early teachings in the UK.
by Rigdzin Shikpo
chronicleproject.com
April 25, 2018
NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT
A Visit to Biddulph Old Hall, July 2013
To celebrate 50 years of Chogyam Trungpa's arrival in the UK Rigdzin Shikpo visited Biddulph Old Hall where he received many precious teachings from Trungpa Rinpoche.
[Rigdzin Shikpo] So it was in this tower, "The Tower of England," it was called, that Trungpa Rinpoche did his major teachings with us, teaching on Maha Ati, teaching on the basis of the Bodhisattva vow, and the shetas{?} that go with that. And teachings on the Wheel of Life as well, which seemed supremely important.
There was a rumor that this was haunted, that this room was haunted. And particularly this part here. And there was something quite specific about it at one time. And people said there was a man with a wooden leg coming down the steps.
So I kind of thought about that, and thought it was rubbish.
But then I heard it myself. [Clap, clap, clap, clap] And then you think, "He must be coming. The next step or two, he'll be here, coming through the curtain."
Nothing.
So you raise up your courage, and lift the curtain, and there was a painting that Rinpoche had put on the wall, and the wind is blowing to make it seem even more eerie.
And the [wooden dowel] at the end of the thangka is just blowing to and fro, and hitting the stone wall on the side. And that counted for the sound like a man with a wooden leg coming down the steps.
So that was the ghost. [Laughs]
I always told Rinpoche, everybody thinks the whole place is haunted, what do you think? He said, "No, it's not haunted. There's no problem about that."
Trungpa Rinpoche felt that there was something very special about this place. He felt it had a very open quality, and that it was a good place to not only meditate but to do the introductions to certain kinds of truths, that you could do it here. It had the right kind of feel. Like you were in a tower on top of the world.
You're almost like at the top of Mt. Meru or something, and you could look out and you would somehow know that if you looked out at the window you'd have a vision of the whole of the world.
He felt that he could really open up and teach in a way that he wasn't able to do in other places.
And he taught some of the deepest kinds of teachings that you have in Tibetan Buddhism here. And though we may have not understood what he taught, at least we had the edge of it.
And I think that somehow his power of teaching -- it may be fanciful to say it or sound fanciful, but I think there's some truth to it -- that his truth somehow is part of the fabric of the building.
by Rigdzin Shikpo
chronicleproject.com
April 25, 2018
NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT
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EDITOR Dr Desmond Biddulph
President Dr Desmond Biddulph
REGISTRAR Odin Biddulph
The Buddhist Society at Ninety
by Dr Desmond Biddulph
-- The 90th Anniversary of The Buddhist Society 1924–2014, by The Buddhist Society
[Edwin] Arnold took a position as a schoolmaster at King Edward's School, Birmingham for several years. In 1855, he married Catharine Elizabeth Biddulph (1831-1864), and the couple had four children - Edwin, Julian, Katharine, and Arthur. In 1856 he accepted a post in India as Principal of the Government Sanskrit College at Poona and served there for seven years, returning to England with his wife because of her ill health. [1]
Catharine died in 1864 shortly after Arthur's birth.
-- Edwin Arnold, by Theosophy Wikipedia
Biddulph Old Hall. Source: Sangha Magazine, May 1963
May 1963 Between February and May, Biddulph Old Hall was bought (S May and June 63)
Nov 1963 Ānanda Bodhi to Thailand
1963 129 Haverstock Hill was purchased. The property was rented to provide an income for the Vihāra
April 1964 Ānanda Bodhi returned and went to Biddulph and taught samādhi and vipassanā, Wat Paknam method. (S Mar 64)
10 Jan 67 Maurice Walshe asked John Garry to manage Biddulph. He also found Richard Randall (previously Mr Purfurst and Venerable Kapilavaḍḍho) and asked him to return
Biddulph Old Hall sold (S Nov 69)
-- Honour Thy Fathers: A Tribute to the Venerable Kapilavaddho ... And brief History of the Development of Theravāda Buddhism in the UK, by Terry Shine
Oxford to Staffordshire: 2h (110.9 mi) via M40; 2h 41 min (126.4 mi) via M5
A Visit to Biddulph Old Hall, July 2013
To celebrate 50 years of Chogyam Trungpa's arrival in the UK Rigdzin Shikpo visited Biddulph Old Hall where he received many precious teachings from Trungpa Rinpoche.
[Rigdzin Shikpo] So it was in this tower, "The Tower of England," it was called, that Trungpa Rinpoche did his major teachings with us, teaching on Maha Ati, teaching on the basis of the Bodhisattva vow, and the shetas{?} that go with that. And teachings on the Wheel of Life as well, which seemed supremely important.
There was a rumor that this was haunted, that this room was haunted. And particularly this part here. And there was something quite specific about it at one time. And people said there was a man with a wooden leg coming down the steps.
So I kind of thought about that, and thought it was rubbish.
But then I heard it myself. [Clap, clap, clap, clap] And then you think, "He must be coming. The next step or two, he'll be here, coming through the curtain."
Nothing.
So you raise up your courage, and lift the curtain, and there was a painting that Rinpoche had put on the wall, and the wind is blowing to make it seem even more eerie.
And the [wooden dowel] at the end of the thangka is just blowing to and fro, and hitting the stone wall on the side. And that counted for the sound like a man with a wooden leg coming down the steps.
[Old English Joke] My friend said he knew a man with a wooden leg named Smith. So I asked him, "What was the name of his other leg?"
So that was the ghost. [Laughs]
It was much later that the name Bradley Green was dropped in favour of the adopted the name, Biddulph, during which time Biddulph Old Hall was occupied in turn by a collective of Trappist monks, after which a reclusive family name Smith took it over where they lived in seclusion in more recent times.
-- Biddulph Old Hall, by sgpt.org.uk
I always told Rinpoche, everybody thinks the whole place is haunted, what do you think? He said, "No, it's not haunted. There's no problem about that."
Trungpa Rinpoche felt that there was something very special about this place. He felt it had a very open quality, and that it was a good place to not only meditate but to do the introductions to certain kinds of truths, that you could do it here. It had the right kind of feel. Like you were in a tower on top of the world.
You're almost like at the top of Mt. Meru or something, and you could look out and you would somehow know that if you looked out at the window you'd have a vision of the whole of the world.
He felt that he could really open up and teach in a way that he wasn't able to do in other places.
And he taught some of the deepest kinds of teachings that you have in Tibetan Buddhism here. And though we may have not understood what he taught, at least we had the edge of it.
And I think that somehow his power of teaching -- it may be fanciful to say it or sound fanciful, but I think there's some truth to it -- that his truth somehow is part of the fabric of the building.
In Islam, Barakah or Baraka (Arabic: بركة "blessing") is a kind of continuity of spiritual presence and revelation that begins with God and flows through that and those closest to God.[1][2]
Baraka can be found within physical objects, places, and people, as chosen by God. This force begins by flowing directly from God into creation that is worthy of baraka.[1] These creations endowed with baraka can then transmit the flow of baraka to the other creations of God through physical proximity or through the adherence to the spiritual practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. God is the sole source of baraka and has the power to grant and withhold baraka.
Baraka is a prominent concept in Islamic mysticism, particularly Sufism. It pervades Sufi texts, beliefs, practices, and spirituality. Sufism emphasizes the importance of esoteric knowledge and the spiritual union with God through the heart. Baraka symbolizes this connection between the divine and the worldly through God's direct and intentional blessing of those that are most reflective of Him and his teachings.
-- Barakah, by Wikipedia