Sangharakshita's secretary, Ashavajit, writes from Adhisthana, in Herefordshire, UK:

"A late winter chill lingers here in south-west England, but the sun is getting progressively brighter and warmer, and leaves and buds are preparing to burst forth. The temperature in Bhante’s sun lounge at Adhisthana has been quite high during some of the brighter days, and the Bodhi tree there has been putting out quite a spray of heart shaped leaves.

The rather chilly and damp weather outside, however, has meant that Bhante has not ventured out of the Urgyen Annexe even once during this past month, but he hopes to be able to get out as soon as he feels the warmth of spring. His health has been quite good and he continues to get reasonably good sleep most nights. This means that he has had sufficient energy to attend, as usual, to correspondence, listen to Shabda, pay attention to literary matters, listen to talking books, and to see someone every other day or so, sometimes for up to half an hour.

He is currently preparing for his third recording session with Saddhanandi during which he will talk about objects of significance during the third decade of his life.

Last month the Sangharakshita Diary listed a number of books of Bhante’s that had been translated into other languages and published in recent months. That list was not intended to be exhaustive, and there was one mistake: it was Who is the Buddha? that had been translated into Turkish, and not What is the Dharma? Human Enlightenment is currently being translated into Turkish and may be published later this year. The main point that was being made, of course, was the importance of studying the Dharma in one’s own language, even in one’s own dialect, and by implication, the need for many more translations - and translators!

Here is my list of people, apart from his carers, who have seen Bhante during the past month: Dhammarati, Parami, Lokeshvara, Vajranatha, Vajragupta (Dharmachari), Dharmavajri, Amitasuri, Dassini, Holly, Kate and Steff (three of the women on the current Young Women's Dharma Life Course), Bodhiketu, Shraddhavajri, Vidyadharini, Sanghadevi, Brian Lilley and Vidyaruci.

With much metta, Ashvajit"