Thomas Parr (1483-1635 CE) – Oldest Man in England! (16.8.2015)

‘At Great Wollaston, just off the road from Shrewsbury to Wales, stands a small thatched cottage, birthplace and home of the oldest Englishman who ever lived.  Thomas Parr was born in 1483.  He lived to see ten monarchs on the throne, from the Plantagenet Edward IV, through all the Tudors to the Stuart Charles I.  He joined the army at 17, returning when he was 35 to run the family farm.  He married for the first time when he was 80, had an affair and an illegitimate child when he was 100 and married again at 122.  When he was 152, the Earl of Arundel took him up to London to meet Charles I, who asked for the secret of his long life.  ‘Moral temperance and a vegetarian diet,’ he replied.  Unfortunately, the foul stench of London polluted his lungs, which had thrived on Shropshire air, and he died in November 1635.  He is buried in Westminster Abbey.’

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Mount Ji Zu Cliff Exhibits Face of Master Xu Yun (1840-1959)

The Venerable Old Master Xu Yun existed in the time of modern Buddhism and was an outstanding teacher. He was a Buddhist monk who strictly adhered to the Vinaya Discipline for over a hundred years, and cultivated the Dao in at least fifteen different temples, which included the temple of the Sixth Patriarch (Hui Neng). When the time was right, he inherited the lineages of all Five Ch’an Schools. He was a very highly respected Ch’an monk, and had tens of thousands of disciples (both ordained and lay), to whom he transmitted the genuine Ch’an Dharma.

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Berry Pomeroy Castle – South Devon – 4.8.15

After the Norman victory of 1066 CE in Britain, the warriors of the indigenous British kept-up a fierce resistance to the Norman presence for decades. The Normans spread-out across the land, and built very strong fortified houses and castles. These structures allowed the Norman occupiers to live in relative safety against the continuous threat of British attack. This castle building skill marked a significant evolution in the building of militarised structures in Britain, and there was very little the indigenous British warriors could do against the high and smooth stone walls, deep water-filled moats, and steep inclines.

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Revolution as an Act of Mind

The psychological and the material are inherently linked at source, with one influencing the other, but with human intention (as structured and directed thought) having the decisive factor for modern human beings. This is despite the fact that during the millions of years of human evolution it has been physical change that has had the upper hand. This change, premised entirely upon environmental pressure and the need to survive, has created the physical structure of the brain that eventually became aware of its own existence.

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Tamar Otter & Wildlife Centre – North Cornwall – 1.8.15

The Tamar Otter & Wildlife Centre has Wallabies, Peacocks, Fallow Deer, Muntjac Deer, various species of owls, and many different types of ducks and birds roaming free. This assortment includes Giant British Rabbits, and of course, Asian and British Otters – the Asian Otters particularly make a tremendous noise and are very playful around mealtimes! Sometimes, the Fallow Deer, (which are led by a magnificent stag), wander over to visitors and are happy to be hand-fed with food available for purchase from the Centre. Obviously the nearer to opening time, the more willing the hungry Deer are to come close.

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Sir Goldsworthy Gurney & Bude Castle 30.7.15

Bude Castle is not a ‘castle’ as such, but a modest stately home situated in Bude – north Cornwall – that was once the home of Goldsworthy Gurney (1793-1875). Goldsworthy Gurney was born in Padstow (Cornwall) and was something of a genius. He was educated at Truro Grammar School, and despite not going to university, he apprenticed with a local medical doctor, learning how to be a general practitioner, and eventually inheriting the practice as a surgeon before he was 20 years old. However, he longed to experience life in London – one of the most progressive cities in the world – and in 1820 he and his family relocated to the city.

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