‘After twenty years in the East, I find myself, at the beginning of 1965, in England, where I have now spent a little more than four and a half months…. During 1965 may I progress towards Supreme Enlightenment, and with the blessings of all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Dharmapalas and Dakinis may the Dharma continue to spread in England!’

Diary, Friday 1 January 1965

Sangharakshita had returned to England the previous August. He came in response to an invitation from the English Sangha Trust. His plan was to stay for just a few months, to support the tiny British Buddhist movement and, if he could, to help resolve the conflict between the English Sangha Association and the Buddhist Society. He also wanted to see his ageing parents again.