‘Had a cup of tea in tea shop. Then to Foyles and Watkins while Victor went to Victoria. Bought “Experiment in Depth” by P. W. Martin. Victor came. Looked in a new Chinese shop and bought porcelain Kuan Yin for two guineas. Then happened to pass the Japanese shop so looked in. Found that the proprietor was someone who comes to our lectures. Had tea in another tea shop.’

Diary, Monday 19 July 1965

The proprietor was Emile Boin and the basement of the Japanese shop was soon to play an important part in the history of British Buddhism.

‘Marking as it does the beginning of the inevitable decline into old age, one's fortieth birthday is generally supposed to be a time of serious reflection, but in my own case I do not recall having had any particularly serious thoughts in connection with the anniversary. My diary certainly records no such thoughts. As it was a year since I had seen my mother, I travelled down to Rayleigh two days before the actual date so that we would have a little more time together. She was very glad to see me, I gave her the white porcelain Guanyin I had bought on the day of my 'out of the body' experience, and we spent the rest of the day very quietly, going for a walk in the afternoon and watching television in the evening – the first time I had watched it.’

Sangharakshita, Moving Against the Stream, (CW23), p.147