Monks and nuns prepare for showdown over Shambo the bull - Update

It has been a steep learning curve for the monks and nuns who live at the remote Skanda Vale community in west Wales. Over the last two months they have become experts in microbiology, judicial review and the minutiae of Welsh politics as they try to stop Shambo the bull from being killed because he may have contracted TB. This week, though, it may all come down to the power of prayer as the community tries to keep health officials and vets at bay.

Any day now officials are expected to turn up at Shambo's straw-lined home in one of the community's temples.

They will be greeted by a line of monks, nuns and pilgrims determined to keep them away.



Brother Alex, one of the monks, said: "We are not going to actively obstruct anybody. But we will be taking part in a religious festival celebrating the sanctity of life. We will be welcoming pilgrims to participate in the festival."

It could be a lengthy stand-off. The residents of the Community of the Many Names of God at Skanda Vale, near Carmarthen, and their supporters are well-practised in prayer, meditation and concentration. Their festival could go on for a very long time.

You can read a discourse by Swami Suryananda here.