Despite his long association with and close proximity to the Buddha, Ananda was only a stream-winner prior to the Buddha ’ s death.

Despite its many faults, the wheellock was a significant improvement over the matchlock in terms of both convenience and safety, since it eliminated the need to keep a smoldering match in proximity to loose gunpowder.

Despite their proximity to Qatar ( Suwād al Janūbīyah is only 1. 4 km from the Qatari mainland at the peninsula of Ras Abruq, while Rubud Al Gharbiyah, the island closest to the main island of Bahrain, lies at a distance of 19. 7 km to it ), the islands belong to Bahrain but were the subject of a dispute between Bahrain and Qatar.

Despite its proximity to Albany the county has remained relatively rural.

Despite its proximity to Texas ( which has no state personal income tax ), Miller County residents are not exempt from Arkansas's state personal income tax unless they reside within the city limits of Texarkana.

Despite its close proximity to Toledo, Bedford Township is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Area and part of the larger Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint CSA.

Despite its small size, Lordstown continues to grow slowly ; people seeking housing in the area are drawn to its rural appearance, abundance of buildable land, and proximity to downtown Warren.

Despite its proximity to the Irish Sea, the temperature regime is similar to areas further inland, owing to the shelter provided by the Pennines to the northeast and the Welsh Mountains to the southwest.

Despite the fact that Warren Hastings overlooked the island before settling upon Penang in 1786, the Riau Archipelago was an attractive choice just to the south of the Malay Peninsula, for its proximity to Malacca.

Despite such great differences, many religious structures are located in close proximity with one another.

Despite the close proximity, many inhabitants of the Black Country resist hints at any relationship to people living in Birmingham, which may be called " Brum-a-jum " ( Birmingham's colloquial name is Brummagem, a corruption of its older name of Bromwichamand hence West Bromwich ) or Birminam ( missing the g and h out and saying it the way it's spelt ).

Despite the proximity of the blast to his face, he retained his sight.

Despite its proximity to both Brooklands and Wisley airfields ( both active until the early 1970s ), Cobham saw relatively few aircraft crashes.

Despite its proximity to Liège, the territory of Herstal did not become part of the Bishopric of Liège until 1740, date at which the prince-bishop Georges-Louis de Berghes bought it from Frederick II of Prussia.

Despite its proximity to the University of Warwick on Coventry's southern outskirts, it has only a small student population of mostly postgraduate students, although many staff at the university choose to live in Kenilworth.

Despite its proximity to lead mines and salt springs, the majority of its population came as farmers during the 1750s and 1760s, and they primarily grew wheat, corn and tobacco.

Despite its proximity to Earth it is a dim magnitude 15 and can only be seen through large telescopes.

Despite the proximity to the large winter numbers in Great Britain, only very small numbers occur in Ireland and France.

Despite its proximity to the Earth, this star is too dim to be seen with the naked eye.

Despite its close proximity to Camberley, Sandhurst is also home to a large and well-known out-of-town mercantile development.

Despite this history of participation, relations between African Americans and Jews have sometimes been strained by their close proximity and class differences, especially in New York and other urban areas.

Despite its close proximity, it was not directly involved in the pottery industry, and it strongly opposed attempts to add it in 1930 with a postcard poll showing residents opposing it by a majority of 97. 4 %.

Despite its proximity, there was no infrastructure for basic services including schooling for children.

Despite their proximity, the two villages have historically been divided, Skelmorlie in Ayrshire and Wemyss Bay in Renfrewshire.

Despite the close proximity of the Head Office, Bank Road closed in 2007 as part of a restructuring exercise.

Despite these tensions, the Liberal Unionists more or less managed to stay together until 1903, when in a surprise move, Chamberlain dramatically launched Tariff Reform with a speech in his Birmingham political homeland.

Despite Port Vale being Matthews ' favourite team growing up, and despite rumoured interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers, Birmingham City, Aston Villa, and West Bromwich Albion ; Tom Mather convinced his father to allow Matthews to join the Stoke City staff as an office boy on his fifteenth birthday for pay of £ 1 a week.

Despite a revenge victory over Newcastle United, defeats to Birmingham City, Luton Town and Manchester City sealed their fate.

Despite having no connection to the university, he joined Birmingham University Officers ' Training Corps in 1912, and was thus able to be commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment on 22 August 1914, at the outbreak of the First World War ; in later life, as a result of his modest social origins and unpretentious manner, he was sometimes wrongly supposed to have risen from the ranks.

Despite this neglect there was an active folk scene in the region, which produced several key artists of the second revival from the 1960s, including Anne Briggs from Nottinghamshire, The Settlers from the West Midlands and from Birmingham one of the most influential groups of the period, the Ian Campbell Folk Group, which numbered among its members later electric folk musicians Dave Swarbrick and Dave Pegg.

Despite this, Birmingham's Enlightenment was by no means a purely Nonconformist phenomenon: the members of the Lunar Society had a wide range of religious backgrounds, and Anglicans formed a majority of all sections of Birmingham society throughout the period.

Despite spending 9 years at Villa he is disliked by some of its fans for his behaviour at the time he left the club and also because he later joined Birmingham City.

Despite being made by London Weekend Television, all episodes of Gladiators, International Gladiators, the second series of The Ashes and the first series of The Springbok Challenge were recorded at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.

Despite fighting injuries, Kipketer continued to compete through the 2003 season gaining a silver medal at the Indoor World Championships at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England but only managing fourth place at the World Championships later that year.

Despite the large number of buses serving Birmingham City Centre there is no longer a bus station.

Despite his conviction, Pennant signed a permanent contract with Birmingham in April 2005.

Despite Nathan Garrideb's objections — for he is a man who very seldom goes out, much less travels — John Garrideb insists that Nathan go to Birmingham and meet this Howard Garrideb.

Despite being bombed, Birmingham Small Arms Company | BSA made nearly 500, 000 Browning Arms Company | Browning guns during the Second World War, many of which were fitted to Spitfires.

Despite this, the village has in recent years expanded, with people working locally or commuting as far as Chester, Shrewsbury, Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester.

Despite being a lifelong West Ham United fan, in 1993 Sullivan bought into Birmingham City F. C.

Despite financial difficulties due to the building of the new South Stand, he led United to sixth place in the First Division, a 0-0 draw away to Birmingham City on the last day of the 1974-75 season left them just one point short of a UEFA cup place.

Despite remaining in office after the Birmingham Six were released, he nevertheless resigned over a year before he would have been forced to retire at the age of 75.