FWBO and Western Buddhist Order discussing name change; likely to become Triratna

The FWBO and the Western Buddhist Order worldwide are discussing a change of name. If the proposed changes go ahead, later this year the Order would become the Triratna Buddhist Order and the FWBO (Friends of the Western Buddhist Order) the Triratna Buddhist Community. In India the Trailokya Bauddha Mahasangha (as the Order is known there) would become the Triratna Bauddha Mahasangha.

Triratna simply means ‘Three Jewels’, specifically the Three Jewels of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, to which all Buddhists commit themselves in the simple but definitive act of ‘Going for Refuge’. The Three Jewels have long been used as emblems in many F/WBO situations, for instance the logo of FWBO News and on the Kesas worn by Order Members.

If the proposed change is accepted, it’s likely that a Movement-wide ceremony will be held on or around Wesak this year, a date which happens to coincide with the FWBO International Retreat at Taraloka: see http://internationalretreat.fwbo.org for more details.

The suggestion to change the name was made on January 6th in a letter from Sangharakshita to all members of the Western Buddhist Order. His letter was itself a response to one from a group of Indian Order Members gathered in Pune, in which they requested him to change the Indian name of the Order from the present ‘Trailokya Bauddha Mahasangha’ and also to give a new and unified name to the whole Order world-wide.

Both ‘Western’ and ‘Trailokya’ had become increasingly problematic for some over the past decade - ‘Western’ because the Order is increasingly international, with members active in India, Russia, Turkey and China, as well as other non-Western countries; and ‘Trailokya’ because Indians outside Maharastra find it difficult to relate as a Buddhist name - and the Order is increasingly active in many States all across India.

Discussions about changing the name had continued in the Order on and off for many years - in fact, from 1979, when TBMSG  was founded in India. However, partly due to the increasing size of the Order, it proved impossible to obtain consensus and the matter was dropped until Sangharakshita’s recent intervention.

Sangharakshita’s letter says in part -

“... I hope that Western Order members will be as moved as I was by the request I received [from India], and that they will join with me in wanting to meet the wish of the Indian Order members for a change of their own name and for a name for the whole Order. Having one name for the whole Order will make it clear to the world not only that we all go for Refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, but that whether in the East or the West, the North or the South, we are one united Order, with a single vision and a single heart and mind.


“After much deliberation, the new name for the Order that has come to me is the Triratna Buddhist Order (in Hindi, Triratna Bauddha Mahasangha), and I suggest that all Order members adopt it straight away”.

Rather than follow his suggestion to adopt the new name immediately, a process of discussion opened up among both Order Members and those running the many branches of the FWBO about how best to proceed, and when. Sangharakshita’s letter ended by proposing that the FWBO became the Friends of the Triratna Buddhist Order, which was immediately shortened by many to FTBO.

However the European Chairs Assembly, which happened to be in session at Dhanakosa in Scotland at the time, saw an opportunity to take the Movement’s unification a step further, by making it easier to translate the name into different languages - and by moving away from the many sets of initials presently used to identify it. In France and Spain, for instance, the FWBO is the AOBO, in Holland the VWBO - and in Turkey, the BBBD!

After some discussion they chose to reply to Sangharakshita suggesting that the FWBO instead became the Triratna Buddhist Community, a suggestion he accepted. They wrote -

“We like ‘Triratna’. Not only does it encapsulate our central values, it also provides a positive identifying marker for the Order and the movement. We have chosen ‘Buddhist Community’ to replace ‘Friends of’ as an expression of the relationship between the movement and the Order and our emphasis on spiritual community and friendship. We have considered this in some depth, bringing to bear our collective experience and care for our movement internationally, and we would be grateful if you would seriously consider our proposal. At the same time we want you to know that we will be happy with whatever decision you make.”

The European Chairs are currently in dialogue with other Centre chairs internationally, and once these are complete further announcements will be made regarding the change and the best way to mark it. Parallel discussions are going on in the Order and again we’ll announce the details as soon as they are available.

Windhorse:Evolution begin month-long working retreat

Windhorse: Evolution is the FWBO’s largest and most successful business, trading ethically in giftware, supplying shops all over the UK and beyond. It is the largest Buddhist team-based right livelihood business in the UK and probably Europe, employing approximately 250 people in total. About 100 people work in Cambridge and a further 150 in the 18 Evolution shops that form part of the Windhorse family.

There are three teams in the Windhorse warehouse, totalling about 25 Buddhist men, and they are currently entering into a more intense period of a month-long ‘working retreat’. Specifically they are exploring how work can be a potent spiritual practice.

They write to say - “We are going to make a video diary of our retreat in the workplace which will be posted on FWBO News. Please click on the link to watch our introductory video www.vimeo.com/8778332 - or click on the screenshot opposite. And look out for follow-ups!”

Windhorse occasionally have vacancies for both men and women. These are often advertised on FWBO Jobs, or you can contact Windhorse direct on 01223 868600..

‘Poetry East’ at the London Buddhist Centre

Maitreyabandhu writes from the LBC with news of a new Buddhist poetry venue in East London. He says -

“I'm creating a new poetry venue at the London Buddhist Centre. It’s called Poetry East. I plan to invite very good contemporary poets every 6 weeks or so - so far I have Mimi Khalvati (founder of The Poetry School) on 30th January and Fiona Sampson (editor of Poetry Review) on 24th April... also I've asked Bhante to do one and he seems willing!

“I say this about it in the publicity:

“Each poet will be asked to provide two or three poems from the canon that have influenced their poetry; these poems will be read at the beginning of the evening. There will be a short interview with the poet, asking them about their creative life and work with emphasis on their influences, and poets they admire. This will be followed by a poetry reading and questions and answers from the floor. The evening will be preceded by a short led meditation in order to provide the best listening conditions externally and internally. We’ll meet in one of the LBC’s shrinerooms.

“It has a website www.poetryeast.net - please do have a look.

“Love Maitreyabandhu

True stories from the Karuna Trust: Sanjivani Pawar

The FWBO’s Karuna Trust sends over £1million/year to a wide range of Dharma and social projects across India, most (but not all) to the new Buddhists, also known as the Dalits, or ‘Oppressed’. India as a whole may be industrialising fast, but life remains very raw indeed for the vast numbers of Indian poor and ‘low-caste’ people.

Andrea McCaghy, Karuna's press officer, sends us this account of one of Karuna's beneficiaries - one of hundreds of true stories heard by Karuna staff during the course of their work. She says -

Sanjivani Pawar’s story: A widow breaks free from the prisons of caste and gender prejudice to become a role model for others.

“Others should not suffer as I did and I want to help as many people as possible. I’m not going to fear anyone ever again.”

Today, Sanjivani Pawar is a leader of Ghodkar Rajouri village in Maharastra, but 16 years ago things were very different. When her husband died she was left with two small children, Jyoti and Rakesh, and little means of raising them.

Traditionally, an Indian woman loses her power as a wife and mother if her husband dies. This is one way that Indian caste society subdues women to maintain the caste status quo. A widow must stay at home and rely on the goodwill of her husband’s family. Her home, often nothing more than a mud hut ,can become a prison.

But Sanjivani wanted to work her land to get her children educated. ‘Land is important; it is more than growing food to raise my family. It takes me forward, to own something.’

But my community, and my family, said, “You are a widow, why are you going to farm, why are you trying to educate your children?”

And there was worse. ‘As I was a young widow there was pressure from men, demanding sex. They said: “We will make your life easier if you do this. “ That was horrible. I could not go out and work my land.’

Sanjivani made a friend who would change her life. Manisha Tokale and her husband Ashok run Savitribai Phule Mahila Mandal (SPMM), sponsored by Karuna. The project trains and supports community leaders in villages around the town of Beed in central Maharastra, raising awareness of rights, setting up self help savings groups, and empowering women to take charge of their lives.

Could you tell Sanjivani’s story to a Karuna supporter?

You can help give her and the many millions of Dalits in South Asia who suffer from caste-based discrimination a voice by giving your time and helping out on a Karuna telephone fundraising campaign.

Karuna Telephone Fundraising Campaigns
Led by Jo Goldsmid, an experienced and skilled fundraising trainer.

Telephone fundraisers are needed for our Spring 2010 campaign 19th April – 28th May

Phone campaigns run for 6 weeks and are non-residential. You will be working as part of a Buddhist team based in the Karuna office in London. Financial support is offered. We will be phoning existing supporters to communicate the benefits of Karuna’s work in South Asia with a view to them increasing their regular donation.

To find out more:

Contact Jo Goldsmid
Phone 0207 697 3026
Email appeals@karuna.org
Web www.appeals.karuna.org

Ground-Breaking Ceremony for Berlin’s new Buddhist Centre

The FWBO’s Berlin Buddhist Centre is moving to new and larger premises. They have a substantial building project ahead of them, during the course of which they plan five rituals marking the various stages of the work.

Amogharatna, the Centre’s Chairman, writes with a report of their first ritual.  He says -

“On Sunday, 17th January 2010 around 35 members of the Berlin Buddhist Sangha celebrated our very first event in our new premises in Berlin-Kreuzberg. This was a “building site ritual”, “Erster Spatenstich” in German - which would be translated as “The Ground-Breaking Ceremony”.

“We dedicated the event to the Buddha Ratnasambhava, the yellow Buddha of the South, whose element is earth. The event lasted three hours and included walking meditation, mantra-chanting and making offerings to three shrines (check the video here!) , as well as chanting the Ratana Sutta and making offerings to the spirits of this 120-year-old historic site.

“The ceremony concluded with a seven fold puja and finally we had the traditional hot chocolate and cake in a coffee shop nearby. There will be more videos available soon.

“We are still fundraising. If you would like to support our New Buddhist Gate Berlin project, please find more information about the fundraising and on the progress of our project on our fundraising website www.buddha-berlin.de, now also available in English!

“For online-donations, you can go to (UK) www.justgiving.com/buddhistgateberlin- or if you live in Germany go to www.spendenportal.de

“With metta,Amogharatna

The Lama's Pyjamas: now for sale at the London Buddhist Centre!

Claudine Edwards writes from the LBC to say -

“Padmalila and I are very excited to announce the start of a new Team Based Right Livelihood business in Bethnal Green, just along the road from the FWBO's London Buddhist Centre. It's a charity shop called Lama's Pyjamas which is located at 83 Roman Road, in the premises previously occupied by Friends Organic.

“We opened our doors a week ago and plan to have a Grand Opening next month. In the mean time do visit our website www.lamaspyjamas.com.

“We're still very much 'work-in-progress' (with quite a lot still to do!) but already we've had a very positive response from the local community and great support from everyone at the LBC. We did the shop fitting ourselves (with lots of help from the wonderful Ibon) using recycled materials donated by members of the sangha - our only major new purchases were a steamer and a till!

“Our vision is for the business to be more than simply a charity shop - we hope, in time, to run training workshops, for instance teaching people the skills they’d need to turn old clothes into new - but for now we're both trying to get the shop up and running as a viable business as well as a place for spiritual practice.

“We're looking for volunteers, so if anybody has a regular amount of time they could spare please do get in touch with us - claudine@lamaspyjamas.com.

Jyotivana Women's Community in Manchester Unveils Beautiful New Shrine Cabin

Dayanandi writes from Manchester with news of the women community's new shrine cabin. She says -

“15 months ago it was the dream of the Jyotivana women's community here in Manchester to have a shrineroom where the community could meditate together. Our previous meditation space was an unheated attic accessible only via a loft ladder which ruled out Vidyamala from joining the others due to her back injuries and was unsuitable for Amitasuri in cold weather due to her kidney condition. (In fact several of the rest of us found it rather gruelling in the winter months!) The dripping & splashing from the water tanks in the roofspace was another issue - arguably a spur to deeper concentration but one I wouldn't be sorry to leave behind!

“The house was being used to maximum capacity with 7 in the community so the only solution seemed to be an outdoor shrine room in some sort of log cabin - probably too expensive for us to afford we thought.... But enthusiasm grew for the cabin and we decided to go for it, enlisting the help of the Sangha through fundraising. Munisha had the idea to hold Fundraising Buddhist Film Nights for the Women's Sangha .....and the rest is history... as they say! The first night we ate a delicious curry, dhal & rice and settled down to watch what turned out to be the first of many inspiring and enjoyable films. The majority of the £6500 that we raised to pay for the cabin came via these film evenings through the small and large donations that were received. But as a community we gained far more than the money for the shrineroom as the evenings were so enjoyable and the sense of support for us and our project so dynamic. We enjoyed welcoming everyone to our community and the ensuing 'explosion' of Sangha was quite amazing with between 20 - 30 women chatting away over dinner and settling down on our sofas for the film. The rumour had got about that we had a big screen for the films - which we did - a large white sheet pinned to the curtains, with a PowerPoint projector! It's amazing how we all fitted into the lounge.

“There were a worrying few months when, with the credit crunch, cabin prices soared but as Autumn came the cabins we'd been looking at on the Internet went on Sale and we decided to buy then even though we hadn't raised the whole amount. We picked the fully insulated version of a timber cabin, with double doors and a window....looking very like a Swiss chalet! (see photo!) Sona and Moksapriya quoted us for installing it. They had a free week in December - and up it went! They both worked long, hard and well as did various members of the community & friends in preparing the site and applying stain and varnish to the finished shed. Amitasuri provided the workers with coffee and bagels. She & Dayanandi also took photos from which Vidyamala has made a great film - soon to be available on You Tube!

“I should mention that we received a great boost to our fundraising when Vidyamala and Amitasuri were granted £750 between them from the Abhayaratna Trust to help fund their use of the cabin. This is a new Charity, set up to support Order Members to live a full life in the Sangha in the face of difficulty due to old age, disability and sickness.

“And so, on the 3rd January, four of us, including Vidyamala, set up a simple shrine and meditated in the cabin for the first time. It was such a lovely, clear space to meditate in, just bare wooden floors and walls with views out across the snowy garden to the woods of the Kersal Dale Nature Reserve. It was pretty quiet; a woodpecker knocking loudly on braches above us, some birdsong, a few cars on the road nearby. Later that day, with six of the seven community members able to be present, we performed a dedication ceremony to ritually inaugurate this beautiful new cabin and with it, I think, a new era in the life of Jyotivana Community!”

Sub-30 retreat at the London Buddhist Centre

SuYen Tan writes from the FWBO’s London Buddhist Centre with news of their new ‘sub-30’ group. He says-

“Dear Friends,

“Young people at the London Buddhist Centre are getting ready for an under-30s retreat. The ‘Sub-30’ weekend retreat will take place at Vajrasana, the LBC's retreat centre in Suffolk, from the 29th to the 31st of January. The retreat provides an opportunity for men and women under the age of 30 to make connections with other young Buddhists, discuss the Dharma, and practice together in a retreat environment. The focus of the weekend will be on meditation and communication.

“The retreat is open to everyone under the age of 30, and who know both the mindfulness and metta bhavana meditation practices as taught within the FWBO. The retreat will be co-led by Knut Wilmott and SuYen Tan.

“There are still a couple of places left on this retreat - please contact the LBC at 0845 458 4716 for bookings. More information can be found at www.lbc.org.uk/Sub30.htm”

The LBC’s Sub-30 group is one of a number of young Buddhists’ groups (eg Birmingham, Brighton, Sheffield) that have sprung up around the FWBO in the past year, many in response to a realisation that action needed to be taken to make sure the Dharma in the West was handed on to the coming generation.

There’s a Young FWBO Facebook group that aims to be a one-stop shop summarising what’s events are coming up - it’s also of course a way to connect with other young Buddhists.  You’ll find this at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49821059114 .  Looking beyond the FWBO for young Buddhist resources, try the American-based Buddhist Geeks site at www.buddhistgeeks.com/.

Meanwhile ClearVision are hard at work on new video material specifically aimed at communicating Buddhist teachings to a younger generation.  A central component of their work is a forthcoming DVD on Buddhism and Citizenship .  Already available is the wonderful  ‘Ask a Buddhist’ service for students (one-minute answers to all those difficult questions!); plus material for children and young people of all ages - 

ages 5-11 (with some wonderful stores from the Jataka tales), 

11-14 (with an interactive Wheel of Life), 

15-16 (with sections on religious authority, and citizenship, and finally 

17-18 A-level students (where there's sections on human rights and responsibilities, also sex and relationships).

Karuna Mexico acts in response to Haiti emergency

Upeksamati, chairman of the FWBO’s Mexico City Buddhist Centre, writes with news of Mexican Buddhists response to the recent tragic earthquake in Haiti. He says -

“Haiti needs help. And Karuna Mexico, along with other Mexican Buddhist Centres, are responding.

“After a quick appeal by Karuna Mexico a lot of people delivered all sort of goods to them: bottled water, medicines and foods.

“Two days later, the Mexico City Buddhist Centre van went twice fully loaded to the Cruz Roja (the Red Cross) to deliver what they had collected. The MCBC van had to queue for 15 minutes before it could enter the plaza where donations were being received. There we found hundreds of volunteers, from all quarters, hard at work. When the van arrived it was surrounded by 5 Boy Scouts who took no longer than 7 minutes to unload the van carefully and effectively. After we were gone our space was taken by yet a different car delivering.

“At the moment we are in the second phase of the appeal gathering more things. The boxes at the reception of our Buddhist centres are quickly filling up again.

“In this moment there is no difference between people, nations, or anything. Here is where we experience the true meaning of "Karuna": a force that drives us to help without expecting anything in return.

“That is why the people of Mexico in general, and the Buddhists at our Centres, are creating support networks to reach as soon as possible the people of Haiti and to ease the suffering and problems that have arisen.

“This assistance has been channelled to the Cruz Roja from Mexico who are in charge of sending the appeals to Haiti. The Collection at the Buddhist centres will continue a few weeks, We hope residents in Haiti will get better.

“Sabbe Satta Sukhi Hontu - May All Beings be Well

Karuna Appeal Mexico www.karuna.mx

Turning Arrows into Flowers: an invitation to the second FWBO International Retreat 2010

Vajragupta, from the FWBO's Development Team, writes with news of the second International FWBO retreat - and an invitation to you all...

He says -

"Dear Friends,

"I'm being cheeky and writing to everyone I can think of, to invite you to take part in the second FWBO International Retreat. It'll run from Friday 28th May to Tuesday 1st June 2010.

"400 of you attended the first retreat in 2008 and the feedback from the event was tremendously positive: people loved the opportunity to hear talks and be taught by some of our most experienced teachers, they loved taking part in large, magical rituals, and they loved taking part in the teamwork organised by Buddhafield to help keep the event running smoothly.

"This year the retreat will again be held at Taraloka, it will be suitable for people of all levels of involvement in the FWBO, it will be family-friendly, and there will be groups of people coming from FWBO Centres across Europe. It will be another great opportunity to be inspired by the sangha gathering in large numbers.

"We learnt a lot about the practicalities of running the event last time - we are teaming up with Buddhafield and Taraloka again - and this time and it will be even better!

"The retreat starts on the full-moon night of Wesak; so this is our chance for a big, collective celebration of the Buddha’s Enlightenment in the FWBO this year. The theme will be “Turning Arrows into Flowers” – looking at the story of the Buddha’s transformation of Mara’s arrows into flowers. We’ll also be exploring the equivalent of that for us today – the transformation of our own selves and our world.

"More details can also be found on the website, which is now live.

"If you want to book (and we'd encourage you to book early), there are three ways to book: posting us the booking form in the brochure (which you should find at all FWBO Centres), or by downloading it from the website and sending it by post, or by booking directly on-line using pay-pal.

"If you need more information, check the website at www.internationalretreat.fwbo.org;or contact us at: internationalretreat@fwbo.com.

"With thanks and best wishes for 2010... and hoping to see you there!

"Vajragupta

Sangharakshita's talk to the 2008 retreat, 'The Growth and Prosperity of the Sangha', can be viewed here thanks to VideoSangha -

Soulful Spirit - new CD from Mahasukha

Mahasukha writes from Brighton, UK, with news of his new double CD, ‘Soulful Spirit’. He says -

“I've recently completed a CD, 'Soulful Spirit'. It's of largely African songs (my workshop repertoire) and includes 2 mantras and part of the Karaniya Metta Sutta, and has a couple of recordings from my Buddhafield Festival workshops.

“It consists of 24 tracks of uplifting, African, sacred, soulful songs and mantras imbued with a spirit of devotion. After nearly 10 years of leading singing workshops it’s my 1st CD. I recorded Soulful Spirit in my flat on my computer using one microphone and multi-tracking. All the songs are recorded using only voice and percussion. It took me 6 months to complete (working 24/7!)

The first CD is the songs, the second one includes all the main vocal parts which can be used as a learning and teaching resource. If you'd like to order a copy, check my website at http://soulfulsinging.co.uk"

Mahasukha is one of a growing number of artists and musicians of all sorts  within the FWBO; you'll find many of them and more on the inter-Buddhist 'Dharma Arts Network' site at http://dharmaarts.ning.com.

Finding 10,000 rupees in Poland - an update from Sanghaloka

Two years ago Nityabandhu and others set up Sanghaloka, a new FWBO centre in Poland. Now he writes to tell us what it's like running it on a day-to-day basis...

He says -

“Rather than bore you with details of day-to-day events at Sanghaloka in Krakow I thought I'd tell you how it is for me to be running this place (with Sassirika, Santaka and others of course).

“It’s like finding a large banknote on the street (say 50 pounds, or 100 euro or 10,000 rupees). Suddenly one feels strangely and unexpectedly fortunate - owning a little fortune. The difference is that with Sanghaloka I feel like that almost daily.

“The greatest pleasure is meeting the people that come and getting to know those that stay and come regularly. Sometimes I don't feel like doing the admin or updating the website, or even teaching meditation or co-leading courses with Santaka. But once I start these things are so incredibly rewarding that it does feel like finding whole bags of money on the street.

“I can't think of doing anything better with my life - I can only think how to do better what I - what we here - are already doing.

“Nityabandhu

The Sanghaloka website, www.buddyzm.info.pl is actually a substantial Polish Dharma resource - and there’s more, on meditation, on the Polish edition of the Wildmind site, polski.wildmind.org.

The photographs are from recent Sanghaloka retreats in Poland.  Nityabandhu is in the centre of the top photo.

Sadhu! - and “Przyjaciele Zachodniej Wspólnoty Buddyjskiej” (as they say in Krakov!)

Manchester Buddhist Centre receives Marque of Excellence

The Manchester Buddhist Centre has been awarded the North West Multi-Faith Tourism Association's Marque of Excellence for its outstanding welcome to visitors, tourists, and people new to the MBC

The Centre was thoroughly assessed on various criteria, and was seen to be an outstanding example of excellence - in fact the assessor said that she had 'never written a report with quite so many overall category ratings of Excellent' !

An extract from the MBC's website quotes the Tourist Association's report as saying that -

"Manchester Buddhist Centre is an outstanding example of a sacred site that not only offers the visitor a genuinely holistic experience that touches the mind, the body and the spirit in equal measure, but also offers a vision of work as a spiritual practice. All are welcomed to visit and to engage with the site at whatever level they wish. Everything about the site is a reflection of the ethos and philosophy of Buddhism

“It is located in a Victorian warehouse, part of the city’s industrial heritage, which has been sensitively renovated, honouring the history and character of the original building, and with regard to making it as environmentally sustainable as possible

“It is known as an ‘urban oasis’ – part of its attraction is the sense of peace, calm and reflection that visitors feel when they visit the building. Visitors are welcome to sit in the reception area or tea area and relax from the stresses of the busy city outside its doors. The Buddhist Centre is very much a place of spiritual practice and there is a clear path of development and commitment to Buddhist practice for those who wish to know more"

The MBC joins four other faith sites in Greater Manchester who have been awarded the Marque of Excellence -

* Manchester Cathedral
* The Jewish Museum
* Cross Street Unitarian Church
* The Parish Church of St. Peter, Bolton

The MBC itself comments -

“There are other major faith sites across the North West we also join, including both Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral and Anglican Cathedral, and also Manjushri, the NKT’s headquarters at Conishead Priory in Cumbria.

“The award means that the MBC will receive a lovely plaque saying 'Visitors Welcome' on the outside of the building, and we will be promoted as a 'must see' attraction by the tourist board. We are also planning a big presentation ceremony of the award in spring / early summer - watch this space!

Read more on the MBC website here, or about the Multi-Faith Tourism Association at www.multi-faith.org/

Google Alerts lead to three little-known FWBO bloggers

Thanks to Google Alerts, we’re able to bring you a couple of little-known references to the FWBO from across the wide world of the Internet.

The Holistic Knitter, somewhere in Wales, posts photos of her retreat at Taraloka - the teardrop-shaped pond and the beautiful Prajna-Paramita, among many others.  You'll find her (we're guessing it's a her) at holisticknitter.blogspot.com

Up in Scotland, the mysterious ‘m0ok’, who lives with "a cat who struggles to take me seriously", writes of his first puja in his blog “Adventures of a Dharma n00b”.

Meanwhile the blogger known only as ‘Fireworks with Sound Effects‘ writes “I lost my center somewhere. I've looked everywhere. In my closet. Under the bed...” - and decided to pick up a written Dharma talk entitled "The Taste Of Freedom" by Sangharakshita. Which seemed to do the trick, at least to help matters.  More at fireworkswithsoundeffects.blogspot.com.

Thanks to our three contributors.  We’ll bring you more as and when we discover them!

Meanwhile you might like to check FWBO People for over 200 personal sites by people associated with the FWBO.  Just go to www.people.fwbo.org...

An invitation - and a challenge - from the Karuna Trust fundraising team

Khemajala, a fundraiser at the Karuna Trust, writes with an invitation - and a challenge - for all men reading FWBO News. He says -

"Would you like to live a truly meaningful and memorable year as part of a Karuna Men's Fundraising Community?

"On 29 September 2006, in Khairlanji village, central India, Surekha Bhotmange, her daughter Priyanka and her two sons, Roshan and Sudhir were dragged from their home by a mob, stripped naked, paraded through their village, beaten to death, and their bodied dumped in a nearby canal.

 Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange, the father of the family (photo opposite), escaped by lucky chance. The details of this caste-based crime are sickening, and the hatred behind it is difficult to comprehend but the viciousness is typical of many crimes committed against lower caste people in India every day.

"Most of these crimes are invisible, but this atrocity came to light through Dalit campaigns and became an international news story. The Manuski project, led by members of TBMSG (the Indian equivalent of the FWBO), and supported by Karuna, played an important part in making that happen.

"Could you tell Bhaiyyalal’s story? You could give Dalit people such as Bhaiyyalal a voice and help them escape the suffering caused by caste discrimination.

"How? Live a truly meaningful and memorable year as part of a Karuna Men’s Fundraising Community

"From September 2010 to August 2011, Karuna will be pioneering the first team of Karuna Appeal fundraisers who will come together for a year to live and work together as a community of fundraisers.

"We need a team of four or more men.

"What we’re offering:

• Community living based in London
• Blocks of 6 weeks fundraising followed by at least one week off
• A total of 10 weeks leaves including a trip to India and time for retreats
• Training in Fundraising as a spiritual practice
• A comprehensive support package
• Led by Jayaraja

"For more information -
Contact Khemajala
Phone 0207 697 3004
Email khemajala@karuna.org
Web www.appeals.karuna.org

Opportunity at EcoDharma in Spain

Maitrisara writes with news of an opportunity for anyone over50 looking for a stay in the Pyrenees this autumn. She says -

“Grant funding enables us to offer 6 expenses paid places on a volunteering project at the EcoDharma centre between 1 and 2 months in September and October 2010. (www.ecodharma.com)

"EcoDharma is a Buddhist based community living in a remote valley in the Catalan Pyrenees. The wild beauty is incredible as are the ideas talked about over supper! The influences on the centre’s philosophy include radical ecology, The Work that Reconnects, engaged Buddhism, systems theory and holistic experiential learning.

“You need to be over 50 (yes we know that’s a bit strange but that is what the funding is for!) and reasonably fit. Living as part of the community, you will be involved in the garden and building projects. If you know a bit about permaculture, building or capentry, food preserving - this might particularly suit you. Get in touch with Maitrisara - maitrisara@tiscali.co.uk if you want to know more about it and are interested.

“Please pass on to anyone you think would be interested (in the right age bracket!!)

With warm wishes
Maitrisara

The retreat centre is just visible as the tiny white dot on the plateau in the centre-left of the photograph.

News from FreeBuddhistAudio - new Dharma training resources

FreeBuddhistAudio have written celebrating the completion of the new FWBO “Dharma Training Course for Mitras” - a substantial four-year course in Buddhism and meditation, designed primarily for Mitras ('friends') involved with the FWBO Buddhist community.

They say - “After two years of work by many people throughout the FWBO, led by Saccanama, the new Dharma training course is finally ready online!

“We think it's pretty marvellous – a consistent, fully referenced, fully indexed, professionally produced web publishing project to lend a new coherence to the study we do together as an international community of practising Buddhists. The course aims to give people in the FWBO a thorough grounding in Dharma study and practice. It also makes an excellent general course for anyone interested in putting Buddhist teaching into practice in their life.

“We hope you'll enjoy using it as part of your own Dharma adventures. Please let us know how you get on! You can view the full course here, download the official Guide, or listen to the launch talk and other special course resources now!”

There’s also news of two companions to the main course -

The Way of Mindfulness – a companion website
Kamalashila's wonderful audio and video meditation instruction site to accompany his module on the Satipatthana Sutta from Year Two of the Course. A labour of love in progress, featuring material not available anywhere else.

Towards Insight – Contemplations of the Buddha
This is another matching set of excellent guided meditations from Dayanandi and Ratnaguna. Here we are introduced to the practice of Buddhanussati – recollecting the Buddha by dwelling on his great qualities. The reflections are based on epithets for the Buddha from the Tiratana Vandana ('Salutation to the Buddha') and is one of the earliest of Buddhist practices.  Listen to the talk here.


Free Buddhist Audio is committed to providing free access for all. Your financial support is essential for building a strong community. Help us spread the Dharma throughout the world!

News from Windhorse Publications

Sagaraghosa, one of the Trustees of Windhorse Publications, the FWBO's publishing house, writes with some of their news.  She says -

"There are several changes afoot at present with Windhorse Publications, so it seems like an appropriate time to write with news. First, I am very pleased to be able to announce that Priyananda has been appointed as Publishing Director. He has already started and is working three days a week. His work includes developing the publishing strategy, commissioning new books and liaising with the rest of the movement. I am delighted that we have managed to find someone so experienced and skilled to do this work.

I shall be continuing in an advisory role, and Vidyadevi will be continuing to help with books by Bhante and some of the other books for the movement. Caroline and Sarah will be continuing to manage the office, production, marketing and sales. In addition, Lee Walford now works one day a week looking after the finances. So we are well placed with staffing for 2010 and have a strong team to take us forward.

"By the time you read this, Windhorse will have moved offices out of the Cambridge Buddhist Centre and into rented office accommodation in nearby Mill Road. The Buddhist Centre did not have enough room for the additional staff and needed more space themselves. The new office has much more space and is conveniently situated quite close to the station (and a rather good cafe!) The telephone number and email address stay the same.

"You may have noticed that we have recently published a batch of books for newcomers to Buddhism:

Life with Full Attention by Maitreyabandhu,
Meaning in Life by Sarvananda,
Vegetarianism by Bodhipaksa and
Saving the Earth by Akuppa.

"These books have made a promising start and have been received enthusiastically by book shops during sales visits.

"Bhante's new book, Living Ethically, needs a reprint shortly, which is also very pleasing. Our other recent title is 'Visions of Mahayana Buddhism' by Nagapriya which is a great introduction to this inspiring tradition. You should find it in most FWBO Centre bookshops - or you can order it direct from us.

"Looking forward to 2010, we shall be publishing 'The Story of the FWBO' by Vajragupta, starting to publish books to use with the new FWBO-wide Dharma Study Course for mitras, and reissuing some of Bhante's books with new introductions in a new 'Sangharakshita Classics' series, as well as hopefully some other new titles. Also we shall be revamping the web site.

"Our main challenge is still money. It takes a lot of juggling to pay the bills. So we shall be exploring ways to increase our sales and funding. Of course donations are always welcome, but you can also help by buying books from your Centre book shop or directly from us at www.windhorsepublications.com . Also if you have ideas for new books, please get in touch.

"With your help we can thrive in 2010 and beyond.

Sagaraghosa

Karuna Mexico is born

For FWBO News' first story of the New Year, we're pleased to report from Mexico. Mario Peña from the AOBO’s Mexico Buddhist Centre writes...

“We have a new project at the Buddhist Centre - "Karuna". I am happy to report that it is growing up even more and more. We are running activities to help groups of disadvantaged people - children without parents, children that live in the street, old people, people with troubled psychology, etc.

“Since 2007 we have been organising collections of different goods. After we make an appeal, people bring and leave things in the Buddhist Centre; and we find that after some months of collecting we have enough to leave them to institutions that help people. So far we’ve done 4 appeals, all with good results - the most recent have been toys in April and food in December. With these we have helped 22 different institutions and more than 1500 people.

“We are very excited, we have finished our collections for the year 2009 and we are glad. With these activities we’ve been able to help people who come to the Buddhist Centre to practice compassion and kindness, (Karuna, Metta) - and of course the donations have had benefits in their own right.

“It could be the response of Mexicans to the work of TBMSG and the Karuna Trust in India.

“We think that when we engage an activity like this we can help change the attitude of people, the tendency towards discrimination against people on another economic level, or old people, or with some incapacity or another - we can help to break the barriers that exist between Mexicans.

“Our web page in Spanish is www.karuna.mx.

“Thank you.”

Mario Peña
Coordinator Colecta Karuna México.
Centro Budista de la Ciudad de Mexico
Tel.: 001 55 5525 4023
contacto@karuna.mx
Colecta Karuna

Agradecemos el apoyo a todas las personas que participaron con entusiasmo en la colecta. Se logro reunir suficientes víveres para llegar a las 5 instituciones que teniamos pensado. La entrega se realizó el día Lunes, martes, y miércoles. ...