‘Dharma Day’ on the FWBO/Triratna International Retreat, and Vajradarshini's talk

Yesterday was ‘Dharma Day’ on the FWBO/Triratna International Retreat, and saw a fine talk by Vajradarshini. Uploaded overnight, it’s now available on VideoSangha at www.videosangha.net/video/Everything-Matters-Turning-Cons, or directly in the embedded player below.



Under the title ‘Everything Matters - Turning Consumerism on its Head’, Vajradarshini looked at the strategies Westerners use to gauge their levels of wealth and happiness - which seem to result all too often in all too many of us feeling not-very-wealthy and not-very-happy. She suggested that we could, instead, turn around our obsession with ever-newer and ever-larger to value what is old, or what has been mended, or what has been handed down to us - radically different ideas of wealth and beauty drawn from traditional societies and the Japanese Buddhist ethos of Wabi-Sabi. There was much more, too - but you’ll have to watch the talk to find out more!

Yesterday also saw the launch of Vajragupta’s new book ‘The Triratna Story’, sub-titled ‘Behind the Scenes of a new Buddhist Movement’. Find it at your local Triratna Centre bookshop or on-line at Windhorse Publications (see www.windhorsepublications.com/CartV2/Details.asp?ProductID=743). Well over a year in the writing, but exceptionally timely, Vajragupta describes it as “the story of mistakes made, lessons learnt and how a Buddhist community was built”.

 Others seem to agree - David Brazier, author of The New Buddhism, says "An excellent synopsis of the history of an important Buddhist movement"; and Zoketsu Norman Fischer, founder of the Everyday Zen Foundation and author of Sailing Home, comments that it’s "...a courageous and important book...it defies all expectations."

Re-imagining Free Buddhist Audio - Come and Try Our New-Look Site!

Welcome to the news from Free Buddhist Audio, the free download, podcast and streaming service from the Dharmachakra audio and text archives. To receive more regular updates on the site, you can always subscribe to our own blog.

Well, after many months of work, we are rather thrilled today to be able to offer Triratna News followers a first sneak peak at our completely re-imagined version of Free Buddhist Audio, which is due to launch at the end of June.

FBA is now three years old, and in that time it has become an amazing online resource for Buddhists all over the world. By the end of 2010, we will have distributed over one million Dharma talks! To put that in perspective, when we started out as a tape company we distributed a few thousand tapes a year at most...

But we didn't want to rest on our laurels! The internet has changed a great deal in those three years since we first appeared online, so we have completely re-thought the site, and re-designed it from the ground up to make sure it's fit for the web as it is likely to develop over the next three years. That means putting our user community right at the heart of what we do in our new Community section and through our developing social network presence. The Dharma is still the star of the show – but it's the Dharma as practiced by all of you and meaningful in your lives.

You can start taking part now, if you like, by coming and playing and leaving feedback for us on this special blog page (all encouragement much appreciated!). We are really excited to hear what you think!

Watch this space for more news of new features as we roll them out in the next wee while...

***

ps. The new site has been designed to enable a free service to be kept in place for all. We are now entirely dependent on our community of users for the funds required to maintain and develop FBA. To help us keep going, please think about making a regular or one-off donation.

Many thanks!

Day Three of the FWBO/Triratna International Retreat sees a major ceremony marking the change of name of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) to the Triratna Buddhist Community.

But how exactly does one pronounce Triratna? We’re delighted to bring you this short video from around the retreat making the point that - maybe - it doesn’t matter toooooo much: the main thing is that we’re now Triratna, whatever way you say it...!



Thanks to Viriyalila from the FreeBuddhistAudio team for putting it together.

Around the world FWBO/Triratna centres have been holding their own name-change ceremonies, and we’ve photos of some of the special shrines created for the purpose - the ones shown come from Amsterdam and Brighton.  Amsterdam's shows their shrine at the start of their ceremony - stripped back to the bare essentials; Brighton's at the end, filled with offerings from those present.

Meanwhile the Order Information Service writes to say -

“The private ordination of all 16 women attending the 3-month ordination course at Akasavana in Spain will take place between 31st May and 4th June. The Public Ordination will start mid-morning on 8th June, local Spanish time”.

SADHU!

First talks from the FWBO/Triratna International Retreat now available online

First talks from the FWBO/Triratna International Retreat are now available online thanks to the hard work of the ClearVision team - whose computers were uploading through the night...!  Jnanavaca’s talk on ‘An Essential Matter - the Demon of Materialism’ is now available.  Watch it on the embedded video player below or via VideoSangha at  www.videosangha.net/video/An-Essential-Matter-The-Demon-o if you prefer.

Today promises to be a cracking talk by Vajradarshini, titled ‘Everything Matters - Turning Consumerism on it’s Head’.  We’ll post it here as soon as we’re able.  

FWBO/Triratna International retreat day 1 - rain and music...

The first evening of the FWBO/Triratna International retreat saw a beautiful sunset and a wonderful stillness in the air, with the full moon rising clear in the sky - a great beginning for the 430 retreatants who’d assembled from all over Europe and beyond. A dedication ceremony in the giant shrine marquee was followed by mantra chanting and many many hellos to friends old and new around the fire and in the tea tents.

Something changed overnight, sadly, and the next morning the campers awoke to find persistent rain and grey skies. Typical weather for a British Bank Holiday weekend! This was the first of three full days for the retreat - being Buddha Day, Dharma Day, and Sangha Day.

Spirits were undaunted, however, and Jnanavaca’s talk on ‘An Essential Matter - the Demon of Materialism’ was well received. We’ll be bringing you the talk itself as soon as we’ve been able to upload it - for now, here’s some video clips from around the site...



catch it direct on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC0F1kcR53k if the above embedded player is not showing.

And as we go to press the good news is, the rain has stopped and the sky is clearing...

2nd FWBO/Triratna International Retreat underway, 400+ on site

The FWBO/Triratna International Retreat started today, with over 400 people now on site - from the UK, India, US, Austria, France (lots from France!), Germany (even more from Germany!), Denmark, Holland, Mexico, and elsewhere.

We’ve put together a little video showing the arrivals, some ‘hellos’, and a few of the shrines and rupas around the site.

Check it here -



Or watch it direct on YouTube if the embedded player isn’t showing - the link is www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DOg_1YuUMc

The main programme begins tomorrow, with talks each morning which we hope to bring you as soon as local upload speeds allow! The three days of the retreat are themed Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, with Monday night - Sangha Day - seeing a collective ceremony to celebrate the change of name of the Movement from 'FWBO' to Triratna Buddhist Community. Watch this space for news...

Video clips from the International Retreat setup, dedicating the shrine dome and work circle

Friday sees the start of the second FWBO/Triratna International Retreat, with over 400 people from all over Europe and beyond coming together to explore the Buddha’s Enlightenment and the theme of ‘Turning Arrows into Flowers’. The Buddhafield and Taraloka teams have been immersed in setting up the event since last week, with a rich array of domes, marquees, bell tents and even a sauna springing up to decorate the field adjoining Taraloka - using a crew that already includes men and women from the UK, Denmark, Austria, India, Germany, France and beyond...

We’ve put together a short video clip from the setup showing Satyadarshin’s dedication of the new shrine dome (beautifully decorated with Celtic-Nepalese hangings provided by Dhiramati) and Shantikara’s introduction to the morning work circle.



Find it on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rl9Ipx5vMA if you don't see the embedded player above.

Once the retreat gets going we plan to document the event as it goes along, with video and audio recordings of the major talks, photographs of the people, and commentary from the Triratna News team. Watch this space for our latest offerings - and for now, enjoy the video...

Thought for the Day tomorrow on Radio 4

Vishvapani, a long-standing member of the Triratna Buddhist Order, is a regular contributor to the BBC’s popular Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’, broadcast daily at around 7.45 UK time. His next slot on the programme is tomorrow - he says “my next talk is on Friday 28th May, which is Wesak, and I'll probably do something topical”.

You can hear him by tuning to BBC Radio 4, or on-line at www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/thought.

He goes on to say “I'm not sure if this is of general interest, but here's a link to an interview someone did with me on the nature of happiness.”

Setup starts for International Retreat, over 400 expected

Yesterday saw the start of a five-day set-up retreat at Taraloka for the second FWBO International Retreat - a joint venture between the Triratna Chairs Assembly, Buddhafield and Taraloka.

Over 400 people have booked for the event, which starts on Friday. There are a few remaining spaces, please see the special retreat website at www.internationalretreat.fwbo.org if you’re interested.

The generous setup period allows the team - already over 20 strong - to treat it as a retreat, with meditations before breakfast, lunch and supper in Taraloka’s beautiful outdoor ‘Tara Cabin’ shrineroom and free time in the evenings.

And (as this photo from our roving photographer proves) there’s even time to take it easy in-between jobs - a welcome break given the scorching heat.

The biannual International Retreat is the largest retreat event in Triratna’s calendar, bringing together practitioners from across the UK, Europe and beyond. It’s designed to be suitable both for someone on his or her first retreat or for those who’ve already been on many retreats. Either way, it’s a great opportunity to experience the magic of practising together in large numbers and to experience the wider FWBO/Triratna Sangha.

Triratna Buddhist Community Centres now on Google Maps

Ever wondered exactly where the many Triratna Buddhist Centres are around the world? You can now find almost all of them courtesy of Google Maps - and, in many cases, switch directly from the map to Google Street View and have a look right into the front door!

There’s four in all, covering the UK, Europe, India, and the Rest of the World respectively. Find them here - and to access Street View, switch to the ‘larger map’, select the Centre you’re interested in, then find ‘street view’ under the ‘more’ tag...


View Triratna Buddhist Centres UK in a larger map


View Triratna Buddhist Centres worldwide in a larger map


View Triratna Buddhist Centres Europe in a larger map


View Triratna Buddhist Centres India in a larger map

The New Society 40 years on - part II, India

Today’s Dharma talks, brought to you from VideoSangha, the Triratna Buddhist Community’s video website, explore the Dhamma Revolution East and West. Both are by Subhuti, who has for many years worked both in India and the West.

In the first, titled ‘The Dhamma Revolution East and West: East’, Subhuti outlines the Triratna Buddhist Community's connection with the Dhamma revolution in India. This comes mainly through Sangharakshita’s contact with the great Dr Ambedkar. In the talk Subhuti tells the story of Dr Ambedkar and inspires the audience with a sense of the potential for the Dhamma to influence society.



In the second, ‘The Dhamma Revolution East and West: West’, Subhuti presents the possibility of the Dhamma influencing and transforming Western Society. The key to this, he says, is our personal and collective conviction that the Dhamma isn't a set of 'nice' ideas but a description of the nature of reality.



There’s a third episode also on-line, of questions and answers following up the two talks - but we’ll leave you to find it!

VideoSangha now host over 400 Triratna-related videos, and have a mass of further material - including some great Dharma talks - waiting for upload, but need more donations to enable them to proceed. If you’d like to help make the Dharma available in this way, just look on their site for their ‘donate’ button - they’d be very grateful.

VideoSangha is run by The Clear Vision Trust and they say "we would be very grateful for donations supporting our work". Find out how at www.clear-vision.org/Home/About-Us/Donate.aspx

The New Society 40 years on: new talks on VideoSangha

Today and tomorrow we’ll be bringing you news of some great new talks now available on VideoSangha, the Triratna Buddhist Community’s video website.

Today’s featured talks come from the recent Mens' National Order Weekend at Padmaloka, which explored the theme of "The New Society: the Vision and the Challenges”.

When Triratna (then called the FWBO) was founded, the theme of the New Society - spiritual practice undertaken to transform both Self and World - was embedded in the new Buddhist movement’s ideals. That led to the pattern of the ‘three Cs’ - Centres, Communities, and Cooperatives - that for many years constituted the FWBO’s distinctive style of Buddhist practice.

Now, 40 years on, the Triratna Buddhist Community is far more diverse than it was in those early days - but the original vision, of the transformation of society through spiritual practice, may be less clearly in focus than it was then.

And by coincidence or synchronicity, over the past months, a number of Triratna events have focussed on this theme, asking questions such as “What is our vision now?; “What lessons have been learnt?”; “What are the challenges today?"; even, “How will the story unfold?

'Messages of the Dharma: Keep it Radical', by Vajragupta, looks at how Triratna presents itself today, and ends with a call to see ourselves as a threefold ‘radical Sangha’





If the video player above doesn’t work you can access the talk on VideoSangha here -
www.videosangha.net/video/Messages-of-the-Dharma-Keep-it

Keturaja, in this talk, offers a brief history of Windhorse:Evolution; Triratna’s largest and most successful Right Livelihood business, plus some indications of his vision for the future of the business. He’s recently taken over as Windhorse’s new Managing Director and so this is a very timely review of an important



If the video player above doesn’t work you can access the talk on VideoSangha here -
www.videosangha.net/video/Work-in-Progress-a-brief-histor

Tomorrow we’ll showcase a pair of talks by Subhuti, speaking about Triratna’s work in India and the Dhamma Revolution East and West.

If you can’t wait that long, head over to VideoSangha at www.videosangha.net and find them there!

Suvannavira's adventures in Russia

Suvannavira is an Order Member currently exploring the possibilities of establishing himself in Russia and teaching the Dharma there. for the past year or more he’s been visiting regularly, building up contacts and getting a feel for the land and its people.

Now he’s written to Triratna News, saying -

“The moment finally felt right to write a few words about my adventures in Russia.

“Having been born in Russia and having left the Soviet Union as a young child with my mother, maybe it was not surprising that I would be keen to return to re-discover the country of my birth.

“Arriving in St Petersburg for a few days, I plan to stay in Moscow for two months during which one important goal is to continue re-learning Russian which I forgot as a young child on my arrival in England.

“In mid-July, I plan to travel back to the UK overland by train, stopping to visit cities and friends in Kiev, Odessa, Krakow, Berlin and Paris.

“My longer term aim is to establish the teaching of my teacher Bhante Urgyen Sangharakshita in the land of my birth.

“In the meantime here's a photo taken on a sunny day in May around the celebrated Nevsky Prospect, St Petersburg's most famous street and amongst other things, the setting of some of the novels of Gogol.

“With metta,

“Suvannavira

Suvannavira’s keeping a more detailed blog of his travels, which you’ll find at http://suvannavira.blogspot.com. There’s also a very substantial Russian Dharma website, created by Suvannavira, available at http://buddhayana.ru

Mitra Ceremonies, pilgrimages, and growth: news from Triratna in Sri Lanka...

We’ve got another update from the small FWBO/Triratna Sangha in Sri Lanka, courtesy of Ujukarin, an Order Member from the Netherlands, who writes to say -

“My twice-yearly trip to the Lankan sangha felt more and more like ‘just one of the many foreign Triratna visitors to the country’ than like the main highlight for the local sangha that it once was. And that is quite a good sign of a slowly maturing and growing situation. Later in the story you’ll encounter a few of those other foreign influences…

“The activities during this trip centred around the ‘existing sangha focus areas’ of Colombo and Galle-Matara, plus the increasingly important area of Kandy – the old hill capital of Lanka. We held day retreats in each of these plus a residential retreat mainly for the Southern Triratna friends in a pilgrim’s rest near a famous stupa in Yala park. All the existing friends rejoiced in the hard-worked merits from recent visitors like Prajnajit from India (see last fall’s stories) and Anne, a mitra from the UK.

Situlpahuwa, an old stupa site in Yala park
where we had a retreat nearby

“We had no less than four new mitras in three separate ceremonies; welcome to sisters Jayawanthi and Damayanthi, to Manjula and to Wasanth. A surprisingly high percentage of three-out-of-four ladies; rumour has it that there’s some relation to and inspiration from Anne’s hard work, and joy that she’ll be returning soon for a longer time.

“The Lankan mitras plan to start attending retreats in India soon and that too is a sign of a maturing sangha. And of a maturing cooperation in two directions: in Colombo I bumped into Dharmacharini Alokasri, from Pune/Birmingham, with one of her regular groups of Indian Buddhist pilgrims to Sri Lanka! Together with similar trips by Manidhamma, also from India, Lanka now gets at least four groups of visitors yearly, who always make the effort for at least one meeting with the Lankan Triratna Buddhists - as well as visiting the ‘cultural’ Lankan sites of course.

“Highlights were of course the good attendance to the various day retreats and mitra ceremonies, overall at least 50 different people. Lowlights however cannot be avoided too. Picking a remote place for a retreat like Yala (4 hours from Matara) was lovely, with lots of peacefulness and wildlife including pet deer and cute-but-risky monkeys. But the distance was also a-road-too-far for many of the promised attendants, so in the end we were with only a handful and next time we’ll pick a place closer-to-home.

“And it is a bit sad to report that Sagaraloka, our small retreat hall behind South Ceylon restaurant in Unawatuna, is no more. Due to the commercial transfer of the restaurant from Saddhavira to mitra Renuka and family there was ‘no fit’ in the redesigned and much-modernised setup, though still we can use the restaurant for day retreats and classes. Happily that’s only a small setback in an overall hugely spreading and growing situation, so it’s the kind of Dukkha one happily accepts with equanimity.

“May the Lankan Sangha keep on flourishing with many more foreign visits, and for myself, I’ll be back this Autumn!  For more photos of my visit please visit our Facebook album.

"With folded palms,

Ujukarin

3rd Anniversary celebrations in Düsseldorf

Sraddhabandhu writes from Düsseldorf in Germany, where for the past three years he's been building up an FWBO/Triratna Sangha there.  They've just celebrated their third anniversary, and he writes to say - 

"At the end of March we celebrated the third anniversary of our centre in Düsseldorf. And unbelievable 30 people turned up, a part of them from Essen.  See our quite full shrine room:

"Apart from our regular “open nights” we now do a meditation day every other month and a Puja each month.  

"And we've been able to widen our Internet presence: we now have our main site, a online Yahoo-Group and a Facebook page. 

"I've even been working on a small website for mobile phones (www.duesseldorf-buddhismus.de/indexmob.html), so that people can have a quick glance on the titles of the talks I give on Mondays. 

"Next for us comes a small theater play we want to do on Wesak - we hope that we are successful! 

"With metta, 

Sraddhabandhu

The Triratna Story: Behind the Scenes of a New Buddhist Movement

 We're delighted to bring readers of Triratna News a heads-up of a significant and very timely new book that's about to hit the bookshops.

It's "The Triratna Story: Behind the Scenes of a New Buddhist Movement", by Vajragupta - already well-known for his very popular title "Buddhism: Tools for Living Your Life".

The book tells the story of the Triratna Buddhist Community, now an international Buddhist movement, from its inception in London, to the first 40 years of its history and growth worldwide, during which it was known as the FWBO/Friends of the Western Buddhist Order - and most recently, to its change of name to the Triratna Buddhist Community.

It is the story of mistakes made, lessons learnt and how a Buddhist community was built. To quote from the book itself - “It's the nitty-gritty story of how a community evolves. It's a story of idealism and naivety, growth and growing pains, hard work and burn-out, friendship and fallout”.

David Brazier, author of The New Buddhism, says - "An excellent synopsis of the history of an important Buddhist movement". And Norman Fischer, founder of the Everyday Zen Foundation and author of Sailing Home, comments - "...a courageous and important book...it defies all expectations".

The book’s author, Vajragupta, has been involved with Triratna since 1990. He was director of the Birmingham Buddhist Centre for 8 years and teaches Buddhism and meditation across the UK. He currently works for the Triratna Chairs Assembly as part of their ‘Development Team’.

The book will be launched on the upcoming FWBO/Triratna International Retreat later this month, but should be available very soon at Buddhist Centres around the UK and beyond, at a price of £7.99 / $13.95 / € 9.95. It’s also available by mail-order direct from Windhorse - check their website www.windhorsepublications.com for details.

First ordinations into Triratna Buddhist Order

Maitreyi writes with news of the first ordinations of 2010 - and the first into Triratna Buddhist Order since its change of name. She says -

“The following ordinations took place on May 1st at the Brighton Buddhist Centre - the first ordinations into our Order as the Triratna Buddhist Order!

“Trey Gilbey becomes Sahajatara (Sanskrit; bar over last two 'a's; Westernised version Sahajatara), meaning 'She who has an affinity with Tara'. Her Private Preceptor was Maitreyi, and her Public Preceptor Parami

“Debbie Weight becomes Upeksadevi (Sanskrit; dot under 's', bar over 'a' and 'i'; Westernised version Upekshadevi), meaning 'Goddess of equanimity'. Her Private Preceptor was Ratnadakini, and her Public Preceptor Maitreyi”.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

In addition there’s news of a forthcoming ordination in America: Tejavani writes from Missoula, Montana, to say -

“The public ordination of Chris Eyer from the Missoula Sangha will take place on Saturday, June 5th, 2010 at 1:00 pm in Missoula.. Due to space considerations, it will be held at 121 West Main Street (Downtown Dance Collective) rather than at the Center. Dhammarati will conduct the public ceremony.

“If you would like to attend the public ceremony, you would be most warmly welcomed. Please plan to arrive no later than 12:45 pm. If you are coming from out-of-town, please let Tejavani know by May 22nd to ensure space will be available for you. (cmcmillan@montana.com; phone: 406-550-4679) If you need assistance with housing for the ordination, please contact Tom Allyn (tallynt@hotmail.com; phone: 406-240-9655)”

Annual Kshitigarbha retreat draws 500 people in Central India

Saddharaja, an Order Member from Cambridge UK, writes with news of one of Triratna’s largest annual events - the Kshitigarbha retreat in Maharastra, central India. The Kshitigarbha project (named after a Bodhisattva of the same name) began as way of reaching some of the many thousand Buddhist agricultural workers in Maharashtra, central India - many of whom were very poor and unable to afford even the most basic retreat fee. Each year a small team from Cambridge UK, fundraise for the necessary money, then travel to India and conduct the retreat itself and a series of Dharma talks in outlying villages. Here’s what he says -

“Vipulakirti, Dharmasiddhi and I arrived at Nagaloka [Triratna’s training centre in Nagpur] on January 13th, and stayed a couple of days. We were joined by Adityabodhi, Shakyajata , Priyadaka and Sujiva - and all headed out to Wardha City by jeep on January 15th for the first day of the 2010 Kshitigarbha retreat. The previous night I’d given a talk at Mahendranagar TBMSG, a poor locality of Nagpur.

“The 5-day Kshitigarbha retreat was held in a large, rented marriage hall in the suburbs of Wardha. A team from TBMSG Wardha – led by Harshavir and Lokanath – found and prepared the venue. Karunashura was there to greet us. As the retreat organiser, he had done so much good work preparing the retreat.

“500+ people attended the 5 day retreat. Back home we’d successfully raised £3959.00 to cover this, plus the cost of a 6-day Dhamma activities tour of Wardha district. Almost all these retreatants would not have been able to afford to attend the 5-day retreat without this dana.

“We had intended that 900+ attend the retreat, and that number had booked. However, in the previous month, Wardha district (one of the hottest parts of India) had experienced almost unprecedented extreme cold weather. Many retreatants fell ill, and had to cancel. This was disappointing, but beyond our control. Thankfully the weather improved just before the retreat started.

“The theme of the retreat was ‘The Threefold Way’ (sila, samadhi, prajna). Vipulakirti, being a Buddhist choir master and mantra-tune composer, had composed a catchy Indian-style tune (‘ seeela, samaaadhi, prajnaaayayaaa……!’) which caught on very quickly and enthusiastically.

“Each day of the retreat, we meditated (having taught the practices to newcomers), listened to a full-length Dhamma talk from myself (excellently translated by the stalwart Adityabodhi), and discussed the talk theme in many groups, led by the various Order members. In the evenings, we had more Dhamma talks, and puja.

“As ever, this Kshitigarbha retreat was suffused with friendship and friendliness, with much chatting and socialising. The dormitories were enormous by Western standards, and the food excellent. We also had a competent mitra team who were essential to the smooth-running of the retreat.

“Towards the end of the retreat, we had a conversion ceremony for an 18-year old ex-Hindu girl. The conversion ceremony and the final puja of the retreat were very moving. On the last morning many men and women were in tears – sorry to leave. They had appreciated the retreat so much. For many, this was their first contact with Buddhism.

“After the retreat a group of us set out on 6 days touring to Buddhist villages and towns in the Wardha district. We travelled by jeep and motorbike, and covered so many places: Sarul, Dhammangoan, Pusad, Yaratmal, Pulgoan – to name a few. We saw so many beautiful villages and vihars, and most days, had a Day Retreat with many enthusiastic Dhamma practitioners. Day or evening programmes could vary in numbers from 100 to nearly 1000 people. Many tasty meals were eaten, many inspiring Dhamma talks given, and a deep spirit of Sangha pervaded these events, with the chief focuses of inspiration being: The Buddha, Dr Ambedkar and Bhante Sangharakshita.

“For the team, there was great value in this 6 day tour. We had originally planned it for 5 days, but in the end, 6 days was better. We were able to meet and reconnect with many men and women from previous Kshitigarbha retreats, and rejoice in the merits of their continuing Dhamma life, and the excellent follow-up work of local Order members in their locality – who see this work as under the heading of Kshitigarbha work.

“Our final Kshitigarbha event of this tour was in a slum area of Nagpur. We shared this event with a Theravadin Bhikkhu. This final day retreat ended with a jeep ride through the chaotic traffic of Nagpur to catch the Bodh Gaya express train - four of us were about to round off our 2010 Kshitigarbha Dhamma adventure with a week’s pilgrimage at Bodh Gaya, via Varanasi. Karunashura stayed on in India for a few more months – continuing on with more heroic Dhamma work.

“‘Kshitigarbha’ as a project name is evolving and developing in the Indian Sangha, and may become a group of Dhamma activities and even charities, of which, the Kshitigarbha dana retreats may just be one aspect.

“For next year, there is a tentative plan to have two Kshitigarbha retreats – one in Wardha again and also another a week later in Aurangabad.

“I’ll finish this report by thanking all our generous donors – wherever you are. Your dana makes a big difference. Our website is at www.justgiving.com/kshitigarbha if you'd like to contribute to our next one”.

Saddharaja

Workshops with Vajradaka on meditation and creativity

Vajradaka writes with some news about his work with meditation and creativity.  Vajradaka is one of the longest-ordained members of the Order and was for many years chairman of Vajraloka Meditation Retreat Centre in North Wales.  He says -

“For many years I have been combining my experience as a meditator and being actively creative with arts, crafts and writing. The relationship and combination of meditation and creativity seems very natural to me.

“My own take on what helps creativity is to firstly find ways to help the mind be flexible and adaptable. This is an ongoing process of discovering and dealing with the ways the mind has become rigid and unyielding. Another way of describing this is unblocking the mind so it can flow and be directed in a full and focused way.

“Second is to nourish the seeds of creativity, by tapping into the explicit and implicit inner-knowledge and resources which give the mind richness and authenticity. This includes stimulating the imagination, intuition and clarity of thought.

“Thirdly is the whole area of triggering and catalysing the potential of creativity by exploring how the various levels and faculties of the mind can come into relationship with each other in a fresh and dynamic way.

“My experience is that when I am paying attention to these areas as an ongoing process I can be creative in any form, including solving problems and the generation of new ideas. These three areas can all be developed by meditation and inner-work exercises.  During May and June I’ll be offering three workshops which include meditations and inner-work exercises which particularly develop these three areas.  I'd like to invite you to join me.  The three themes are CLEAR A SPACE (coming into a flowing and adaptable state of mind); NOURISH THE GROUND (exploring explicit and implicit inner-knowledge and resources); and TRIGGER THE POTENTIAL (entering the frame of mind from which creativity can emerge)  All three workshops will be at the London Buddhist Art Centre - see my website for more information”

You’ll find Vajradaka on-line at creativengagement.wordpress.com

Seattle receives new Refuge Tree painting by Aloka

Aloka, an Order Member and life-long artist, writes to say -

“I was wondering if you could 'publicise' the completion of the recent version of the Order's "Tree of Refuge and Respect" that I sent to Seattle.....? I thought it might be good to announce a new image plus the fact that reproductions can be purchased from Padmaloka.

“Along with the picture itself Vicki Oyadomari (who asked me to paint it) has sent me a few words she would like included (below)......  She says -

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"I first laid eyes on the FWBO Refuge Tree at my first Going for Refuge retreat in August 2008. The prostration practice and the Refuge Tree image became immediate sources of inspiration and devotion. After that retreat, I knew I wanted Aloka to paint this image for me. I had been waiting for years to find a rupa for my shrine and now this image had finally found me. My vision included the hope that the Refuge Tree painting could find a place at annual GFR retreats in America.

“ After another 18 months, the Refuge Tree arrived in Seattle, Washington. On February 20, 2010, I opened up the huge crate it was shipped in. Words cannot adequately describe my experience of unveiling it, but in an email I sent Aloka that day, I said - "The painting is perfect, whole, complete. There is nothing left, nothing missing. I feel it captures everything that is precious to me." It is a privilege to be caretaker, for now, of something this magnificent and important for our Sangha. I want to thank Sangharakshita for giving us the Refuge Tree, and thank Aloka for bringing this image to life from somewhere that is beyond this world".
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Aloka continues -

“This version follows Bhante's revised lay-out used in the 2002 version of the Tree (that resides at Padmaloka) where in the 'teachers of the past' section Milarepa, Atisha, Padmasambhava and Tsongkhapa are more evenly positioned, unlike the original 'version (shown left; which lives at Guhyaloka) where Padmasambhava was more central on the row.

"The more painted versions there are of Bhante's "Tree of Refuge and Respect" the better , as it emphasises the fact that no single image is definitive with regards to what one is attempting to create during the actual "Going For Refuge and Prostration Practice"

“Hopefully one experiences one’s own wholehearted involvement in the process of Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels and on the basis of that experiences a vision of all of existence from that perspective - something far beyond the ability of any painting to capture although different versions of the same image may help different people to connect with a vital and essential practise whilst at the same time offering an antidote to literalism.

“Interestingly enough, to help illustrate this point further, yet another version is currently being painted by Chintamani to enrich the growing iconography of the movement!"

The story of Chintamani's image can be found on Triratna News; and further details of the actual figures on the Tree can be found in Kulananda’s excellent book Teachers of Enlightenment: The Refuge Tree of the Western Buddhist Order, available from Windhorse Publications.