New Triratna group takes off in Lewes, Sussex

Akasati writes with news of a booming new Triratna group in Lewes, Sussex. She says - “In November 2009 Sraddhadipa, Dharmavajra and I moved to Lewes, a lively county town 7 miles out of Brighton. Towards the end of 2010, together with Amodana and Don Watts, I set about organising a local meditation course.

“We found a spacious room run by a local health clinic, Dharmavajra made us a poster featuring a Lewes scene and we sent the word out. Buddhafield kindly loaned a couple of large sacks of cushions, blocks and blankets. We were ready to go. We were concerned that maybe the room we were taking on was too big and too expensive - what if we only got a handful of bookings and ended up and saddled with the bill?

“A trickle of bookings started to roll in and I breathed a sigh of relief, confident that we'd be able to cover costs. Over December the booking list grew, hitting 20 towards the end of the month. Sraddhadipa said she'd like to be involved too, making the idea of a large group seem a lot more manageable. Over the New Year period not a day went past when there wasn't an email, a phone call or a booking dropping onto our doormat, peaking with a flurry of last minute interest. Including our team of 4, there are now 33 of us on the course - quite a crowd! There's a good spread of ages and around a third of them are newcomers. Many are people who've already learned to meditate and are looking for the ongoing support of a local sangha.

“We needn't have worried about money. In fact we have enough to set up our group with our own cushions, blocks and blankets, ready for when we need to return the Buddhafield gear in a month or two. We've brought a big rupa with a beautiful face from Evolution and a flip chart stand. It's felt a bit like setting up a mini centre. And I'm in a position to cover the room hire for the next 6 weeks - a continuation course.

“Watch this space!”

Akasati