Triratna Barcelona reports...

Rijumati, part of the team developing the new Triratna Buddhist Centre in Barcelona, writes with an update, saying -

“Things have been very active on the Sangha front here in Barcelona. In April we organised to erect a large meditation dome at Barcelona's big alternative festival La Fira per la Terra. We taught about 150 people to meditate and gave out lots of publicity for our classes. Then I attended the Encuentro de Pascua, the Valencia Buddhist Centre's version of a Buddhafield retreat. We camped out at a venue near to the town of Caudiel, set in some lovely hills. Several of our friends from Barcelona attended. The weather was very British, it poured unrelentlingly most nights, several of the tents didn't survive. I gave a couple of workshops - in Span-glish - on community living and team based right livelihood.

Sinhendra and Rijumati

“The weekly introductory class in Barcelona itself continues to thrive, often there are 10-12 of us there. Since I am the only Order Member involved in the class who lives here I tend to lead the class when the others can't make it (Amalamati, Padmadharani, Paramachitta). It has been rather an initiation by fire to lead the class in my faltering Spanish, but the Catalans are very forgiving. Usually I get my good friend Obi to teach the meditation in Catalan, and then I lead a workshop on some aspect of meditation or Buddhism. The Sangha here is small, very warm and loves to meet up after the class. It is a delight to be part of it. Additionally Sinhendra and I have started a weekly practice night on Sunday evenings (Sinhendra still works in Valencia several days each week) where we meditate together, do puja and share a light meal afterward - meditacion, puja y tapas. That is quite popular with anything from 4-10 of us practising together. 

“On 15th May we celebrated Buddha Day, the first Triratna celebration of Wesak in the city. We did a ritual on the Montjuic hill near the castle (one of five we are planning in the city) to help establish the Dharma here. Then I gave a talk about the Buddha's awakening - in a mixture of Spanish and english - followed by meditation and supper. It was a lovely half-day event with about 15 people and one dog attending.

“I have been doing some meditation teaching in English, a contact via Vajranatha. Currently I go to their home, but I am hoping to find a venue for an English language class soon, there are clearly many anglophones in the city who would be interested in learning meditation.

“I am also very busy in other ways: continuing to arrange the details of life here, ongoing work on my book (checking copy edit version, sending off images for the proofs), attending an intensive Spanish course each weekday, rebuilding the Barcelona Triratna website, administrative matters for the piso, and a regular flow of guest: things are busy. Siddhisvari is visiting for a month, she is considering moving here next year along with Nagesvara and Nuria Murcia.

“The summer is retreat season and I am currently setting up a couple of weekend retreats for the local Sangha. One will be in the summer somewhere close to the city. The other will be in the autumn and hosted by the Ecodharma community. Both we in Barcelona and the community at Ecodharma are keen to make the most of our mutual connections. Additionally in August I will be attending the annual summer retreat in the mountains of Montseny in Catalunya, organised by Triratna's Valencia Buddhist Centre. Several of our friends from Barcelona are intending to come.

“There is plenty of work to do and the money we receive through our Triratna Barcelona Just Giving Fund-Raising Page will be dedicated to paying for Sangha events like setting up weekend retreats (and for example covering expenses for the meditation classes at the Fira per la Terra ) or buying useful equipment like meditation cushions and mats.

“With metta,

Rijumati

Street meditations in Barcelona

Just noticed on Facebook - a Spanish post by Rijumati, an Order Member currently engaged in setting up a Triratna Buddhist Centre in Barcelona. He’s been joining in the recent demonstrations there - but by meditating. He says -

Saludos para todo el mundo


Ayer hicimos una meditación en Plaza Catalunya con la gente del movimiento indignado. Fue un éxito. Hubo 20 personas ahí y dimos una introducción a la meditación. Era algo mágico que fuimos concentrados así en el centro de la ciudad. La gente del espacio armonía quiere que lo hagamos otra vez. Entonces hemos arreglado un programa de tres meditaciones cada semana.


Las fechas son: cada lunes, miércoles y viernes a las 18:30 en la Espai Harmonia (Plaza Catalunya, al lado de la fuente, casi haciendo "esquina" con Rambla Catalunya).


Quiero formar un equipo para dar la introducción al seguimiento de la respiración, si puedas ayudar escríbame un correo.

Espero que puedas asistir unas veces.

rijumati
movil: 633099661

We’ve translated it using Google Translate - crude, but good enough to get an idea of what's happening (and often funny!)  What we think he’s saying is -

“Greetings to everyone.

“Yesterday we did a meditation in Plaza Catalunya with the movement of people angry [the demonstrators there]. Was a success. There were 20 people there and we gave an introduction to meditation. It was something magical and were concentrated in the center of the city. The space people [the organisers] want us to harmony again. So we arranged a three meditations each week.

“The dates are: every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 18:30 at the Espai Harmonia (Plaza Catalunya, next to the source, almost making "corner " with Rambla Catalunya).

“I form a team to provide an introduction to monitoring the breathing [the Mindfulness of Breathing meditation], if you can help drop me an email.

“I hope you can attend a few times".

rijumati

On Wednesday we’ll bring you a fuller report from the Triratna Barcelona team .

Barcelona sees first Triratna community

Rijumati writes from Barcelona with news of the first Triratna community there. He says - "Dear Friends, no bed, no tables, no pots, no spoons ... empty and rather zen. Sinhendra, Bernard and I just signed the contract for a lovely "piso" (apartment) in Barcelona. The first Triratna Buddhist community in the city. Wow, it's a new beginning for us.

“It’s a wonderful apartment on the Calle Tapioles in the Poble Sec district of Barcelona - between the Montjuic mount, the harbour and the old city. Check it out on Google Maps! As you can see the flat is unfurnished, in an elegant art nouveau style, built about 1902. We haven't yet got a landline there. I hope you will come and visit, please bring your own bed!

“Lots of love, Rijumati

The new community is part of a wider plan to develop Triratna Buddhist activities in the city, building on the classes established some years ago by Order Members commuting from Valencia. Rijumati explains - “First off we plan to establish a regulars group in addition to the beginners drop-in so that we can build more depth with the existing Sangha. We don't think of trying to get a Centre at first, but rather to build up a series of classes all around the different barrios many of which have quite different cultures. Perhaps we would also do an english language dharma class since there are many foreigners living and working in Barcelona. We also intend to set up frequent (perhaps monthly) weekend retreats to help build sangha and because apparently the Catalans love getting away on weekend workshops”.

They’ve already got a spanish-language website - budismo-barcelona.com - and a fundraising page, where they’re appealing for donations to support the new community and their activities as they get established. You’ll find it at www.justgiving.com/triratna-barcelona.