Buddhists and Schools Conference in Birmingham

Munisha reports from the first ever conference for UK Buddhists working with schools, organised Clear Vision.  She says “Saturday 26th March saw nearly 30 Buddhists of various UK traditions gathering at Triratna’s Birmingham Buddhist Centre - whose magnificent shrine is shown opposite. They were all active, or interested  in, working with schools as part of mandatory Religious Education, visiting schools or welcoming group visits to their temples and centres.

“We started with three 10-minute talks on “What I want to communicate as a Buddhist”, by speakers from the Theravada, Triratna and Soka Gakkai traditions. These were followed by a keynote talk on “What Religious Education asks of us”. The speaker, Dr Joyce Miller, is a Theravadin laywoman, as well as deputy chair of the Religious Education Council of Great Britain. Workshops and presentations covered meditation with primary-age children, a prayer-flag-making workshop on the Six Perfections, 18 years of Clear Vision video for schools and Engaging with Teenagers.

“I thought the event was a great success and evidently others did to as their evaluations forms gave scores of 4/5 out of 5 on every count. Suggestions for future events were an emphasis on more practical workshops, and some small groups. I think this was a great start, and now we have the makings of a network, someone can more easily find a range of speakers and workshops for next time".

The event was organised by myself from Clear Vision, in association with Birmingham Buddhist Centre and the Network of Buddhist Organisations UK.

Notes from the Teaching Meditation to Children Workshop  is available on the Triratna News resources page, as is Munisha’s presentation to the conference.

Upcoming free conference on Buddhists and Schools in Birmingham

Munisha writes from Triratna’s ClearVision audio-visual media project with news of an upcoming free conference they’re organising.  The theme is Buddhists and Schools and it'll be at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre on Saturday 26th March, from 10am-4pm.  It's intended for Buddhists of all traditions who work with schools, either independently or on behalf of Buddhist charities or places of worship. 

She says - “This is a Buddhist community event: Buddhist speakers from a range of traditions will volunteer talks and workshops sharing their experience for the benefit of all.  British Buddhists of many traditions contribute a great deal to pupils' understanding of Buddhism as part of Religious Education in schools.  

“Whether you are experienced in working with schools, or thinking about it, we'd love to see you there!  It’s a great opportunity for training, networking and sharing skills and experience.

For more details or to book, email munisha@clear-vision.org or phone 0161 839 9579

The event is part of Celebrating RE month, and is organised by the Clear Vision Trust and hosted by

Birmingham Buddhist Centre, in association with the Network of Buddhist Organisations UK.  More details at -

www.clear-vision.org

www.birminghambuddhistcentre.org.uk

www.nbo.org.uk

www.celebratingre.org

ClearVision launch FREE Buddhism for children and teenagers

Clear Vision are proud to launch their free Dharma web pages for children and teenagers, for use at home and Centre.  You’ll find it at www.clear-vision.org/Young-People

Clear Vision's director, Munisha, said -

"Since 1994 we've become specialists in Buddhism, video and online learning for schools.

“ Whether or not they see themselves as Buddhists, we know a lot of teenagers are interested in Buddhism outside school, too. What particularly seems to interest them is linking Buddhist ideas to modern issues. We also know they are now very experienced users of online and interactive media - and that the Buddhist online world lags way behind them! So we wanted to present the Dharma as utterly modern, both in content and in the way it's presented.

“ We're really delighted to offer these web pages, free, to children and young people at home, temple and Buddhist Centre."

The two main products, both of which you'll find on the Young People's section of the ClearVision site, are -

for 8-14 year-olds: The Life of the Buddha, interactive
Seven illustrated videos with information sheets, questions, games and a parent/teacher handbook

for 12-16 year-olds: Us and Them: Buddhism and Community
Ten videos examine aspects of identity and community using the Four Sangrahavastus and featuring young people in the UK and Bhutan. Information, questions, activities and parent/teacher handbook.

The Four Sangrahavastus - meaning, the four ‘Means of Unification of the Sangha’ - are of course a popular topic in the Triratna Buddhist Community. Since the materials are free and online, there is nothing to stop you using them in adult classes and study groups too!)

Alongside these resources you'll also find -

• quizzes, games, information and carefully selected weblinks to the Buddhist world and
• Ask A Buddhist! Our free video FAQ section, answering young people's questions about Buddhism

If you'd like to support Clear Vision's work for young people, please make a donation!

Keep the Three Jewels Shining: new Triratna campaign launches across UK

This month sees the start of a new Triratna campaign in the UK.  Called "Keep the Three Jewels Shining", it's about raising awareness of  the importance of making your will - and asking people in the Triratna Buddhist Community to consider leaving a gift to Triratna in their will.

Vajragupta, one of those behind the campaign says, "It is obviously important to have your affairs sorted out, so that the family and friends you want to benefit in your will do so. Making a will is also an opportunity to make a difference to causes you care about, or communities you want to support."

"It is a lot easier and quicker to make a will than people sometimes think. We've produced a website and brochure that have a clear, 10-step guide to making a will. We are now touring UK Centres to promote these and a short, inspirational film made for us by Clear Vision."

The 10-step guide can be found at www.triratnadevelopment.org/making-a-will . The brochure and film will soon be available at UK Centres, as Vajragupta and other members of the Development Team visit almost every Triratna centre in the UK through October and November.

And here's the first part of the new Clear Vision film: "Keeping the Three Jewels Shining". It’s a short, 20 minute film, in which Triratna practitioners reflect on their relationship to each of the Three Jewels. In the first part of the film (6 minutes), they reflect on what inspires them about the Buddha, and why his message is needed today.



http://player.vimeo.com/video/15470699

NEW interactive Dharma materials for students - now available from Clear Vision

Munisha from Triratna's Clear Vision Trust writes to say - "We've recently launched a new set of online interactive Dharma materials for students aged 12-16 in Religious Education in UK schools.

"Making these materials was pretty tough. We wanted to make lively, stimulating materials for teenagers, showing practical examples of the Dharma applied to current social issues such as community cohesion, democracy, the environment, volunteering and ethical communication.

"And we wanted to find teenage Buddhists who could speak coherently about Buddhism. It was like searching for needles in haystacks but we found them: young Theravadins in Hertfordshire on a weekend about identity and the self; students in Bhutan talking about the prospect of democracy, and so on.

"We used the 'Four Sangrahavastus' as the organising principle for the series.  They are one of the Buddha's teachings from the Pali Canon but comparatively little known in other Buddhist traditions.  To ensure it represented a diversity of Buddhist perspectives we used volunteer consultants from three other UK Buddhist traditions to keep an eye on the project . And the reviews have been great.  Here's one:"

"The Identity section is absolutely stunning. There is nothing like it anywhere that I have seen and the use of young voices is excellent."

Deborah Weston, National Association of Teachers of RE

See for yourself at : www.clear-vision.org/Schools/Teachers/interactive/UsThem.aspx

Clear Vision is a UK-based audio-visual Dharma project specialising in materials for children and teenagers - it's also and runs the popular VideoSangha (videosangha.net) website.

Using video, questions, information sheets and links, their new resource Us and Them: Buddhism and Community uses the Four Sangrahavastus to explore Buddhist teachings on community-building and the self.

Watch a short introductory video introducing Us and Them in the embedded player here:


or using the direct link www.clear-vision.org/Schools/Teachers/interactive/UsThem.aspx

Us and Them in more detail

10 videos explore Buddhist teachings on community-building and the self

Topics include:

• identity and belonging
• volunteering and charities
• speech and communication
• democracy
• karma and the environment

Five sections feature:

• short videos including young Buddhists in Britain and Bhutan
• thought-provoking questions to discuss or answer online
• activities including webquests
• additional information for keener pupils
• detailed teacher's notes. 

Clear Vision depends on generosity to make pioneering Dharma materials for young people worldwide. If you like what we do, please support us with a standing order or one-off donation: http://www.clear-vision.org/Home/About-Us/Donate.aspx

ClearVision appeal for Triratna videos

Upekshapriya writes from ClearVision, the education and video wing of the Triratna Buddhist Community, with an appeal for all readers of Triratna News.  He says -

"We at Clear Vision are looking for people from all around the world to send us short video clips of themselves saying (in English) what they appreciate about being a part of the Triratna Buddhist Community. We would like a wide variety of age, experience, ethnic backgrounds etc - women and men. We hope to use the clips on the forthcoming Triratna website thebuddhistcentre.com and/or in a fundraising video we're making.

"We’d like clips no longer than 15 seconds, and to be videoed like an interview on TV (that is showing just head and shoulders) preferably talking to a friend who is either holding the camera or standing next to the person with the camera - we've discovered that people are generally much more comfortable talking to a person than to a lens, so it comes across much better.

"The video quality doesn't need to be great - it can be on a from a mobile phone, a digital stills camera (most of them have a video option), of course a video camera, and even a webcam, but it'd be best if you are fairly close to the camera so the sound is picked up well (and if you have a separate mic that's even better).

You could start the clip using phrases like:
"I really appreciate Triratna because..."
"I enjoy..."
"What I really like about Triratna...."
"I feel grateful that...."

"Send us these videos via sendspace.com (free) to us at clearvision@clear-vision.org, upload them to YouTube.com (particularly easy if you are using a webcam) and send us the link (you can make it private if you want and share it with clearvisiontrust) or copy it onto a cd and post it to us (the same with a digital video tape) to Triratna Appeal, c/o the Clear Vision Trust, 16-20 Turner Street, Manchester M4 1DZ, UK.

"Thanks, Upekshapriya"

British Buddhism Today - new talk by Munisha

Available now on Videosangha is 'British Buddhism Today', the keynote speech given by Munisha to the UK’s 2010 Manchester Buddhist Conference. The conference is held in venues across Manchester and her talk was given at the Manchester Fo Guang Shan Temple.

Please note that the census statistics quoted are from 2001 and will be superseded by the UK's 2011 census. The breakdown of UK Buddhist groups by size are estimates made by Robert Bluck, used by him in his book ‘British Buddhism’.

Essential viewing for anyone interested in the contours of the wider British Buddhist landscape!

Watch it in the embedded player below or direct at www.videosangha.net/video/British-Buddhism-Today-Munisha

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!

Karuna and ClearVision collaborate to promote awareness of Buddhist-led development work and social action in Asia

Maitrisara, a member of the Western Buddhist Order based in Oxford, UK, writes with news of a major survey of UK Buddhists’ interest in and knowledge about Buddhist-inspired and Buddhist-led development work and social action in Asia.

The initiative came from a shared realisation that although there is a great deal of such work, spread across Asia and involving many different Buddhist Sanghas, much of it is hardly known about.

She says -

“A recent online survey completed by 295 Buddhists (77% from the FWBO!) aimed to find out more about UK Buddhists' interest in and knowledge about Buddhist-inspired and Buddhist-led development work and social action in Asia; also to find out how they understood the relationship between personal and social transformation.

“To see a summary of the results, and respondents’ reflections on the question "Personal and social transformation are indivisible - do you agree?” – click here. The reflections especially are extremely interesting!

“The outcome of this process is that a project application has been submitted to the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) by Karuna www.karuna.org in partnership with Clear Vision www.clear-vision.org.

“Original study materials will be created including video footage of projects in the global South. This will be accessed on an online learning hub. There will also be exchange and networking spaces such as inter-group meetings, retreats and conferences. We wait to see if the application has been successful.

“We would like to thank all those who contributed to the survey. We were impressed with the responses, both in the thought given to them and the number completed in such a short time. The information will have value beyond this project as we think it's the biggest survey ever completed on Engaged Buddhism and certainly the most current”.

Maitrisara (Oxford, UK)

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).

Christmas at Clear Vision...

 Christmas at Clear Vision

Following up their post of a few days ago introducing their new website, the Clear Vision team, Aparajita, Munisha and Upekshapriya, have written with some suggestions for where you could buy your Christmas prezzies - from them! And why not...?

They say -

• Children 4 to 8 years old are captivated by our Buddhist story DVD, The Monkey King.
• The DVD What is Buddhism? (adults and young people 12 years +) could be the answer for someone interested in your Buddhist practice but unlikely ever to read a book.
• Give someone a flavour of meditation with our DVD Meditation for Everyone.
• Buddhist friends might enjoy receiving our new poster of Aloka's Wheel of Life.

Clear Vision launch new website

Clear Vision are the FWBO's experts in educational and media work, offering a wealth of  resources for school teachers, students, and young Buddhists, plus a huge photo and video library, much of it available or free on the internet.  

They've been working for a while on a whole new website to display their wealth, and have just written to FWBO News to announce it - and to appeal for a bit of financial support.  They say - 

Clear Vision launches new website!

Our new website contains a mass of information, DVD, online video and pictures, for adults and young people. Please give generously to support this work for the FWBO.

Five hundred video clips

       [yes, that really is 500! - ed]

Over 500 video clips, mainly of Bhante Sangharakshita, organised into themes such as

• Sangharakshita's life
• Buddhism in the Modern World
• and even The Buddha! 

Young people's section

                             There are a lot of teenagers out there surfing the net looking for the Dharma.

We've always had a section for schools but this new section is for young people following up an independent interest in Buddhism.

As well as quizzes and information, you'll find here our recently completed Life of the Buddha interactive materials for 8-14 year-olds, combining video, questions, information and activities, as well as notes for parents/Sunday school leaders.

We believe that online interactive Dharma materials are the future - especially ones featuring Bodhi, the help lion!

General improvements

• Better FWBO photo section
• Clearer navigation 

Please give money to support this work.

All this free material, for the FWBO and for young people, costs money. Previously supported by sales to schools (now dwindling in recessionary times), we have had to reduce the hours of one of our three workers simply to stay in the black. There is so much Clear Vision is uniquely qualified to do, especially encouraging more young people around the world to engage with the Dharma through modern media. (We're very grateful to the FWBO Chairs for money for materials for teenagers.)

Please make a one-off or monthly donation. It's very easy: check here for information about donations or go straight to our Just Giving page.

With many thanks from

Aparajita, Munisha and Upekshapriya

PS - coming soon - another message from them with suggestions for Christmas at Clear Vision

Watch this space - it's possible it'll be the first time Christmas has been mentioned on FWBO News!

Sheffield launch 'Still Learning' schools project

The FWBO’s Sheffield Buddhist Centre have recently launched a new Right Livelihood business - their ‘Still Learning’ education service for schools. You’ll find it at www.fwbosheffield.org/schools.html.

The project is the brainchild of two Sheffield mitras, Allan Kirkman and Kate Arrowsmith, who’ve teamed up to create a complete spectrum of activities, tours and workshops for schools. Among their repertoire are introductions to -

• Stilling Exercises
• Artefacts and Shrines
• Story-telling
• Questions and Answer sessions
• Drama/role-play
• Information about Buddhism
• The Buddha’s life story
• Buddhist Ethics and Beliefs
• Buddhist Doctrine and Teachings
• Buddhist Statues and Images
• Talks about Buddhist Festivals

- everything a school teacher might want to pass on to their pupils about Buddhism!

In preparing themselves for this venture, they’ve drawn heavily on the FWBO’s ClearVision project’s experience in this field - they have a huge on-line resource library at www.clear-vision.org/Students - including the new on-line interactive ‘Life of the Buddha’ - check their demo at www.cvinteractive.org/lob.

Videosangha celebrates 360 videos

Videosangha is a relatively new addition to the FWBO’s stable of websites, it’s been set up to enable people within the FWBO mandala to share what they are doing, what they are inspired by and even just what they look like - through the medium of video.

They’re just celebrating their first 360 videos - allowing you to watch (if you choose) not quite one/day for a year, but close!

Among the most recent uploads are a series of talks by Subhuti, entitled the “Seven Trees of Enlightenment”, referring to the legend that the Buddha, immediately after his Enlightenment, spent seven weeks at Bodh Gaya, a week under each of seven trees.

Fittingly, his talks were given at Bodh Gaya - Subhuti himself, of course, lifts the talks out of the realm of legend and plants them firmly in the realm of our own daily practice. On the theme of India, Amitasuri’s another new addition to the site with an introduction to the plans for the FWBO/TBMSG’s land at Bodh Gaya, filmed at a fundraising evening in Manchester.

The site is divided into subject areas, ranging from Arts to Questions to Sport - under Questions, for instance, you’ll find a thought-provoking series of clips of young Buddhists offering answers to all those difficult questions Buddhists get asked.- vegetarianism, life after death, Enlightenment and more...

Contributing to the site is easy - you’ll find the very simple instructions on their home page www.videosangha.net

New video of Sangharakshita available online

Upekshapriya, from the FWBO's ClearVision video team, writes with news of Sangharakshita's recent talk in Birmingham, UK, given as part of their FWBO Day celebrations. He sys " You might want a heads-up that the talks from FWBO day in Birmingham are now on VideoSangha".

There's three talks, all around the launch of 'The Essential Sangharakshita', Wisdom Publications' new collection of Sangharakshita's writings.

Vidyadevi, the book's compiler, begins her talk by describing the difficulty of adequately representing in a book the "ongoing process that is Sangharakshita", an author who Wisdom describes as being “equally at home with science, philosophy, myth, art, and poetry,” and using “every inner avenue to communicate the timeless Dharma.”

Her talk is at www.videosangha.net/video/FWBO-Day-2009-Talk-1-by-Vidyad-3

Subhuti, in his first public talk in the West for three years, rejoices in the "glittering but muddled heap" that has been bequeathed to us in the FWBO - meaning the sum total of Sangharakshita's output over the past 60 years of Dharma teaching and practice. He goes on to evoke the spirit of the times when the FWBO and Order were founded, when in the air there was a thirst for something new, for radical change - and Sangharakshita was there to meet it. His talk is at www.videosangha.net/video/FWBO-Day-2009-Talk-2-by-Subhut-3

Sangharakshita, in his talk, available at www.videosangha.net/video/FWBO-Day-2009-Talk-3-by-Sangha-3, expresses very eloquently his gratitude to Vidyadevi and others. He goes on to launch 'Living with Ethics', and offers a series of reflections on ethics and altruism.

VideoSangha www.videosangha.net hosts over 260 videos, long and short, related to the FWBO and Western Buddhist Order.

Archive photos from early days of FWBO now on-line

For the past two years Padmakara, an Order Member from Manchester UK, has been occupying himself in his spare time scanning hundreds and even thousands of historic photographs from the FWBO Archives, held by ClearVision.

Four collections of these have now been uploaded to the FWBO Photos website, covering-

people

retreats

communities

and Team-Based Right Livelihood

We hope a further collection, covering the early days of TBMSG in India, will be added soon.  Further contributions are very welcome - please email FWBO News.

Any statisticians among FWBO News’ readership might be interested to know FWBO Photos
(www.flickr.com/photos/fwbo/sets) currently contains 3,767 photos related to the FWBO, which have been viewed 70,002 times.

Interactive Buddhism from ClearVision

What would the Buddha have said if he'd known schools would be studying his life 2,500 years later - using online interactive media?

The ‘Life of the Buddha Interactive’ is an exciting new resource for 8-12 year-olds in Religious Education.

Clear Vision, the FWBO’s educational charity based in Manchester UK, have a reputation for lively, informative, video-based materials for Buddhism in RE. With their first interactive resource, they've become possibly the UK's first faith group to embrace the new opportunities offered by online learning in RE.

The Life of the Buddha Interactive features 7 video clips with questions, activities, extra information, teacher's notes and a friendly help-lion called Bodhi. (See if you recognise his voice!)
Later in the year a home-use version will be available – there’s already a sample section available here.

Munisha, education officer at Clear Vision told FWBO News - "It's very exciting finding new ways of stimulating young people to examine their experience in the light of the Buddha's teaching. These new materials are really distinctive: we believe that new kinds of activities, involving carefully guided use of the internet, can offer schools unprecedented access to the contemporary Buddhist world."

The move from DVD to interactive online materials has been made possible through the generosity of a Manchester Friend who specialises in Flash software.

All product details may be found at http://www.clear-vision.org/Teachers/LOB.aspx, or contact them at the Clear Vision Trust, 16-20 Turner Street, Manchester M4 1DZ. tel 0161 839 9579

Clear Vision in Asia - from Bhutan to Bangkok

A year on from an assignment working for Bhutan's Ministry of Education, the FWBO's Clear Vision Trust (www.clear-vision.org) has just returned from an international conference on Buddhism and Ethics, held in Thailand near Bangkok.

As education officer at Clear Vision, Munisha was invited to give a presentation on “Using Video to teach Buddhist Ethics in British Schools” at the first conference of the International Association of Buddhist Universities (IABU). (The FWBO's Dharmapala College is a member of the IABU).

Munisha writes: “It was extraordinary to be part of a gathering of up to 3000 Buddhists, mostly Asian monks, as well as nuns and a small number of westerners. I went with Mokshapriya and Aparajita. Among the robes of yellow or brown or stylish grey linen, our kesas attracted a fair amount of interest, as did our display of Clear Vision DVDs for schools. The Dharma is not yet available in such formats in Asia!

"My strong sense is that young people of Buddhist background are losing touch with Buddhism, both in the UK and across Asia. You have to wonder whether there will be another generation of lay Buddhists as young people often know nothing of the Dharma and are less and less interested in tradition. To be fair, there were conference presentations from people who are running Dharma activities for young people in Burma, Thailand and Sri Lanka, one or two of them innovative, but still I suspect they are exceptions.

Meanwhile, some very good teaching of Buddhism for young people is being delivered in British schools, by and for non-Buddhists, using modern teaching materials such as Clear Vision's. If Asian young people are to be interested in the Dharma, I'd argue Asian Buddhists could benefit from seeing what we are doing here in Britain.

"We went hoping to spread the word about our materials and invite sponsorship and dana. It was a bonus to meet Asian Buddhists who approached us to tell us of their respect for Bhante and the importance of his work for the future of Buddhism. Then there's my favourite souvenir from the conference pack: a mustard yellow umbrella with a limb of the Eightfold Path printed on each section!”

Munisha's paper is available on FWBO Features here. This is a longer, written version of her PowerPoint presentation to the conference, which included video clips.

Click here to see what Clear Vision has to offer school teachers and students.

ClearVision launch new photographic archive

ClearVision, the FWBO’s film and video arm, based in Manchester UK, have been working hard over the past months digitising Sangharakshita’s photograph library – a vast collection stretching back many decades.

It's full of many glimpses of Buddhist history – including several glimpses of a very youthful Dalai Lama, among many others. Substantial sections of it have now been uploaded and are available for public viewing.

There's sections for Sangharakshita pre-FWBO, of the early days of the FWBO, and post-1980.

There's also sections for Sangharakshita's teachers and the start of a new section showcasing FWBO artists.

Many thanks to Padmakara especially for all his work in digitising and cataloguing the photographs.  There's more to come we believe but thanks to his work there's a great deal already available!

The three photographs shown are respectively, an early passport photograph of Sangharakshita, the first ordinations into the WBO in 1967, and a recent one of Chetrul Sangye Dorje, the only one of Sangharakshita's teachers still living. 

Meanwhile their pages for schoolchildren (of all ages) have had a makeover; and Videosangha continues to grow – it now hosts nearly 200 video clips on a wide variety of Buddhist- and FWBO- related subjects – meditation, arts, activism, Sangharakshita, pilgrimage…

The award for Videosangha's most-watched clip may still be held by the classic ‘Heart Sutra’, sung by Karuna Carpenter (aka Kavyasiddhi) – over 2,000 and counting…