Akasabhadra arrives in Wolverhampton

Ashvajit writes from Birmingham, UK with news of the recent arrival of Dharmachari Anagarika Akashabhadra, an Order Member from India and here to become one of the ordained residents at the Wolverhampton Buddhist Vihara. He says -

“I was approached by six members of the Committee of the Vihara a year or so ago, when they were without a Bhikkhu (their resident Thai Bhikkhu was about to leave) and they asked me if I knew of any Hindi-speaking Dhammachari, preferably robe-wearing, who would be interested in coming over to the UK for six months to be their resident monk. So it was that Akashabhadra came over a month or so ago.

“He’s a very friendly and quite lively 60-year old who I’m sure will benefit very much from more contact with the Order over here - and the Order from his presence too!”

Akashabhadra was ordained in 1993 and has until recently been part of the small Triratna sangha in Agra, north India.  The photographs show the Vihara and its shrine room.

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

UK Census campaign takes off - Tick the Box for Buddhism!

27th March 2011 sees the next UK census, the first since 2001, and for the second time it'll include a voluntary question asking "What is your religion?" Triratna has been working closely with the UK's Network of Buddhist Organisations to make the most of this opportunity to show how many British people live by Buddhist values: they believe there could be up to 500,000 Buddhists in the UK!

The NBO's campaign, simply titled "Tick the Box for Buddhism", asks for three responses -

1. to tick the 'Buddhist' box on the Census form;
2. to cascade this message to EVERYONE you know who is either Buddhist or who lives by Buddhist values and
3. (optionally) to join the NBO’s Facebook campaign page.

This could radically change the picture of religion in the UK!

The NBO believes that many thousands of British people support or live by the teachings of Buddhism in various ways: they meditate, practise mindfulness or other Buddhist practices, agree with the Buddhist approach to life – but that many prefer - for a variety of reasons - to avoid labelling themselves, either Buddhist or anything else. They say - “This is very understandable, but accurate Census figures make a real difference. Buddhism is officially recognised as one of the six major faiths in the UK and Government funding is allocated to each faith in proportion with Census figures. What's more, Buddhism has a distinctive contribution to make to British life. Of the six major faiths it's the only one not to worry about God and it's free of many things commonly considered problematic about religion. Teaching wisdom and compassion for all, it offers mindfulness and meditation practices which are scientifically acknowledged to lead to wellbeing and happiness.

“We want the next Census to represent more accurately the level of support for Buddhism in the UK. If we achieve a figure of 500,000 or more, the result could be increased funding for Buddhist initiatives; for example, mindfulness training in the NHS. We might also see much better representation in the school curriculum: Buddhism plays a distinctive part in Religious Education and the teaching of secular mindfulness meditation has much to contribute to young people's wellbeing. We'd also give a clear indication of the number of people in the UK supporting positive behaviour and policies based on common-sense; genuine concern for the well being of others; non-violence; free, rational and open discourse and liberal social attitudes. This is your chance to make a real difference”

Facebook campaign page: www.facebook.com/pages/Tick-the-Box-for-Buddhism/162588897108219
NBO website: www.nbo.org.uk/get-involved/nbo-campaigns/tick-the-box

Returning to Ladakh - an opportunity to travel with Jayacitta

Last year a group of pilgrims from Triratna and other Buddhist traditions accompanied Jayacitta as she led them on a two-week journey though the magical landscapes of Ladakh and Kashmir. She’s returning there this summer ( August 2011) and has created a blog to give an idea of what’s on offer - www.ladakh2011.wordpress.com. Here she describes some of what happened last year, saying -

“Ladakh is all about space - the sense of openness can be almost overwhelming. And at sunrise and sunset even the mountains seem to lift off and become diaphanous and made of light.

“Last year in September a small group of travellers set off with Jayachitta to visit Ladakh, its many monasteries, lakes and mountain passes. The group was made up of people practicing within Triratna and also in the Dzogchen tradition. Elizabeth Ebbutt, a Mitra from Triratna’s North London centre commented "Ladakh is possibly the most beautiful and peaceful place I have been and one that I will never forget. Ladakh touched my heart; the people are very gentle and I had the most amazing and exciting road trip ever."

“A highlight was visiting Alchi Monastery, outside Leh, with its ancient wall paintings in the ancient Kashmiri style, and Buddha figures three storeys high. Also walking in the mountains, travelling over the highest motorable road in the world, and a valley with turquoise rivers running through it.

“But Ladakh had suffered a great tragedy, just 6 weeks before the trip. A massive cloudburst had erupted above the eastern side of Leh, unheard of in this high mountain desert. The rain that poured down swept away houses, people, cattle and farmland. The mudbrick houses were not built for water and could not withstand it. So for some weeks it was unclear if the trip could happen at all.

“After much deliberation and searching out news from many sources we decided to proceed, having come to the conclusion that we would be safe, and also, very importantly, would not be a burden to people there. In fact, by then, the Ladakhis were eager for visitors to come back, as in the short summer season tourism is very important in the region. They asked people not to stay away, but come and support them by giving them work.

“It was a decision we did not regret, even though signs of the disaster were visible around us. A lot of work had already taken place to repair roads and houses. Even better, the group was able to support the Ladakhi people with some contributions and donations. There’s a Facebook page if you also want help the Ladakhi people.

“Our time there passed quickly, and we had time, really, for only a taster of that magical country, where Buddhism is still alive in its original roots, and has been for 100s of years. Time was of a premium as winter comes early, and the passes are closed after October, and then winter comes with its sub-zero temperatures.

Jayachitta will be returning to Ladakh and Kashmir this summer (August 2011) - details at www.ladakh2011.wordpress.com

Launch of the ‘100-Minute Buddha’

Jinananda, Chairman of Triratna’s West London Buddhist Centre, has just celebrated the publication of his third book, the ‘100-Minute Buddha’. Published by the 100-Minute Press, it joins a family of titles including the ‘100-Minute Bible’, the ‘100-Minute Torah’, and ‘100 Minutes with the Koran’.

Designed to be read in exactly 100 minutes, each book consists of 50 two-page chapters, each readable in just two minutes. The series originated as a years’ worth of bible summaries published in a local parish magazine, and has grown from there, with the 100-Minute Bible selling over 150,000 copies and being translated into 13 languages.

Returning from the launch at London’s Inter-Faith Centre, Jinananda commented “all four of the authors were there, and we each made short presentations on our work. What struck me most was that none of us pulled our punches - we were each determined to emphasise that ours was a distinct tradition that couldn’t be “mushed-up” with any others. And yet the atmosphere was amazingly friendly - it was hard to believe that such various traditions could meet in the same room and get on so well”.

The 100-Minute Buddha (and the others in the series) are intended for the inter-faith market and people interested to learn more about the world’s major spiritual traditions. At the same time, every section of the 100-minute Buddha is meticulously grounded in Buddhist scripture, mostly the Pali Canon. Highly recommended!

To purchase, enquire at your local bookshop (ISBN - 978 09556695-1-4) or go to  100-Minute Press website.

Tick the Box for Buddhism

Triratna is an active partner in the UK’s main inter-Buddhist forum, the Network of Buddhist Organisations, or NBO. They’ve been hard at work preparing for next year’s UK Census, the first for 10 years. This will include - for only the second time - a voluntary question asking for people’s religion and they’re keen to ensure Buddhists across the UK ‘Tick the Box for Buddhism’. More than this, they’d like everyone who’s sympathetic to Buddhism to join in too - potentially a much wider circle.

They say -
To: all UK Buddhist Organisations, Sanghas, Mindfulness Centres, groups and individuals
From: The Network of Buddhist Organisations UK
Please circulate this email to your friends and networks

Please encourage all supporters to complete the census in March 2011, and Tick the Box for Buddhism.  Help us achieve 500,000 Buddhists in the UK!

For more information please see
nbo.org.uk/get-involved/nbo-campaigns/tick-the-box

Why Tick the Box for Buddhism?
27th March 2011 sees the next UK census - the first since 2001. It will include a voluntary question about your religion. Now is your chance to show just how many people live by Buddhist values in this country.

Please help to change the picture of religion in the UK. Please -

• Tick the Box for Buddhism when you fill out your Census form
• get all your friends and fellow practitioners to Tick the Box for Buddhism too.

There could be as many as 500,000 Buddhists in the UK, but we believe many did not Tick the Box for Buddhism at the last Census in 2001. Many thousands of British people support or live by the teachings of Buddhism in various ways: they may meditate, practise mindfulness, agree with the Buddhist approach to life – and still prefer to avoid labelling themselves Buddhist. This is understandable - however, accurate Census figures make a real difference.

We want the next Census to represent more accurately the level of support for Buddhism in the UK. If we achieved a figure of 500,000 or more, the result could be:

• Increased funding for Buddhist initiatives; for example, offering mindfulness training in hospitals and the NHS

• Much better representation in the school curriculum. Buddhism plays a distinctive part in Religious Education and the teaching of secular mindfulness meditation has much to contribute to young people's wellbeing.

• A clear indication of the number of people in the UK supporting positive behaviour and policies based on: common-sense; genuine concern for the well-being of others; non-violence; free, rational and open discourse; and liberal social attitudes.

Please use your census wisely. A vote for Buddhism will have an immediate impact on the picture of faith in the UK. There will not be another census for the next ten years. This is your chance to make a real difference – now.

Buddhism has a distinctive contribution to make to British life. Of the six major faiths it's the only one not to worry about ‘God’ and it's free of many things commonly considered problematic about religion. Teaching wisdom and compassion for all, it offers mindfulness and meditation practices which are scientifically acknowledged to lead to wellbeing and happiness.

To find out more, go to our campaign site:
http://nbo.org.uk/get-involved/nbo-campaigns/tick-the-box

Please cascade through your organisation, networks, groups and Sanghas

Buddhism UK is the NBO’s Facebook site focusing on the campaign - if you want regular updates please join now!

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

International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) celebrates 20th anniversary

The International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) recently celebrated its 20th anniversary at Chiang Mai, Thailand, in the course of which Lokamitra led a retreat for over 100 participants from all over the Buddhist world. Priyadarshi Telang, from TBMSG's Jambudvipa project, sends us his report. He says -

"The International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) celebrated its 20th anniversary November 9th-17th at the at Chiang Mai, Thailand, November 9th-16th with a variety of activities. Over the last few years links with INEB have grown; Lokamitra is at present a member of their advisory committee, while Mangesh Dahiwale is a member of their executive committee. INEB was founded by Sulak Sivaraksa, who at the age of 76, is beginning to withdraw from the front line of INEB activities.

"The conference therefore also marked this period of transition with the formation of larger and more diverse advisory and executive committees, as well as a secretariat more able to coordinate the fast growing network.

Sangha and Kalyanamitra

"The celebrations started with a three day retreat led by Dhammachari Lokamitra. This was attended by about 100 participants from 16 different countries. The participants included almost 30 bhikshus and bhikshunis from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, Ladakh, and Bhutan. Indian participants included Maitrivir Nagarjuna from the New Delhi centre, Pradeep Bansode, Priyadarshi Telang and Mangesh Dahiwale from Jambudvipa Trust, Deepak and Manish from Nagarjuna Training Institute, Anand Shakya from Karuna Vihar Hostel, Gujarat, and Anurag Meshram and Sumedh Sthool, social activists connected with The Jambudvipa Trust. Ratnadharini, from Tiratanaloka, UK, also attended.

"The idea of the retreat was to provide a situation in which people could experience deeper communication on the basis of going for refuge to Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, as a prelude to the four days of discussions that followed. The theme was “Sangha and Kalyanamitra”. INEB is trying to operate according to the principles of Sangha, while Sulak Sivaraksa has always emphasised that it is the spirit of kalyanamitrata that breathes life into the network. On the first day Jonathan Watts, Jill Jameson and Ven Kalupahana explored the question of Sangha in the modern world. On the second day, Ven Khenpo, and Tempel looked at the principle of Kalyanamitra. On the last day, Anchalee Kurutach, Dhammacharini Ratnadharini and Harsha Navaratne talked about work as spiritual practice from their own experience.

"Given the diverse traditions which the retreatants came from, Lokamitra tried to make it as inclusive as possible. Apart from the short talks and discussion groups following them, the day consisted of a number of periods of meditation, including special emphasis on the metta bhavana. The days started with traditional salutations from Theravada and Mahayana monks and nuns, as well as from the Japanese “priests”. It concluded with the Seven Fold Puja, or the Pali Puja led by Indian friends.

"The retreat was followed by the 3-day conference, the mornings of which included four sessions of talks and symposia, while the afternoon sessions were meant for group discussions based on country and general issues. On the first day Mangesh Dahiwale made a presentation on “Critical reflections on Engaged Buddhism” with Jonathan Watts. On the third Ratnadharini gave a presentation on the future of the Sangha, along with the Thai bhikshu, Ven Phaisan, who preceded her, and in calling for a thorough review of approach to Sangha, paved the way for her by indicating that more serious attention needs to be given to the approach the Western Buddhist Order. Ratnadharini approached the question by looking at her work and life as a preceptor based at Tiratanaloka, the women’s retreat centre in UK dedicated to helping women prepare for ordination. Later in the morning Lokamitra led a discussion on “Coming Home – the implications of the Revival of Buddhism in India” in which Dhammachari Viradhamma, Dhammachari Maitriveer Nagarjuna and Dr. H.C. Yo participated. The last day was taken up with a meeting of the advisory and executive bodies. The whole programme was interspersed with other talks and cultural events, some of them spontaneous.

"Most of us felt, at the end of the retreat and conference, that we had been able to communicate something of the enormous significance of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism, as well as of the relevance of the approach of the FWBO/TBMSG in the modern world.

"But we all went away inspired by the efforts of so many Buddhists to put apply their practice of Buddhism to the social issues confronting the modern world, by their receptivity, friendliness, and by the trans-cultural situation we found ourselves in.

"It is a great tribute Sulak Sivaraksa that he has been able to cultivate this network of very dedicated but diverse number of Buddhists. INEB has grown considerably in the last 20 years and hopefully will have an increasingly positive influence on the world over the next few years".

Buddhist youth gatherings in UK and India

This weekend sees two gatherings of young Buddhists involved with the FWBO/TBMSG - but on opposite sides of the planet. Both are in response to a growing awareness that our Sangha has aged in the 40 years since the FWBO and TBMSG were founded.

In the UK’s Peak District a record 37 people (plus Lokabandhu, no longer so young but needed as organiser and cook!) will come together to practice, strengthen friendships, and explore the possibility of setting up a network of young people’s reps across the FWBO’s centres in the UK and Europe.

In India there’s a North India regional youth gathering at Bodh Gaya (site of the Buddha’s Enlightenment) organised by NNBY, the National Network of Buddhist Youth, a self-organising network that came out of TBMSG’s Dhammakranti project a couple of years ago. They say “In this gathering youth will develop their skills on Personality Development, English Education, the Right to Information Act, Mind Mapping and Social Awareness through the teachings of Lord Buddha and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Dh. Subhuti will be the main teacher”. Hard on the heels of their event will be another, this time in Amaravati in Central India, and home to a thriving Buddhist Sangha.

For more information, check the FWBO Young People’s group on Facebook - up to 180 members and counting; or the NNBY website.

Buddhist Sanghas in the West generally seem to be experiencing the same issue - this year has seen the both UK’s Network of Buddhist Organisations and the European Buddhist Union devoting their annual gatherings to this theme. The EBU’s meeting was held last week at Taraloka, and was addressed by Lindsay Hannah, co-organiser of the coming weekend.

The chart shows how the age profile of the Western Buddhist Order has changed in the 40 years since it was founded. Pink bars represent the proportion of 20-30-year-olds; yellow 30-40-year-olds: both groups in rapid decline as a percentage of the whole!

Calling Buddhist Artists - and their fans...

Lokabandhu writes to say -

"Calling all Buddhist artists - there's a new community-based website dedicated to featuring the work of Buddhist artists of all schools and working in all media. You are of course invited to join! The site offers simple ways of sharing your work (text/images/videos), searching for others (by location, media, or Sangha), linking to personal websites, and exchanging news and views.

"The initiative for the site came out of the inter-Buddhist 'Buddha Mind Creative Mind' conference at SGI's Taplow Court this summer in the UK, where it became apparent just how many Buddhist artists there are in the UK Buddhist community, working in so many ways.

"You'll find it at http://dharmaarts.ning.com. Signing up is quick, easy and free.

"Lastly just to say that of course many Buddhist artists are not likely to be very interested in the Internet. So, if you're a FAN of someone special, how about asking them if you can act as their agent, and create a page promoting their work?

"Best wishes, Lokabandhu (not an artist, but an administrator of the website)"

Report from ‘Buddha Mind - Creative Mind?’ conference

Amitajyoti from the FWBO’s London Buddhist Arts Centre writes with this review of the recent ‘Buddha Mind - Creative Mind?’ event, held over the weekend of 12-14th June. She says -

"‘Buddha Mind - Creative Mind?’ was an intra-Buddhist Arts and Creativity event, held at Taplow Court, a beautiful venue just outside London belonging to Soka Gakkai International (SGI), and organised by the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, supported by the UK’s Network of Buddhist Organisations (NBO).

"The focus of this event was an exploration of the relationship between Buddhist thought/practice and Creativity with specific reference to the arts. Does Buddhist thought and practice help or hinder the creative process? The theme was explored through a series of academic lectures, discussion, exhibition of artworks and workshops. The event brought together around 80 people from a broad spectrum of backgrounds Buddhist and non-Buddhist, artist and non-artists all who share an interest in the theme. The exhibition of visual arts included sculpture, painting and film and represented 40 artists who each share some association with Buddhism.

"The spirit of creativity was evoked during the weekend through the spirit of participation and play that was encouraged by the organisers throughout the event. Contributors included academics, artists, singer-songwriters, curators, and art critics from a range of backgrounds and traditions including singer-songwriter Howard Jones; Robert Beer, artist and author of ‘The Encyclopaedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs’; Sister Zangmo, Buddhist nun, artist and tutor; Samanera Amaranatho from Amaravati; and members of ‘The Bodhisattvas’, an Engaged Buddhist acoustic duo! For a fuller review of the programme see Chris Wards report on TripleGem.

"Dr John Peacock gave the introductory talk on the theme of ‘Life as a Work of Art’, offering us the opportunity of being creative moment by moment through the activity of ‘giving attention’ to one’s experience, which, he stated, is the ‘opening of the creative life’ - a willingness to experience things beyond the familiar. The range of talks given covered historical developments in art from ‘The Rise of Buddhist art in India, Third century BCE to second century CE’ to the influence of Buddhism upon the visual arts in the USA since 1950’s, and poetry in USA and UK, as well as some talks given by contemporary Buddhist artists, writers, singers and musicians in the UK.

"Of the FWBO practitioners who participated in the weekend, Akasaka led a drawing workshop entitled ‘Drawing as meditation’, Ratnagarbha gave a talk on Buddhism in modern poetry, and Lilavati and myself each gave a presentation and facilitated a discussion group on the theme of how Buddhist thought and practice influence the creative process.

"On the Saturday evening we had a vegetarian dinner prepared by volunteers from SGI UK which was held in the main house. The food was delicious and was served with great care and consideration which can only be an influence of Japanese etiquette – reflective of the general care and attentiveness of the organising teams throughout the weekend. The Saturday eve soiree was an opportunity for participants to offer poetry, performance and music. The richness and diversity of this event was a real highlight, with Richard Gombrich singing Wagnerian arias, John Peacock sublimely playing the sitar, followed by poetry readings and songs concluding with ‘The Bodhisattvas’ who offered guitar, drum, singalong vocals - and the odd Sex Pistols song!

"With a healthy combination of analytical enquiry, discussion and play the event offered us an opportunity to really explore the theme and gain deeper understandings of the relationship between the creative processes of the mind and Buddhist thought and practice. Thanks to Jamie Cresswell (Director of the IOP) and Val Stephenson for their broad vision of the arts and creativity and for putting so much energy, enthusiasm and skill into the organisation of this event.

"If you would like to make contact with other people interested in this field, go to www.dharmaarts.ning.com/ - the site of the Dharma Arts Network (DAN) which was launched at the conference, or the London Buddhist Arts Centre’s website where you can sign up to their database.

For further references to the influence of Buddhism upon Western Art I recommend two American publications entitled ‘Buddha Mind in Contemporary Art’ and ‘Smile of the Buddha’.

Coming up soon: three events looking at Buddhism in the cultural life of the West

Mostly FWBO News is about exactly that – news of the FWBO. However the FWBO is but a small part of the much larger wider Buddhist world; and today we bring you news of a few upcoming events from it. They’re interesting as all three point to the increasing influence of Buddhism in the cultural life of the West.

Coming up soon is a major exhibition and programme of events at London’s V&A Museum. “The Many Faces of Buddhism” is a season of arts and cultural events presented in London by The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation. Starting on Saturday 25 April it will see artists from around the world taking part in an international forum at the V&A. This aims to “Investigate the ways in which contemporary art practice resonates with Buddhist thought “, including an exploration of the use of the mind in the process of creation and perception; the role of Buddhism in the modernist impulse to integrate art and life; artists whose work is linked with their own Buddhist practice; artists whose work reflects the themes of Buddhism; and the potential of Buddhist theories for the teaching and presentation of art.

The forum will bring together four distinguished international artists: Lin Hwai Min, choreographer and founder of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre in Taiwan; Meredith Monk, internationally acclaimed composer, singer and choreographer of new opera; Sanford Biggers, multi-media African-American artist who fuses aspects of Buddhism with global pop culture; and Kimsooja, South Korean artist who addresses issues of the displaced self through performance, video and installation.

More details at www.vam.ac.uk.

May 7-17 sees the International Buddhist Film Festival (IBFF) festival opening in London. During a ten day run at the Barbican Centre they’ll show forty-six films from eighteen nations, including dramatic features, comedies, documentaries and animated works, including twenty-seven UK premieres.

“This is world cinema with a Buddhist touch,” said IBFF executive director Gaetano Kazuo Maida. “We reached out to filmmakers and archives on three continents to bring over a wide range of works that reflect the incredible diversity of expression and impact of Buddhist ideas today.”

More on this at www.ibff.org.

And last – but by no means least, and following directly on from the above, is a Conference entitled "Buddha Mind-Creative Mind?" organised by the ‘Institute of Oriental Philosophy’ in conjunction with Britain's 'Network of Buddhist Organisations', of which the FWBO is an active member.

They describe this as a “weekend of exploration” exploring links and relationships between the creative life, artistic expression, and Buddhist thought and practice. The programme includes speakers, workshops, demonstrations, dialogues with artists, live performances, and an exhibition covering a range of artistic practices.

Dates are Friday 12th ~ Sunday 14th June at Taplow Court, Taplow, nr Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 0ER. More details and a booking form at http://buddhamind.terapad.com

News from the Network of Buddhist Organisations

The Network of Buddhist Organisations, http://nbo.org.uk, or NBO, is the UK’s principle forum for Buddhists of all schools to meet and collaborate. Last weekend saw them launch two important new initiatives at their AGM: a ‘helpline’ for those who have, in the words of the NBO, "Bumped into Buddhism and come away Bruised" and, for the first time, a Code of Conduct.

In addition the afternoon session was devoted to exploring the topic of Young People and the Dharma, with an informative presentation by Venerable Amaranatho and Sister Cittapalo from Amaravati; this was followed by discussion. Amaravati have a website with many useful resources at www.family.amaravati.org, of especial interest may be their Child Protection Policy at www.family.amaravati.org/cp/main.

The NBO’s new Code of Conduct asks members to promote their aims, which are:
a) To promote fellowship and dialogue between Buddhist Organisations.
b) To facilitate cooperation in matters of common interest.
c) To work in harmony with Buddhist and other like-minded organisations throughout the world.

Furthermore it says “In order to maintain harmony and promote Buddhist teachings in the UK, as a Buddhist organisation and member of the NBO we undertake the following:

a) To observe the ethical standards as exemplified by the Five Precepts in all our activities.
b) To undertake that our members will not defame or attack each others organisations or teachers in public or through the media.
c) If disagreements arise between NBO organizations or with other organizations or groups, every attempt will be made to resolve them through internal processes or through private discussion and mediation.

A fuller Code is under discussion and may be introduced during 2009.

Of the new helpline they say -

“From time to time people have bad experiences in the context of their exploration of the Buddhist path. Sometimes this is as a result of mistakes and misunderstanding on the part of one or both parties involved. More rarely, some organisations or some teaching relationships have become dysfunctional for a variety of different reasons. Either way, individual Buddhist practitioners may have been profoundly upset and disturbed. The UK’s Network of Buddhist Organisations http://nbo.org.uk/home.htm first came together to discuss the idea that the wider Buddhist community should offer a compassionate response to the distress that is evident in these situations.


“Over a period of time it has become clear that the NBO does not have the resources to establish a comprehensive counselling service for people who are experiencing this type of distress. Neither does the NBO have any role to play as policeman to the Buddhist community. However, over the years the NBO has built up a useful range of contacts, a certain amount of background knowledge concerning Buddhist groups in the UK, and counts among its members experienced practitioners of Buddhism who have some understanding of the issues that can arise. The Network would like to make a small start towards offering useful help in appropriate circumstances.


“Those who feel that they would like to discuss a problem of this nature are invited to speak to the Secretary who will be happy to provide a listening ear and may be able to offer constructive suggestions. The current Secretary is a qualified general medical doctor who practices Buddhism in the Chan tradition. If you would like to contact her, please send an e-mail to secretary@nbo.org.uk and a phone call can then be arranged. Please note that as she does this work for the NBO on a part-time basis, e-mails are not checked every day”.

Upcoming: Buddhism and creativity conference - call for artists and performers

June will see the second conference in the ‘British Buddhist Landscape’ series. Entitled “Buddha Mind: Creative Mind?”, it’ll look at the relationship between the creative life, artistic expression and Buddhist thought and practice.

Areas to be covered include exploring the work of artists who have drawn on Buddhism in their creative practice, the twin topics of Buddhism influencing Art and Art influencing Buddhism; Buddhism and the creative life; and Buddhist Art through the ages – all to be explored via lectures, workshops, demonstrations, dialogues, performance, and exhibition.

The weekend will be of interest to anyone with an interest in Buddhism, creativity, art, performance and the creative life. A number of FWBO artists from the London Buddhist Arts Centre are already planning to take part.

The organisers are putting out a call to artists and performers – anyone interested in exhibiting work or performing (on a voluntary basis) is asked to contact them now at jc@iopec.org .

The conference is organised by the Institute of Oriental Philosophy-UK in conjunction with the UK’s Network of Buddhist Organisations, of which the FWBO is an active member. It will be held at Taplow Court, IOP-UK’s beautiful headquarters, set in 85 acres of grounds overlooking the River Thames near Maidenhead.

For full details, click here.

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

Introducing the Buddhist Recovery Network

This week’s featured website is www.buddhistrecovery.org.

Created by the Buddhist Recovery Network, it exists to “support the use of Buddhist teachings, traditions and practices to help people recover from the suffering caused by addictive behaviors".

It’s not an exclusively FWBO site or project; we chose it because of its intrinsic interest and because a number of FWBO members and Order Members have been involved with it since its founding. In particular Lokapala (from New Zealand), Kuladitya (from the UK), and Guy Holden (from Australia) serve on its Advisory Council and Amara (from the US) and Dridhamati (UK) serve as its accountant and webmaster respectively.

The Buddhist Recovery Network describes itself, in its Mission Statement, as “Open to people of all backgrounds, and respectful of all recovery paths”, while being firmly grounded in Buddhist principles and practices.

As they themselves say “the organization promotes mindfulness and meditation, and is grounded in Buddhist principles of non-harming, compassion and interdependence.” And – as should be obvious – it’s international.

In fact, over the past year or so its taken off, with there new website playing a central role in their ability to provide resources for all those able to make use of them. There’s a substantial download library, including guidelines for setting up and facilitating recovery groups. Besides this, and outside of cyber-space, they seek to “serve an international audience through teaching, training, treatment, research, publication, advocacy and community-building initiatives.”

May their work be of benefit to beings…

To quote the great Buddhist poet Shantideva –

“As long as the existence of space
And as long as the existence of the world,
That long may my life
Be devoted to the world's sorrows.

“Only medicine for this suffering world,
May the teaching of the Buddha,
With all honour and glory,
Endure till the end of time.

FWBO News featured in Alltop.com

FWBO News has been selected to feature in the Buddhist section of Alltop.com (http://buddhism.alltop.com/).

As the name suggests, Alltop is an “online magazine rack” of popular topics. They hand-pick sites offering exceptional content and aggregate articles into themed sections.

Their Buddhist section is just one of many: they have categories covering everything from addiction to yoga and auto-racing to zoology.

In their Buddhist section you'll find (besides us of course) a series of glimpses into the extraordinary diversity of Western Buddhist voices: the joys of Zen Coffee, the Dalai Lama's blog, the Strawberry Koan, beer and Buddhism, Buddhist comments on the Pope's Christmas message, and lots more... The FWBO's Wildmind meditation teaching site is also featured (they're the one's writing abouut Zen Coffee!)

Enjoy...

TBMSG in Japan: presenting Indian Buddhist Youth work

Five members of TBMSG, the FWBO’s Indian wing, are just back (in India) from attending the annual World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth conference, which this year was held in Japan. This is a major step onto the international Buddhist stage for them, and Yashosagar, one of the delegates and chairman of TBMSG, has sent us this report –

“The 24th General Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) and the 15th General Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth (WFBY) was devoted to the subject of “The Buddhist Contribution to Resolving Social Problems”; it was held from 14th to 17th November 2008 at the Asakusa View hotel, in Asakusa Japan.

“370 people from all over the world attended the conference of WFB and WFBY (WFBY is the youth section of the WFB). Nearly twelve countries’ regional centers were present.

“The WFBY’s purpose is to promote and strengthen understanding and practice of the teaching of the Lord Buddha among youth and increase respect and piety towards the Triple Gem, our parents, elders and to each other. It aims to promote unite, solidarity and networking among young Buddhists around the world.

“TBMSG is one of the Regional Centres of WFB and WFBY in India, and Priyadarshi and I made a special presentation of our work and especially our youth work. We presented Dr. Ambedkar’s contribution to Buddhism and also what we are doing in India, our activities in India, particularly the new situation which is arising in India for the growth of Buddhism. We were able to show the great influence of our work is having in India on people’s minds. People felt very happy to see our slideshow, the living Buddhism in India.

After the presentation were Symposiums – Dhammamitra Mangesh Dahiwale was also invited to speak on ‘Buddhism Past Present and Future’, particularly on the youth’s situation. One of the panelists from Japan expressed his concern over the isolation of youths in Japan from Buddhism. He expressed the need for youth’s participation in Buddhism and the social action.

“Interaction with many people from the different parts of the world is the most important part of this conference in our view. To share with each other what we are doing and what we can do together. Actually it was a great occasion to meet many Buddhist people throughout the world - making contact with them gives you an idea of their situation and work they do.

“Later on a Prayer and Procession for world peace was arranged; all 370 of us silently walked to Senso-ji Temple where we held peace prayers and then a Traditional Tea Ceremony. All the people were served the green Japanese tea by the Japanese Sisters in their traditional dresses.

“The WFBY youth conference concluded by organizing a two year action plan. We in India are having a special youth program in January 2009 - Dr. Ong See Yew, the new Vice- President of WFBY, is coming with Young Buddhists from Malaysia to our centre in India (Bhaja, Pune) to do workshops on youth leadership. Most likely youths from other WFBY regional centres like Nepal, Sri-Lanka and Bangladesh will also take part in this program.

We are currently fundraising for this and other youth work in India, please do contribute if you wish to assist us.

“Now we are looking forward to our Youth leadership development program in January 2009. The connection we make during the conference help us to be in touch with each other and share what we do and cooperate with each other to help the youth from the world and youth from India.

“Yours in the Dhamma, Yashosagar

Calling Buddhist women in the UK...

Sakyadhita, the name of the International Association of Buddhist Women, means "Daughters of the Buddha." The objectives of Sakyadhita include:

To create a network of communications for Buddhist women throughout the world
To provide improved facilities for women to study and practice the teachings

Beatrice Gassner, who represents Sakyadhita UK at the UK’s Network of Buddhist Organizations (NBO), is researching the current state of women Buddhists in the UK. She has devised a questionnaire, which women Buddhists practicing in the UK are invited to complete and return. If you would like to reply, please do so direct to her at sakyadhita-uk@gmx.net.

“Yasodhara – Buddhist Women in the UK” – Questionnaire
She says - Please only write what you are happy with, to be used in the article. I may quote you or just summaries – please use only the name/initial which I may use. Thank you.

Name:
Age:
Nationality:
Family/Children:
Buddhist since:
Tradition/Lineage:
Previous Religion/Spiritual Practice:
Ordained – do you live in a Centre, Nunnery/Monastery, or on your own – do you have to work: Lay – Occupation:

Why Buddhism?

Can you say something about your Practice?

What supports you in your Training?

What helps you to keep your Commitments/Vows?

Do you go on Retreats?

How does your Practice work in your daily life?

What inspires you?

Anything else you would like to say about being a Buddhist Woman in the UK:

------

Thank you very much, and I will send you a copy of the article .

May this be for the benefit of all living beings.

Beatrice Jutta Gassner
(Sakyadhita UK)

Send to: sakyadhita-uk@gmx.net or: 77 Earlham Road, Earlham Street, Norwich NR2 3PF

Engaged Buddhism in the FWBO

The Network of Engaged Buddhists (NEB) is the UK’s main forum for what has become known as ‘Engaged Buddhism’. For them, Engaged Buddhism is “engagement in caring and service, in social and environmental protest and analysis, in non-violence as a creative way of overcoming conflicts, and in 'right livelihood' and other initiatives which prefigure a society of the future”.

They go on to say “It also engages with a variety of contemporary and often controversial concerns of relevance to an evolving Buddhism. Engaged Buddhism combines the cultivation of inner peace with active social compassion in a mutually supportive and enriching practice”.

Indra's Net, their magazine (available both in paper and on the web), has in recent issues carried quite a number of articles by members of the F/WBO.

You can read Saul Deeson and Suddhaka on the Dhamma Revolunion in India; Rowan Tilly on Spiritual Activism; Sophia Young (now ordained as Kuladharini) on Gie’s Peace – a lively introduction to Glasgow’s ‘Shambolic Warriors’. The LBC's ground-breaking Breathing Space project is profiled in Health and Wellbeing for All; and there’s an excellent introduction to the significance of Dr. Ambedkar for engaged Buddhists (indeed, for all Buddhists) in Jai Bhim, by Khemasuri.

There’s other articles too, but not yet on the internet – for them you’ll have to join NEB - which is a bargain at £10/year - or £8 for concessions!

In the FWBO itself, besides Gie’s Peace, there’s other ‘engaged Buddhism’ projects, some connected to ‘The Redwoods’. These are an ad-hoc group of Order Members with a shared commitment to engaged Buddhism and social change, who meet once a year, for a week, in a retreat setting, with no agenda other than waiting to see what emerges.

Strongly linked to the Redwoods is the FWBO’s new ‘EcoDharma’ retreat centre , situated in a beautiful and wild part of the Catalan Pyrenees. Guhyapati, it’s founder, says “We offer courses, events and retreats which support the realisation of our human potential and the development of an ecological consciousness honouring our mutual belonging within the web of life – drawing on the Buddhist Dharma and the emerging ecological paradigms of our time

“Our courses and retreats take place in a context of sustainable low-impact living, closely woven within the web of elemental nature. These meditation retreats, study seminars and training camps are intended to help people to empower themselves to make changes in themselves and the world consistent with a life-affirming vision”.

Ecodharma has two retreats coming up later this year – ‘Evolution, Ecology, and Enlightenment’ in November, and ‘Exploring EcoDharma’ in December.

EcoDharma is probably the FWBO’s most remote retreat centre and you’ll have to be determined if you want to find your way there…

By chance FWBO News came across Jo Magpie’s blog ‘A Long Way From Eden’, where she describes hitch-hiking there all the way from London. She concludes -

“G (Guhyapati) arrives and greets me like an old friend, although we only met once before for a brief ten minute chat at the Buddhafield Festival. He has exactly the white landrover I imagined he would. I get in and we wind our way up an ever remoter road that turns into a track at steeper and steeper angles. G tells me a little about the centre and points out landscape features as we pass. He also tells me who else is on the retreat and it turns out I know one of them - he will be surprised to see me! There are only 8 of us, but another 3 will arrive over the next few days. My sense of excitement is growing...”


There are also some other posts about Ecodharma here: https://alongwayfromeden.wordpress.com/2008/10/23/a-working-retreat-at-ecodharma/ and here: https://alongwayfromeden.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/winter-at-ecodharma/