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

Colchester and Ipswich Sanghas make Pilgrimage to India

Amalaketu, the new chairman of Triratna’s Colchester Buddhist Centre, writes with news of their recent Pilgrimage to the Buddhist Holy Places in India and Nepal - one of several this winter.  He says -

“28 Pilgrims from the Triratna Colchester and Ipswich Centres (plus a few interlopers from Brighton and Cambridge!) went out to India and Nepal this New Year, to visit the Buddhist Holy Sites.  These are the four  places where the Buddha was born (Lumbini, Nepal), Enlightened (Bodh Gaya), first taught the Dharma (Sarnath) and entered Paranirvana (Kusinagar).  We also fitted in trips to Nalanda, Vulture’s Peak, and the Bamboo Grove, the first land ever donated to the Buddhist Sangha.

"After arriving in Delhi (and making a quick visit to the Taj Mahal) we spent New Year’s Eve on the Ganges, fortunately not losing anyone to Hinduism!  Varanasi was in fact enough to put anyone off for life - it’s one of the craziest places on Earth; Sadhus attempting to put red spots on our foreheads, and charge 100 rupees for it!

"We spent time in Sarnath, doing an outdoor Puja where the Buddha first met his old followers, the Five Ascetics. While there we visited Dhammaloka, Triratna’s land in Sarnath, probably completely surprising  the two mitras living there by just turning up and doing Puja in their shrine room. They are probably still in shock...!

"We spent time on our land in Bodh Gaya, meeting Buddhavajra who introduced us to the site. Jane King of the Ipswich Sangha became a Mitra, and we felt very fortunate to be able to have such a meaningful ceremony there. We also visited Shashi’s Thangka School, Shashi being an Indian mitra very much associated with the Triratna community in Bodh Gaya. 

Over the course of the pilgrimage we visited all of the Holy Sites, but the highlights were going out to Kapilavastu (the Buddha’s birthplace in Nepal) and doing Puja at Rajgir on the Vulture’s Peak. We also headed out to Padmasambhava's meditation cave in Pharping, and did Puja to the amazement of the Tibetan Monks there.

"Fitting in a quick safari at Chitwan Safari Park, and finishing off in Kathmandu, the Pilgrimage Sangha returned to the UK in the middle of January, mostly sick (Pilgrims Plague?!) but after having a most amazing experience. It was such a harmonious trip, with a real sense of community, and we’re all still absorbing it..."

If you would like to know more please contact Amalaketu at the Colchester Buddhist Centre.

Aryaloka Computer Education Students on pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya

 Shakyajata writes from India with news of a recent pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya by students of Triratna’s Aryaloka Computer Education Centre in India. She says -

“Thanks to the generosity of donors, a group of 19 students from Aryaloka Computer Education Centre, in Nagpur, central India, (www.aryalokaeducation.org) were able to attend the November 2010 convention of Triratna's National Network of Buddhist Youth, held at Bodh Gaya, historic site of the Buddha;s Enlightenment.  This was held from 16th-21st November, and was chaired by Kumarjeev with Subhuti as guest speaker. The students, from a number of different marginalised communities in India, are doing courses in Computer Animation skills and Hardware and Networking, supported by the online Young Indian Futures fundraising campaign.

“These young people are especially interested in social development work in their communities, and the courses are intended to give them financial security and independence. They are followers of the great leader of 'Scheduled Castes' Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, who was himself a Buddhist, seeing his conversion to Buddhism as a means of giving dignity and self-reliance to his people, and freeing them from 'the hell of caste'. So we thought it would be great to give them the opportunity to visit Bodh Gaya, the heart centre of Buddhism, the place of the Buddha's Enlightenment, to hear inspiring talks and make connections with young people from all over India, of similar ideals and background.

“As you can see from the photos, they threw themselves into the trip with their usual enthusiasm. The rail journey there, was pretty gruelling, with a fast change of trains in the middle of the night at Allahabad, a rather scary place at the best of times....but it all went smoothly. They were accompanied by Aryaketu, director of the institute, and Helen Sullivan, a friend and supporter who had a special part to play.....

“The students just look delighted with everything - the Maha Bodhi Temple, the meditation, the talks and workshops, the fishpond, the shrines, the gardens, the company of Buddhists from all over the world, each other's company....one day they visited the family home of Ramesh, in a village near Bodh Gaya - his father is a potter, and the family made them wonderfully welcome. Ramesh was smiling all over his face, the whole trip!

“On their final day there, they organised themselves to take a trip to the famous site of the ancient Buddhist University of Nalanda, and Vulture's Peak, a very beautiful spot which dominates the Bihari countryside for miles around. Tradition has it that the Buddha taught the White Lotus Sutra from there, and the villages and the countryside have hardly changed since the Buddha's day. They loved the chairlift, and stood there very exhilarated, on top of the world...

“The high point of the whole week, though, was Saturday evening, when six people, four from Aryaloka including Helen, and two others, committed themselves to their Buddhist ideals by becoming Dhammamitras, ' friends of truth'. Subhuti presided over the event, he is a very senior member of the Triratna Buddhist Order, and his presence made it very special for everyone. For Helen, Praveen, Sheetal, and Ramesh, it was an unforgettable event... In Helen's own words -

"The mitra ceremony was the perfect end to an inspiring and moving week. The day started with meditation at the Maha Bodhi temple and ended with the ceremony under the bodhi tree. The Burmese monks had kindly allowed us use of their shrine at the Maha Bodhi temple which sits directly under the bodhi tree; so with the full moon and starlit sky as the backdrop, Subhuti led the ceremony. After lots of flowers and Sadhus we finished with a candlelit walk around the temple then back to the monastery to continue the celebrations".

Shakyajata

There's more photos of the pilgrimage available on Triratna Photos or via the FlickRiver feed below.

Inter-Buddhist Pilgrimage to Kashmir and Ladakh

Jayacitta, an Order Member from the London Buddhist Centre, writes with news of an inter-Buddhist pilgrimage she's organising this Autumn. In September 2010 the party will be visiting the Buddhist Holy Places in Kashmir and Ladakh. She says -

"Calling on Buddhists from all different traditions, this will be a journey to the magical area of Ladakh, in the Northwest of India, near the Tibetan border. Travelling through the beautiful scenery of Kashmir we will come to Ladakh, where Tibetan Buddhism is still preserved in a form that one cannot found anywhere else in the world.

"The journey will lead through magical open landscape, clear air and to mountain lakes. There will be the possibilitiy to visit monasteries and to take part in people's everyday life. It is organised by Jayachitta who is reaching out to Buddhists from different schools to meet together, to share their experience and practice.

"This trip will be an adventure in a breathtaking setting which we will be in the middle of, whether driving, trekking or meditating".

For more detail please visit her website www.jayachitta.wordpress.com.

Photos from the Order Convention

Last month the WBO held it’s first-ever International Order Convention at Bodh Gaya, in India, site of the Buddha’s Enlightenment and centre of the Buddhist world.

Since then a number of photo collections have appeared on the internet and we thought we’d share some with FWBO readers.

Photos from Bodh Gaya and the Order Convention

Vilasamani http://gallery.me.com/timkp1#100106&view=mosaic&sel=0

Ashvajit - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashvajit/sets/72157615477877695/show/

Amitashuri http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=100612&id=665478032&ref=nf

Aryapala http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=97961&id=526623968&ref=nf

Vajralila http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=69860&id=656506568&ref=nf

Gunabhadri - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=72181&id=684713086

Jayarava http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayarava/sets/72157614890387261/

Taranita (whose photos include a few of the ITBCI school in Kalimpong) http://www.flickr.com/photos/82395485@N00/sets/ 

From FWBO Photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/fwbo/sets/72157594183982192/

Order Convention at Bodh Gaya

Today sees the start of the 2009 International Order Convention – which for the first time in the FWBO’s 40 years is not taking place in the UK. It is in fact being held at Bodh Gaya in north-eastern India, site of the Buddha’s Enlightenment 2,500 years ago.

FWBO News hopes to bring you regular updates of events there over the next days, and of the big ‘Dhammakranti’ (meaning ‘Dhamma Revolution’) retreat that will immediately follow on – on which there may be up to 1,000 people.

To set the scene, we begin with a piece from Aranyaka, newly ordained and in India for the first time in over 20 years… He writes -

Glimpses of Buddhist Bodhgaya

Bodhgaya is amazing and mad…. On my first visit to the Mahabodhi temple I was struck by how beautiful the structure is – far more so than I had gleaned from Photos. The next thing that I found very striking is how definitely it is NOT a dusty, crusty relic or museum but a living place full of devotion, aspiration and practice. There is the fantastic array of Dharma on display from all over the globe, in all sorts of strange and wonderful shapes, sizes, colours and forms – some of them particularly intriguing to my eye such as wrapping up the temple in a large length of golden cloth- and the cacophony of discordant pujas assaulting the ears simultaneously from all directions. Everybody is free to give expression to whatever form their devotion takes and does. And everyone is treated equally in this, Tibetan, Indian, Thai, Bhikkhu or Dalai Lama… Equally striking is how happy everyone is to allow everybody else to do their own thing with absolutely no sense of the annual punch-up that can be witnessed in Bethlehem! The worst that seems to happen is people quietly ignoring each other.

So highlights: The madness of the Nyingma Monlam (prayer festival): huge numbers of Nyingmapas doing pujas all over the temple, each with their own sound system, which always goes on until 11 and sometimes even 12 o’clock! I am very struck at how similar the Tibetan monastic system is and its place in the culture to what was around in medieval Europe say at the time of Cluny or Citieux. Huge institutions that are enormously wealthy and politically embroiled, full of large numbers of monks mechanically performing liturgy but which also act as central social institutions for education etc. Definitely not the naively romantic situation I suspect envisaged by many Western followers here.

A few weeks ago they brought out the relics of the Buddha, Sariputra and Maudgalyayana for the annual display of three days. There was to be a big procession around the town with the relics being paraded on elephants (along with monks, soldiers, obligatory dignitaries, carnival floats and several thousand school children). Nissoka and I offered to help and on the ended up in the escort for the elephant with the Buddhas relics in. It was needless to say all somewhat chaotic but I ended up walking alongside this lovely big elephant along with (completely unplanned) a Thai Bhikkhu, a Vietnamese Nun and a Tibetan Monk: Theravadayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana and Navayana! How incredibly appropriate.

It was a fantastic day and really fun - the Vietnamese nun kept putting flowers in my ears and bursting out laughing!. All the while the relics were being showered with flower petals, and the monk n the palanquin would periodically throw some out to be collected by (usually) Tibetan devotees standing by. So I spent two hours being rained on with flower petals from that had been in contact with the Buddha relics. As you may know I am not one for such language but it was a bit like being in a Mahayana Sutra and being showered with Amrita, and by the end I realised that wherever I had been for the last couple of hours it had not been Bodhgaya. Perhaps not quite the Tusita heaven but....

The community who live on our land at Bodh Gaya gave some assistance to an impressive Ambedkarite Buddhist Lady called Sunniti, who we was here to help some friends as they single-handedly reintroduced the Bhikkhuni sangha into the Theravada. Couldn't resist a bit of controversy! It was apparently successful so the Theravada Bhikkhuni Sangha now exists again – though no doubt no one will recognize them and I have to say I feel it’s all a bit misguided anyway (cf 43 Years Ago, one of my favourite and IMO most underappreciated books by Sangharakshita).

I have been living on the land here with the community (3 young but dedicated Indian Dhammamitras, Siladitya and occasional visitors) and helping out where I can with the preparation for the convention – which has been going very well. An amazing tent has risen out of the land in the last few weeks. The community is small but has suddenly expanded to about 15 in the last couple of days - not including the 25-strong convention team that have just arrived! But this being India we all just fit in!

We have also been holding an open chapter meeting each week for any order members in Bodhgaya. So far this has now included Nissoka, myself, Siladitya, Vajralila, Sudakini, Shantigosh, Rochani and most recently Parami. The fact that we do not necessarily speak the same language has not mattered a jot! What an interesting Sangha Bodhgaya shows us to be…

Till next time

Metta

Aranyaka

FWBO Websites IV: the Sanctuary of Prajnaparamita

This week’s featured website was created by Sagaravajra, an Order Member from Bristol UK. It is dedicated to Prajna-Paramita, a beautiful female Buddha figure embodying the qualities of the Perfection of Wisdom.

More specifically, his site is devoted to the ‘Sanctuary’ he has created to her.

He writes -
"The Prajnaparamita sanctuary is the culmination of a personal spiritual odyssey. On my ordination into the Western Buddhist Order I received a visualisation practice of Prajnaparamita, who embodies the qualities of the Perfection of Wisdom.

“Basing my own work on a stunning Javanese rendition of her, I began working on a sculptural representation as part of my own exploration. After completing the figure, I felt the need to come into closer relation to her essence, and I was fortunate enough to be involved in founding a small contemplative community nestled in a limestone valley in Spain, the Guhyaloka vihara.

“Realising the importance of the surrounding context of the sculpture, I became interested in the idea of sacred space, and the possibility of creating a sanctuary or landscape for the sculpture to inhabit”.

His dream came true, and the Sanctuary appeared, located in a remote woodland in the Blackdown Hills in Devon.

The website covers the story of his relationship with the figure, the labyrinth and mandala being created around the central shrine, the sculptures adorning the surrounding land, and a little more about Sagaravajra himself. It’s no substitute for the real thing, of course – but if you’re not fortunate enough to be passing Devon, it may serve as a taster… As Sagaravajra writes -

“On entering this fertile landscape populated with springs, ferns, owls, deer and archetypal sculptures, one steps into a realm of heightened significance, of metaphor and imagination”.

You’ll find the Sanctuary on-line at www.geocities.com/perfection_of_wisdom_sanctuary.

Next week’s website will be 'Buddhist Pictures: Images by Visuddhimati'.

Rijumati's travels, part VII - following Kukai in Japan...

Part VII of Rijumati’s travels is now available on FWBO Features. He says -

“Dear Friends,“Here is a long piece about my 7 day walk along part of the ancient 88 Temples pilgrimage route around Shikoku island, known sometimes as the ‘Shikoku 88’. This was one of the highlights of my time in Japan, both in terms of stunning scenes and personal reflections. I found the pilgrimage very inspiring and challenging and I intend to return to Japan at some point and finish the 1200km walk (I only did the first 175km on this occasion). It was such a valuable experience that I would strongly recommend it to anyone, even those who don't consider themselves Buddhist.

“The Shikoku 88 is absolutely not a pleasant ramble. Undertaken by foot, it is hard-graft walking, often along busy highways, sometimes without even the protection of a pavement. Naturally the route, wherever possible, takes in the glorious beauty of Shikoku island: its mountains and forests, cliffs and rivers, the sky and the sea. But it is definitely a mixed bag.

“So the question "why?" remains. The official reason is that through undertaking the pilgrimage one enlists the aid and support of one of the greatest of all Buddhist saints, Kukai or Kobo Daishi as he is honorifically known in Japan. Kukai was born on Shikoku in the 8th century, was enlightened at Shikoku's southern cape, Muroto, and is attributed with founding most of the sacred 88 temples on the pilgrimage. Many of the temples tell special stories about Kukai's visit: here he conquered a dragon, here he carved a Buddha, here he created a stream that always runs pure.

“Yet in a sense there is no universal answer to this question. The answer must be sought in the heart of every would-be or actual henro, or pilgrim…”

Read the full account of his pilgrimage on FWBO Features here.

On pilgrimage in Japan - Rijumati's travels part V

FWBO News is pleased to publish part V of Order Member Rijumati's travel diaries, as he heads around the world after many year's work in Right Livelihood in Cambridge, UK.

Part V is an account of his pilgrimage in Japan to the four Japanese Teachers on the Western Buddhist Order’s Refuge Tree (shown opposite) – Hakuin, Kukai, Dogen, and Shinran.

The Refuge Tree as a whole contains some 42 figures from across the whole Buddhist tradition, being those the Order draws on most strongly for teaching and inspiration. It's a symbol of the highest ideals of Buddhism, a traditional image that takes different forms in different schools. Modern Buddhists might be regarded as heirs to the whole of the Buddhist tradition and the Refuge Tree of the Western Buddhist Order includes figures from India, Tibet, China and Japan as well as archetypal Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and the teachers whose guidance helped to shape Sangharakshita’s understanding of Buddhism. An excellent introduction can be found in ‘Teachers of Enlightenment’, by Kulananda.

Click here to read about Rijumati’s visit to Shinran’s place of exile, on the coast of northwest Honshu; Eiheiji, Dogen’s monastery (which Rijumati unflatteringly describes as a “Buddhist airport departure gate”); Kukai’s remote mountain forest plateau at Koyasan - whence come the famous lines

“You ask me why I entered the mountain deep and cold,
Awesome, surrounded by steep peaks and grotesque rocks,
A place that is painful to climb and difficult to descend,
Wherein reside the gods of the mountain and the spirits of trees.

And last but by no means least, his visit to the shrine of Hakuin and the old and beautiful tree named the Suribachi pine.

Part V is on FWBO Features.

New pilgrimage website launched

Parayana is the new name for a long-established FWBO pilgrimage service – it’s led 12 pilgrimages since 2003. Parayana is Pali for ‘The Way Beyond’ and by extension ‘The True Refuge’.


Ratnaketu, the founder, gave TBMSG News a short account of what led him to start leading pilgrimages.

“Originally from New Zealand, I joined the Western Buddhist Order in 1979, a year that also saw my first visit to India, where I accompanied Sangharakshita from Auckland in New Zealand to the LBC in London via Bombay, Pune and Ahmedabad. Travelling with Sangharakshita in India when I was twenty was a life-changing experience; I discovered I had brothers and sisters in the Dharma whose lives were radically different to my own; I realised how remarkably fortunate I was; and I fell under the spell of India.

In 1985, I went on my first real pilgrimage, a magical amble amongst the clouds and into the Eastern Himalayas to visit Dhardo Rinpoche. Since then pilgrimage has become an important part of my own practice. In 1999, after more than twenty years of community living and team-based right-livelihood, I chose to explore the homeless life. After eighteen months at the Guhyaloka Vihara in Spain, I hit the road.

My intention was threefold; to live and enable others to live lives of radical freedom and simplicity; to create a new team-based right-livelihood business that would support our renunciants; and to help others experience the delights of true pilgrimage.

And - slowly slowly - we're getting there. Pilgrimage is becoming another sparkling facet of our Movement, linking East and West. We enable pilgrims to enter the path and experience the life of pilgrimage, to gain experiences of India, of the holy places, and of the Refuges that would scarcely otherwise be possible. Not only that - Parayana provides employment, community, and skill training to a growing team of Indians and Nepalese.

We have adopted the name Parayana because our pilgrimages lead us beyond, not just into strange new worlds but beyond ourselves and towards transcendence.

And now we have a website.

Check out also our next Sakyamuni:Heartland pilgrimage 8th – 31st November 2007.