Young Women's Weekend at Taraloka

Singhamati writes with news of the recent Young Women's Weekend at Taraloka, saying -

“Last weekend 30 young women from centres all around the Triratna community gathered at Taraloka for our annual Young Women's retreat. The weekend was an exciting opportunity for young women to meet, practice together and have fun!

"We were studying Sangharakshita's teachings on the Path of the True Individual and doing devotional practice to Shakyamuni Buddha and his early female disciples. It was an inspiring weekend, enhanced by the deepening freindship building amongst the young women who came.

“The retreat is part of a series of retreats being run in the UK to support and inspire young people practicing the Dharma in our community. If you are in your late teens, 20s or 30s and would like to go on retreat with other young people, then do join us on the 4th Annual Mixed Young Triratna Buddhists retreat 21-23rd October.

“For further details please see our Young Persons in the Triratna Community group or click here for details of the October retreat.

Singhamati

Taraloka Sustainable Energy Project goes ahead

Kulaprabha writes from Taraloka, Triratna’s award-winning women’s retreat centre in Shropshire, UK, to say -

“Yes!! It’s happening…!!”

She’s referring to Taraloka’s Sustainable Energy Project, which has been in the planning stages for around two years, ever since she started gathering data to work out Taraloka’s carbon footprint and becoming enthused by the possibilities for ‘greening’ Taraloka.

She goes on to say - “About a year ago I started seriously investigating the possibilities of installing solar thermal panels and biomass boiler systems in our retreat centre and community house”.  A long round of research, funding applications, and meetings followed - with the final result that the diggers moved in just a week or so ago...

Read more on the Taraloka blog at www.taraloka.org.uk/?p=3364

Triratna International Retreat ends with name change ceremony; third talk now on-line

As the Triratna International retreat draws to its close today we’re delighted to be able to bring you the third of the three major talks from the retreat. Saddhanandi, chairwoman of Taraloka, delivered a series of moving reflections around the theme of Sangha.

 Entitled ‘Individualism: Hearing the Demon’s Comforting Whisper’, you can watch it here, or via VideoSangha at www.videosangha.net/video/Individualism-Hearing-the-Demon



Last night saw Padmavajra leading a ‘Name Change Puja’, as the FWBO officially changed to the Triratna Buddhist Community, and we hope to bring you his opening remarks soon.

FWBO/Triratna International retreat day 1 - rain and music...

The first evening of the FWBO/Triratna International retreat saw a beautiful sunset and a wonderful stillness in the air, with the full moon rising clear in the sky - a great beginning for the 430 retreatants who’d assembled from all over Europe and beyond. A dedication ceremony in the giant shrine marquee was followed by mantra chanting and many many hellos to friends old and new around the fire and in the tea tents.

Something changed overnight, sadly, and the next morning the campers awoke to find persistent rain and grey skies. Typical weather for a British Bank Holiday weekend! This was the first of three full days for the retreat - being Buddha Day, Dharma Day, and Sangha Day.

Spirits were undaunted, however, and Jnanavaca’s talk on ‘An Essential Matter - the Demon of Materialism’ was well received. We’ll be bringing you the talk itself as soon as we’ve been able to upload it - for now, here’s some video clips from around the site...



catch it direct on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC0F1kcR53k if the above embedded player is not showing.

And as we go to press the good news is, the rain has stopped and the sky is clearing...

2nd FWBO/Triratna International Retreat underway, 400+ on site

The FWBO/Triratna International Retreat started today, with over 400 people now on site - from the UK, India, US, Austria, France (lots from France!), Germany (even more from Germany!), Denmark, Holland, Mexico, and elsewhere.

We’ve put together a little video showing the arrivals, some ‘hellos’, and a few of the shrines and rupas around the site.

Check it here -



Or watch it direct on YouTube if the embedded player isn’t showing - the link is www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DOg_1YuUMc

The main programme begins tomorrow, with talks each morning which we hope to bring you as soon as local upload speeds allow! The three days of the retreat are themed Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, with Monday night - Sangha Day - seeing a collective ceremony to celebrate the change of name of the Movement from 'FWBO' to Triratna Buddhist Community. Watch this space for news...

Video clips from the International Retreat setup, dedicating the shrine dome and work circle

Friday sees the start of the second FWBO/Triratna International Retreat, with over 400 people from all over Europe and beyond coming together to explore the Buddha’s Enlightenment and the theme of ‘Turning Arrows into Flowers’. The Buddhafield and Taraloka teams have been immersed in setting up the event since last week, with a rich array of domes, marquees, bell tents and even a sauna springing up to decorate the field adjoining Taraloka - using a crew that already includes men and women from the UK, Denmark, Austria, India, Germany, France and beyond...

We’ve put together a short video clip from the setup showing Satyadarshin’s dedication of the new shrine dome (beautifully decorated with Celtic-Nepalese hangings provided by Dhiramati) and Shantikara’s introduction to the morning work circle.



Find it on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rl9Ipx5vMA if you don't see the embedded player above.

Once the retreat gets going we plan to document the event as it goes along, with video and audio recordings of the major talks, photographs of the people, and commentary from the Triratna News team. Watch this space for our latest offerings - and for now, enjoy the video...

Setup starts for International Retreat, over 400 expected

Yesterday saw the start of a five-day set-up retreat at Taraloka for the second FWBO International Retreat - a joint venture between the Triratna Chairs Assembly, Buddhafield and Taraloka.

Over 400 people have booked for the event, which starts on Friday. There are a few remaining spaces, please see the special retreat website at www.internationalretreat.fwbo.org if you’re interested.

The generous setup period allows the team - already over 20 strong - to treat it as a retreat, with meditations before breakfast, lunch and supper in Taraloka’s beautiful outdoor ‘Tara Cabin’ shrineroom and free time in the evenings.

And (as this photo from our roving photographer proves) there’s even time to take it easy in-between jobs - a welcome break given the scorching heat.

The biannual International Retreat is the largest retreat event in Triratna’s calendar, bringing together practitioners from across the UK, Europe and beyond. It’s designed to be suitable both for someone on his or her first retreat or for those who’ve already been on many retreats. Either way, it’s a great opportunity to experience the magic of practising together in large numbers and to experience the wider FWBO/Triratna Sangha.

International Retreat news: collective Triratna name change ceremony

The FWBO’s largest retreat, the bi-annual International Retreat, is coming up soon - next month, May 28 - June 1st to be precise. Following the recent announcement of our change of name to the Triratna Buddhist Community, Jnanarakshita writes with some important additions to the retreat programme. Bookings are coming in more and more rapidly, so we’re asking people to book fairly soon if they want to come.  Details are on the retreat website.

He says -
“As you know, the WBO has now changed its name to the Triratna Buddhist Order. Following on from this, on Buddha Day 2010 the Movement around the world will be changing its name to the Triratna Buddhist Community (and local versions thereof).

“There will be an opportunity for those on the International Retreat at Taraloka to join in the celebrations of our precious Sangha and take part in a large-scale puja led by Padmavajra to ritually mark this significant change.

“The main part of the International Retreat programme will still be dedicated to exploring the theme of Buddha Day. In many and various ways we’ll be uncovering the spiritual implications of the incident when Shakyamuni overcame Mara’s army, turning their arrows into flowers.

“We’ll also be looking how to transform some modern-day demons with the help of three key-note talks:

• Vajradarshini on 'Everything Matters - Turning Consumerism on its Head'
• Jnanavaca on 'An Essential Matter - The Demon of Materialism’
• Saddhanandi on ‘Individualism - Hearing the Demon's Comforting Whisper’

We greatly appreciate all your help so far with publicity and have had another noticeable increase in the rate of bookings over the last month. Please reassure people that there are still some places on the International Retreat, especially for those who wish to camp and who are able to bring their own tents and bedding.

Book soon!
“At this stage, there are only a few places left for indoor accommodation. Priority is going to those with medical and/or mobility difficulties, to those travelling from overseas, and to early bookings.

“We’re aware that a number of centres have followed up our suggestion to make a space on the centre's notice board for people to arrange transport to and from the event. This may be stating the obvious, and no doubt you’ve already done this, but please could you remind people that writing their name on the lift-share sheet at the Buddhist centre isn’t sufficient to secure a place on the retreat!

“It would be a shame if people missed out through not sending us a deposit either by post or by booking online. It looks quite possible that the retreat will book up completely. Event licensing terms mean we can only cater for a maximum of 500 people.

“This retreat promises to be a momentous occasion. If you would like to be present, please send your deposit in soon to avoid disappointment. You can book on-line (in 5 languages!) at www.internationalretreat.fwbo.org

with many thanks
Jnanarakshita
Development Team Assistant

update on 2nd FWBO/Triratna International Retreat - coming up in May

‘Turning Arrows into Flowers’

Friday 28th May to Tuesday 1st June 2010

www.internationalretreat.fwbo.org

Jnanarakshita writes from Birmingham UK with an update on the FWBO/Triratna's largest retreat - the International Retreat.  Coming up soon, in May, it's a great chance for our internationalSangha to gather, practice, and celebrate. Full details (in five languages) and booking info is all on-line at www.internationalretreat.fwbo.org

He says -

"We’ll gather at Taraloka on the full-moon evening of May, when 2500 years ago, the Buddha gained Enlightenment. According to legend, he meditated through the night, overcoming Mara’s army and turning their arrows into flowers. During the weekend, we’ll unpack the meaning of this story, and explore the spiritual transformation of our own lives and the world we live in.

The programme and organisation are really starting to take shape. Several more experienced teachers have confirmed that they will be taking part, so the latest line-up now looks as follows:

Puja and ritual led by Akasati, Saddhanandi, Vajragupta, and Padmavajra…
Meditation input from Sona, Tejananda, Vidyamala, and others…
Talks on “turning arrows into flowers” in our contemporary world from Jnanavaca, Saddhanandi, and Vajradarshini…
Study, workshops and discussion led by Maitreyabandhu, Padmavajra, plus others to be announced…
Writing workshops on “turning arrows into flowers” led by Manjusvara…
Story-telling from Akasati, Lokabandhu, and Ratnaprabha…
Children’s activities for different age groups led by experienced and qualified folk … games, art & play tent, bushcraft and more…and also teenagers’ activities…

WHAT AND WHERE
Held every two years, at Taraloka Retreat Centre in Shropshire, the International Retreat is the FWBO/Triratna’s largest retreat. In 2008 500 people gathered from the UK, Europe, India, and elsewhere - we’re hoping for more of us this time. It’d really help our planning if you could book now - just go to www.internationalretreat.fwbo.org

See you there!

‘Turning Arrows into Flowers’

Friday 28th May to Tuesday 1st June 2010

www.internationalretreat.fwbo.org

FWBO News is delighted to bring you news of the second FWBO International Retreat, a big family-friendly event run by the FWBO Chairs Assembly in conjunction with Buddhafield and Taraloka.

The event commences on the Friday evening and goes through to Tuesday lunchtime. There will be a full programme of talks, meditations, storytelling, and rituals, plus free time for meeting up with friends or going for a walk. Some of the FWBO’s most experienced teachers will be there, including Jnanavaca, Maitreyabandhu, Padmavajra, Saddhanandi, Sona, Tejananda, Vajradarshini, Vidyamala, with more to be confirmed…

There will be two sessions each day when those with children can bring their kids along to be looked after, allowing them to go to the talks, meditations and so on. Also, in the evening we'll have storytelling that kids can come to, sometimes join in, and sometimes stay for part of the ritual/puja that follows on from it... Children aged 3 or under can come for free, and 4 to 16 year olds half price.

It promises to be another huge opportunity for a very imaginative collective celebration of Buddha Day (Wesak) - the festival of the Buddha's Enlightenment. It's also a great way to experience the depth and breadth of the movement, and to get a taste of just how satisfying it can be not just to practice but to live for a short time immersed in a Buddhist context, to work together in teams, and so on.

Places are limited so book soon!  

For more details check the dedicated retreat website at www.internationalretreat.fwbo.org

Story-telling, chanting and ritual: to create an atmosphere of magic and beauty, re-enacting the story of the Buddha’s Enlightenment.

Meditation: teaching and time to practice how can we see-through negativity and free our own hearts and minds.

Talks and discussion: looking at the society we live in and what helps and what hinders our attempts to move towards Enlightenment. How can we help turn “arrows into flowers”?

Sangha: an experience of the breadth and depth of the FWBO with hundreds of us from all over Europe living, practising, and creating sangha together over a long weekend.

Family Friendly: facilities and activities for children and teenagers.

second FWBO International Retreat - update

fwbo  international  retreat  2010

‘Turning Arrows into Flowers’

Friday 28th May to Tuesday 1st June 2010

www.internationalretreat.fwbo.org

Vajragupta writes with an update for FWBO News readers on the second FWBO International Retreat -  a big family-friendly event run by the FWBO Chairs Assembly in conjunction with Buddhafield and Taraloka.

He says - 

"It's shaping up to be another huge opportunity for a very imaginative collective celebration of Buddha Day (Wesak) - the festival of the Buddha's Enlightenment. 

"It'll also be a great way to experience the depth and breadth of our international Sangha, and to get a taste of just how satisfying it can be to live together for a short time immersed in a Buddhist context - practicing together, working together in teams, and so on.

"Here's some of what we've arranged so far -  

Story-telling, chanting and ritual: to create an atmosphere of magic and beauty, re-enacting the story of the Buddha’s Enlightenment.

Meditation: teaching and time to practice how can we see-through negativity and free our own hearts and minds.

Talks and discussion: looking at the society we live in and what helps and what hinders our attempts to move towards Enlightenment. How can we help turn “arrows into flowers”?

Sangha: an experience of the breadth and depth of the FWBO with hundreds of us from all over Europe living, practising, and creating sangha together over a long weekend.

Family Friendly: facilities and activities for children and teenagers.

"Places are limited so book soon!

"The event commences on the Friday evening and goes through to Tuesday lunchtime. There will be a full programme of talks, meditations, storytelling, and rituals, plus free time for meeting up with friends or going for a walk. Some of the FWBO’s most experienced teachers will be there, including Jnanavaca, Maitreyabandhu, Padmavajra, Saddhanandi, Sona, Tejananda, Vajradarshini, Vidyamala, with more to be confirmed…

"There will be two childcare sessions each day when those with children can bring them along to be looked after,allowing them to go to the talks, meditations and so on. Also, in the evening we'll have storytelling that they  can come to, sometimes join in with, and sometimes stay for part of the ritual/puja that follows on from it... Children aged 3 or under can come for free, and 4 to 16 year olds half price".

For the latest updates - and to book - please check the retreat website 
www.internationalretreat.fwbo.org

Turning Arrows into Flowers: an invitation to the second FWBO International Retreat 2010

Vajragupta, from the FWBO's Development Team, writes with news of the second International FWBO retreat - and an invitation to you all...

He says -

"Dear Friends,

"I'm being cheeky and writing to everyone I can think of, to invite you to take part in the second FWBO International Retreat. It'll run from Friday 28th May to Tuesday 1st June 2010.

"400 of you attended the first retreat in 2008 and the feedback from the event was tremendously positive: people loved the opportunity to hear talks and be taught by some of our most experienced teachers, they loved taking part in large, magical rituals, and they loved taking part in the teamwork organised by Buddhafield to help keep the event running smoothly.

"This year the retreat will again be held at Taraloka, it will be suitable for people of all levels of involvement in the FWBO, it will be family-friendly, and there will be groups of people coming from FWBO Centres across Europe. It will be another great opportunity to be inspired by the sangha gathering in large numbers.

"We learnt a lot about the practicalities of running the event last time - we are teaming up with Buddhafield and Taraloka again - and this time and it will be even better!

"The retreat starts on the full-moon night of Wesak; so this is our chance for a big, collective celebration of the Buddha’s Enlightenment in the FWBO this year. The theme will be “Turning Arrows into Flowers” – looking at the story of the Buddha’s transformation of Mara’s arrows into flowers. We’ll also be exploring the equivalent of that for us today – the transformation of our own selves and our world.

"More details can also be found on the website, which is now live.

"If you want to book (and we'd encourage you to book early), there are three ways to book: posting us the booking form in the brochure (which you should find at all FWBO Centres), or by downloading it from the website and sending it by post, or by booking directly on-line using pay-pal.

"If you need more information, check the website at www.internationalretreat.fwbo.org;or contact us at: internationalretreat@fwbo.com.

"With thanks and best wishes for 2010... and hoping to see you there!

"Vajragupta

Sangharakshita's talk to the 2008 retreat, 'The Growth and Prosperity of the Sangha', can be viewed here thanks to VideoSangha -

Taraloka launches Sustainable Energy Project

Kulaprabha writes from the FWBO's Taraloka Women's Retreat Centre with news of their sustainable energy project. On her Taraloka blog she says -

“So this is the third and last post about our sustainable energy project… well, last one for the moment.

“If you’ve read the first post, you’ll know that we’re in the middle of a project to move to wood pellet boiler and solar thermal heating for our space heating and hot water. I submitted two grants / loans proposals today. So either cross your fingers or chant mantras on our behalf - or both!

“If you’ve read the second post, you’ll know that even with our current very old and inefficient oil-fired boilers, our carbon footprint in the community is half the UK average. Which is great to know and what I was hoping would emerge from the carbon calculations I’ve been doing. Definitely a benefit from nine of us sharing our living space in a community together.

“What you don’t know yet is how much better our carbon footprint will be if we can get the funding to help cover a proportion of the wood pellet boiler and solar thermal system installation costs. So now I’ve used the footprint software to calculate what our footprint would have been in 2008 if we’d had had the renewable sources in place.

Read on here for her results...

She ends with a little story -

“I was on a seminar last month where the head of the Sustainable Energy Division of E-on UK Ltd was one of the speakers. One of his remarks has really stuck with me. He said - with regard to changing our behaviour in the UK :

“If everyone does a little …….

And then he paused. You’ve probably finished the sentence. But maybe not the way he finished it ….
“If everyone does a little, we’ll only achieve a little.


To minimise the impact of climate change, we need to reduce UK carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. And that means 80% from every one of us.”

Think about it”.

Second FWBO International Retreat planned for May 2010

Here’s an early heads-up for FWBO News’ readers on a major FWBO retreat coming up next year - the second FWBO International Retreat.

Dates are Friday 28th May to Tuesday 1st June 2010, the place is Taraloka, the FWBO’s retreat centre long-established on the English-Welsh border (and twice winner of the Good Retreat Guide’s ‘Retreat Centre of the Year’!

More details on the special retreat website www.internationalretreat.fwbo.org.

Vajragupta, one of the main organizers, says “The International Retreat is a collaboration between the FWBO Chairs Assembly, Buddhafield, and Taraloka. We aim to have 500 people from all over the FWBO in Europe practicing together over the Wesak weekend.

“The Friday the event starts is actually the full-moon of Wesak. This gives us the opportunity to have a large, collective celebration of Wesak in 2010. “he theme is going to be "turning arrows into flowers".

“ We'll begin with the story of the Buddha's overcoming of Mara, and then explore the spiritual transformation of our own lives and the world we live in. This will involve a mixture of talks, meditation teaching, story-telling and ritual, as well as activities for children. We'll be welcoming people from all over Europe, and providing priority booking and translation facilities for those from overseas.

“The feedback from the last event was overwhelmingly positive - it gave people a great experience of practicing with the wider FWBO.

“Please get involved to make the 2010 event even more of a success”.

Vajragupta
Director, FWBO Development Team

The photos are from the 2007 International Retreat: inside and outside the main shrine marquee.

Taraloka's 'Great Gathering'

It seems the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are gathering this month in Shropshire, UK - in readiness for Taraloka's annual Great Gathering, to be held over the late May Bank Holiday weekend, ie May 21st - 25th.

Taraloka (www.taraloka.org.uk) being, of course, the FWBO's women's retreat centre in Shropshire, UK - and the proud holders of two "Retreat Centre of the Year" awards from the Good Retreat Guide.

They say -

"The programme this time will be based on Tsongkapa's Three Principle Paths : Renunciation, Bodhicitta and Wisdom. The weekend includes a talk on each of the three paths; led reflections; discussion groups; pujas; and conversation cafes. This last being a conversational process that Parami and Kuladharini have been using successively in various situations - on the women's day of the Indian convention was one occasion, for those of you who were there. See www.theworldcafe.com for details".

All women Order Members and Mitras are welcome, please see their website for details and booking.

Taraloka on the radio

Maitrimala, Catering Manager at the FWBO’s Taraloka retreat centre, was interviewed this week by BBC radio. You can listen to her here -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0028xfh/Mornings_with_Joanne_Malin_03_03_2009
(to listen you’ll need Realplayer installed on your computer; it can be downloaded for free here if necessary).

Simply click to play and then drag the time bar to 42 minutes.

The interviewer' s curiosity seems to have been prompted by news that Delia Smith, the famous chef, needs an hour of silence a day, which she describes as “time to be, just to be still”, with Delia apparently advising her followers to time this period with a kitchen timer!

Maitrimala begins by describing the view from her bedroom window, then life at Taraloka more generally – and then what it might be like to go on a retreat there. She assuages the interviewer’s anxiety about periods of silence by making it quite clear that it’s ok to laugh while on a retreat!

The program is on the BBC’s 'Mornings with Joanne Malin' program, described as “the radio version of the very best woman's magazine”.

There's pictures of the rest of the Taraloka community on their website here.

Tomorrow we bring news of another FWBO radio appearance, this time a new radio play by Sarvananda, just aired on BBC Radio 4.

Sangharakshita on 'The Growth and Prosperity of the Sangha'

Upekshapriya from the FWBO's 'Videosangha' project has contacted FWBO News to say -

"You might want to let your readers know that Bhante's latest talk 'The Growth and Prosperity of the Sangha' given at the FWBO International Retreat is now available on www.videosangha.net. The direct link is here".

Since Videosangha was launched in 2007, it has grown rapidly to become an extensive video resource for the FWBO worldwide, with well over 100 videos spanning 24 'categories'. There's everything there from answers to those awkward questions ("are buddhists allowed to have sex...?") to many individuals recounting their first meetings with Sangharakshita - to others reflecting on their own ordinations...

Adding new videos is easy - simply upload to YouTube or Google Video with an 'FWBO' tag...

Taraloka voted Retreat Centre of the Year - again!

The UK-based 'Good Retreat Guide' has voted Taraloka their Retreat Centre of the Year - again! They were Retreat Centre of the Year in 2006 and are again for 2008.

They say - "Taraloka is one of our most favourite places and where we would happily send our sisters, mother, aunts and any woman we know for a retreat whether they were Buddhist or not. A wonderful place! Highly Recommended".

Sadhu Taraloka!

FWBO International Retreat over, feedback invited...

Over at Taraloka, site of the FWBO's International Retreat last week, the clear-up has just about finished and they are well into their next event, the UK Women's National Order Weekend. All 400 retreatants have gone their many ways - home to Belgium, Holland, Germany, France, Spain, all over the UK - and even further perhaps - there were people there from India, New York, Australia.

Sangharakshita came on Sunday morning, and spoke at length, choosing as his theme the Buddha's advice to his monks, the 'Conditions for the Stability of the Sangha' from the Mahaparanibbana Sutta, no.16 in the Digha Nikaya. Thanks to Videosangha, you can catch his talk here, look for 'The Growth and Prosperity of the Sangha' though it's also known as 'Growing the Spiritual Community'.

We'd like to invite any one who was there to add a comment to this post saying how it was for them - just click on 'have your say' below... In this way we'll build up a scrapbook of reflections and memories.

Meanwhile a slideshow of some images from the retreat is available on FWBO Photos, or just click on the photos below. They include quite a lot of Sangharakshita - many thanks to Dhammarati for these.




Click on 'have your say' to add your comment. Thanks...!

And by the way if youre reading this by email and don't have that option immediately available, just visit this post on FWBO News: fwbo-news.org/2008/06/fwbo-international-retreat-over.html

FWBO International Retreat in full swing; 400 attending

The FWBO’s first International Retreat is in full swing at Taraloka, with over 400 people attending, many camping in the bumpy fields surrounding the Retreat Centre. It is a rich and diverse Sangha gathering - those present are of many nationalities and countries, many ages (83 to just 6 months), and many levels of experience, not least of camping!

Lokabandhu reports from the retreat- “The theme is ‘Beating the Drum of the Dharma’, and we’re exploring it from many different angles – meditation, talks, story-telling (in the evenings, with the children present), ritual, and study – and, of course, in the many meetings happening between people every moment. In the mornings there have been talks – on the first day the theme was ‘Wisdom’, and Ratnaguna explored with us some of the Buddha’s very earliest teachings, the ‘pre-Buddhist Buddhism’ from chapters four and five of the Sutta Nipata. Yesterday’s theme was ‘Absorption’; Kamalashila led us through what may have happened in the Buddha’s mind immediately after his Enlightenment, as he sat beneath the trees around Bodh Gaya. Today the theme is ‘Compassion’; Sangharakshita is expected to arrive shortly, and will be giving a short talk and no doubt meeting people.

“It’s going very well indeed, it’s real meeting between people and a real coming-together of our Sangha. In the evenings we have chanting and puja; circumambulating a rather wonderful papeier-mache stupa as we go. For those who can receive it, there's a video clip of this on Youtube or embedded below”.



Meanwhile FWBO News has heard that the Buddha Festival in India also went very well, with some 500 attending. We will be publishing a full report once we have some photos of the event – expected shortly.