Ordination in Manchester, UK

Dayanandi  writes from Manchester, UK with news of an ordination, saying - “I'm very pleased to announce that Kate Walsh received her Public Ordination at  Triratna’s Manchester Buddhist Centre on Thursday June 9th at 6pm. The  Public Preceptor was Dayanandi and the Private Preceptor was Dharmottara.   

“Kate Walsh becomes Dharmakasara.  This is a Sanskrit name meaning 'She who possesses or has access to a lake of Dharma'.  (bar over third and fourth 'a').   The Westernised spelling is Dharmakasara.

“Sadhu!  Sadhu!  Sadhu!

“With metta  Dayanandi 

Twelve women ordained in Spain

Parami  writes from Akasavana, Triratna’s ordination retreat centre for women in Spain, to say - “The Public Preceptors are pleased to announce that the following women were publicly ordained on Saturday 4th June 2011 in Akashavana:

Jo Bennet becomes Lokadhi, a Sanskrit name meaning "she who is wise about the world" (bar over the "i", westernised spelling Lokadhi); Private Preceptor Dhammadassin.

Juliette Durance becomes Sukamala. A Sanskrit name meaning "a beautiful or excellent lotus flower" (Westernised spelling Sukamala); Private Preceptor Kalyanasri.
 The Public Preceptor for these was Ratnadharini.

Karenza Fullerton becomes Bhadrakari. A Sanskrit (and Pali) name meaning "she who creates auspiciousness" (bar over the last "a" and the "i", westernised spelling Bhadrakari); Private Preceptor Dharmanandi.

Yvonne Greenaway becomes Kulajalini. A Sanskrit name meaning "she who is equipped with the net of community" (bar over last "a" and the "i", westernised spelling Kulajalini); Private Preceptor Samachitta.

Tricia Leggat becomes Amlanadhi. A Sanskrit name meaning "she who has bright, unclouded wisdom" (bar over the second "a" and the "i", westernised spelling Amlanadhi); Private Preceptor Dhammadassin.

Ann Dennehey becomes Dayamudra. A Sanskrit name meaning "gesture of compassion" (bar over the second and the last "a", westernised spelling Dayamudra); Private Preceptor Viveka.

Val Blomfield becomes Vijayadipa. A Sanskrit name meaning "she whose light is victory" (bar over the last "i" and the last "a", westernised spelling Vijayadipa); Private Preceptor Srivati.

The  Public Preceptor for these was Parami.

Judith Tomlinson becomes Acarasraddha. A Sanskrit name meaning "she whose shraddha is immovable" (an accent over the "s" and bar over the last "a", westernised spelling Acharashraddha); Private Preceptor Parami.

Lis Whitelaw becomes Danasamudra. A Sanskrit name meaning "she who has an ocean of generosity" (bar over the first and last "a", westernised spelling Danasamudra); Private Preceptor Parami.
The Public Preceptor for these was Vajragita.

Mieke Philips becomes Satyapara. A Sanskrit name meaning "she who is absorbed in, solely devoted to Truth" (bar over the last "a", westernised spelling Satyapara); Private Preceptor Akasasuri, an dPublic Preceptor Padmasuri.

Claudia McLoughlin becomes Akasadevi. A Sanskrit name meaning "goddess of infinite space" (bar over the first and second "a" and the "i" and an accent over the "s", westernised spelling Akashadevi); Private Preceptor Subhadramati.

Susanne Burtsche becomes Utpalacitta. A Sanskrit name meaning "she whose heart / mind is like a blue lotus" (bar over the last "a", westernised spelling Utpalachitta); Private Preceptor Kulanandi.

The Public Preceptor for these was Maitreyi.

“Please note that, in order to avoid confusion and inaccuracy, the Sanskritists who check our names point out that the westernised spelling of the name should be used where it is not possible to indicate all the diacritical marks required in the proper Sanskrit / Pali spelling.

“With metta,  Parami.

Two further batches of ordinations are expected soon, of men currently on retreat at Guhyaloka and at Bhaja retreat centre in India.

SADHU!

Seven women ordinained in Australasia

Purna writes from New Zealand with news of the ordinations of seven women in Australasia, saying -

“At a Public Ordination ceremony held at 8pm on Sunday 22 May at Shambhala Retreat Centre, Golden Bay, New Zealand, Clare Feeney was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order as Muditanandi, a Sanskrit name meaning ‘She who delights in sympathetic joy’.  Her private preceptor was Varadevi and her public preceptor was Megha.

"At the Public Ordination ceremony held at 2pm on Thursday 26 May, also at Shambhala Retreat Centre, Golden Bay, the following Dharmacharinis were born:

Cheryl Hyde became Kamalamayi (Pali) – 'She who is full of the lotus'. Private preceptor Chittaprabha.

Anne Barrey became Dharmamodini (Sanskrit) – 'She who rejoices in the Dharma'.  Private preceptor Chittaprabha.

Helen Commander became Vimalashri (Sanskrit) – 'She whose radiance is pure'.  Private preceptor Varadevi.

The Public Preceptor for these was Megha

Janet Hughes became Viryaja (Sanskrit) – 'She who is born from energy in pursuit of the good'.  Private preceptor Megha.

Jenny Cornish became Yashokaruna (Sanskrit) – 'She whose compassion is beautiful'.  Private preceptor Megha.

Lisa Raby became Dantachitta (Sanskrit) – 'She whose mind is tamed'.  Private preceptor Megha.

The Public Preceptor for these was Varadevi.

With Metta, Purna, (sent on behalf of Varadevi)

Names for 15 women recently ordained in India

We’re finally able to bring Triratna News readers the names of the following 15 women ordained at Bordharan Retreat Centre, central India on Sunday 9 January 2011. Their ordinations brought the number of Indian women ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order over the 100 mark for the first time - to a total of 103!

Nirmala Jadhav from south-west Nagpur becomes Amalachandra – She who has the moon of purity and peace.

Sunita Patil from south-west Nagpur becomes Jayachandra - She who has the moon of victory.

Tarabai Lohkar from Hinganghat (first Dhammacharini from there) becomes Sanghasakhi - She who is the friend of the Sangha.

Chaya Tamgadge from Yavatmal becomes Samyaka - She who is trying to be perfect (one of the first two Dhammacharinis from here).

Nanda Meshram from Wardha becomes Dipamala - She who has a line of lamps - her light is very powerful.

Jaya Mhatre from Yavatmal becomes Jayakirti - She who has a famous victory (one of the first two Dhammacharinis from here).

Jnanasuri was the Private Preceptor for all the above.

Vaishali Wasnik from north Nagpur becomes Vidyadharini – She who keeps in mind the understanding of the wisdom of the Buddhadhamma.

Nina Uke from north Nagpur becomes Kalyanadharini - She who keeps in mind the beauty of the Dhamma life - especially friendship.

Sunita Ramteke from north Nagpur becomes Sugatadharini - She who keeps in mind the Sugata (the Buddha).

Vajrasuri was the Private Preceptor for all the above.

Vaishali Patil from north Nagpur becomes Bodhimodani - She who delights in Awakening

Dwarka Tembhurne from Phulgaon becomes Buddhadassini (Pali) - She who has the vision of the Buddha.

Shobha Gedam from north Nagpur becomes Danaratna - She who has the jewel of generosity.

Ratnamala Tembhurniker from north Nagpur becomes Jnanavajri - She who has the Diamond/Thunderbolt of wisdom.

Chandha Chinchkhede from north Nagpur becomes Suddhahadaya (Pali) - She who has a pure heart.

Mala Jawade from Wardha becomes Vidyadarshini - She who has wise vision.

Karunamaya (shown left) was the Private Preceptor for all the above, also functioning as the Public Preceptor for all the new order members.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

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

15 women ordained in India, women's Order in India now over 100

Today's story on Triratna News comes also from India , this time from Satyajyoti and Manjusiha. They are two fundraisers for the India Dhamma Trust which is a new UK charity dedicated to raising awareness of - and funds for - Triratna’s ordination process for men and women in India. They are on their first visit to India at the moment, and write from Nagpur to say:

"On Sunday we were privileged to go to the Public Ordination of 15 new Dhammacharinis at Triratna’s Bor Dharan Retreat Centre near Nagpur. Many hundreds of people attended (maybe over 700?) and witnessed the new Dhammacharinis making their commitments publicly. It was a particularly historic event as it took the number of women order members in India to over 100!

“Karunamaya (shown left) was the Public Preceptor conducting the ceremony and talked about how the Triratna Buddhist Community is a truly international sangha. She was delighted that there was also a Public Ordination in Finland on the same day and she asked us all to shout our Sadhus so loudly that they could be heard in Finland and also by Sangharakshita. We did!

“ The atmosphere was joyful with many family members, friends and sangha packed into the stupa to celebrate the ordinations, followed by multiple shared picnic lunches outside.

“Many of the women have faced many struggles on their way to ordination, so it was a great pleasure to see them looking so radiant and delighted, and also to see the pride and respect of their friends and families. Many people had travelled long distances on over-night trains to be at the Public Ordinations and we had a very tangible feeling of the strength and commitment of the Indian Sangha."

We’ll bring you the names of the new Dhammacharinis as soon as we have them.

Some 1,500 men and women in India have asked for Ordination. Helping so many towards ordination is a massive task, as each person prepares individually, the process typically taking several years. The Indian men’s and women’s ordination teams therefore include over a dozen people - hence the need for the India Dhamma Trust. For more information see their website - http://indiadhammatrust.org


SADHU!

On the 8th June 2010 the following sixteen women were ordained at Akashavana, the Triratna Buddhist Community's retreat centre in the Spanish mountains. 

Two versions of each name are provided below: First is the proper Sanskrit (or Pali) spelling of the name, given in romanized script with the necessary diacritical marks indicated in parentheses; (this is the actual or 'real' version of the name). Second is the recommended westernisation, which requires no diacritical marks but may often be spelled somewhat differently in order to better reflect the name's pronunciation in the West.

public preceptor Ratnadharini:
Lindsay Hannah becomes Simhamati (dot under first 'm') sanskrit name meaning 'she whose mind is like a lion' westernised spelling: Singhamati private preceptor Parami

Kim Nolan becomes Viryapuspa (bar over 'i' and last 'a', dot under 's') sanskrit name meaning 'flower or blossoming of strong energy directed towards Enlightenment' westernised spelling: Viryapushpa private preceptor Sridevi

Barbaralaure Desplats becomes Manibhadri (dot under 'n', bar over last 'i') sanskrit name meaning 'auspicious, blessed, fortunate as a jewel' westernised spelling: Manibhadri private preceptor Vajrapushpa

Marjorie Wolfe becomes Aryadrsti (bar over first 'a', dots under 'd', second 'r' and 's') sanskrit name meaning 'noble vision' or 'she who possesses a noble, excellent, illustrious vision' westernised spelling: Aryadrishti private preceptor Dayanandi

Jess Davies becomes Vidyadasi (bar over both 'a's and final 'i') sanskrit name meaning 'servant of knowledge (of the nature of Reality)' westernised spelling: Vidyadasi private preceptor Maitreyi

public preceptor Dayanandi :
Phyl Blakey becomes Amoghalila (bar over the 'i' and final 'a') sanskrit name meaning '(she who has) the play of success' westernised spelling: Amoghalila private preceptor Ratnavandana

Kica Gazmuri becomes Simhasri (dot under the 'm', uptick over the final 's', and bar over final 'i') sanskrit name meaning 'she who has the radiance of a lion' westernised spelling: Singhashri private preceptor Viveka

public preceptor Parami:
Helen Tissington becomes Abhayadevi (bar over the 'i') sanskrit name meaning 'fearless/undaunted goddess' westernised spelling: Abhayadevi private preceptor Gunasiddhi

Margaret Fergusson becomes Danabhadri (bar over 'i') sanskrit name meaning 'she whose happiness and goodness lie in her generosity' westernised spelling: Danabhadri private preceptor Gunasiddhi

Christine Ironside becomes Tejini (bar over last 'i') pali name meaning 'having light or splendour, shining forth, glorious', like a 'piercing' flame westernised spelling: Tejini private preceptor Ratnadharini

public preceptor Maitreyi:
Lindsay Henderson becomes Satyadakini (dot under 'd', bar over third 'a' and last 'i') sanskrit name meaning 'dakini of truth' westernised spelling: Satyadakini private preceptor Dayapakshini

Chris Jackson becomes Sraddhalocani (uptick over 's', and bar over second 'a' and last 'i') sanskrit name meaning 'she who has the eyes of faith' westernised spelling: Shraddhalochani private preceptor Moksanandi

Wendy Young become Bodhilila (bar over second 'i' and 'a') sanskrit name meaning '(she who has) the play of awakening' westernised spelling: Bodhilila private preceptor Ratnavandana

Linda Shaw becomes Tamonuda (dot over 'n', and bar over final 'a') sanskrit name meaning 'she who dispels darkness' westernised spelling: Tamonuda private preceptor Muditasri

public preceptor Padmasuri:
Els den Hollander becomes Jayavajri (bar over 'i') sanskrit name meaning 'she who is of the victorious vajra' westernised spelling: Jayavajri private preceptor Khemasiri

Sooz Cohn becomes Dayajoti (bar over second 'a') pali name meaning 'she who has the light of kindness and compassion' westernised spelling: Dayajoti private preceptor Parami

with metta, Ratnadharini, Dayanandi, Parami, Maitreyi and Padmasuri

Jyotivana Women's Community in Manchester Unveils Beautiful New Shrine Cabin

Dayanandi writes from Manchester with news of the women community's new shrine cabin. She says -

“15 months ago it was the dream of the Jyotivana women's community here in Manchester to have a shrineroom where the community could meditate together. Our previous meditation space was an unheated attic accessible only via a loft ladder which ruled out Vidyamala from joining the others due to her back injuries and was unsuitable for Amitasuri in cold weather due to her kidney condition. (In fact several of the rest of us found it rather gruelling in the winter months!) The dripping & splashing from the water tanks in the roofspace was another issue - arguably a spur to deeper concentration but one I wouldn't be sorry to leave behind!

“The house was being used to maximum capacity with 7 in the community so the only solution seemed to be an outdoor shrine room in some sort of log cabin - probably too expensive for us to afford we thought.... But enthusiasm grew for the cabin and we decided to go for it, enlisting the help of the Sangha through fundraising. Munisha had the idea to hold Fundraising Buddhist Film Nights for the Women's Sangha .....and the rest is history... as they say! The first night we ate a delicious curry, dhal & rice and settled down to watch what turned out to be the first of many inspiring and enjoyable films. The majority of the £6500 that we raised to pay for the cabin came via these film evenings through the small and large donations that were received. But as a community we gained far more than the money for the shrineroom as the evenings were so enjoyable and the sense of support for us and our project so dynamic. We enjoyed welcoming everyone to our community and the ensuing 'explosion' of Sangha was quite amazing with between 20 - 30 women chatting away over dinner and settling down on our sofas for the film. The rumour had got about that we had a big screen for the films - which we did - a large white sheet pinned to the curtains, with a PowerPoint projector! It's amazing how we all fitted into the lounge.

“There were a worrying few months when, with the credit crunch, cabin prices soared but as Autumn came the cabins we'd been looking at on the Internet went on Sale and we decided to buy then even though we hadn't raised the whole amount. We picked the fully insulated version of a timber cabin, with double doors and a window....looking very like a Swiss chalet! (see photo!) Sona and Moksapriya quoted us for installing it. They had a free week in December - and up it went! They both worked long, hard and well as did various members of the community & friends in preparing the site and applying stain and varnish to the finished shed. Amitasuri provided the workers with coffee and bagels. She & Dayanandi also took photos from which Vidyamala has made a great film - soon to be available on You Tube!

“I should mention that we received a great boost to our fundraising when Vidyamala and Amitasuri were granted £750 between them from the Abhayaratna Trust to help fund their use of the cabin. This is a new Charity, set up to support Order Members to live a full life in the Sangha in the face of difficulty due to old age, disability and sickness.

“And so, on the 3rd January, four of us, including Vidyamala, set up a simple shrine and meditated in the cabin for the first time. It was such a lovely, clear space to meditate in, just bare wooden floors and walls with views out across the snowy garden to the woods of the Kersal Dale Nature Reserve. It was pretty quiet; a woodpecker knocking loudly on braches above us, some birdsong, a few cars on the road nearby. Later that day, with six of the seven community members able to be present, we performed a dedication ceremony to ritually inaugurate this beautiful new cabin and with it, I think, a new era in the life of Jyotivana Community!”

December in South India: news from a Dharma tour

As Christmas approaches, spare a thought for Shakyajata and Priyadaka,  two Order Members from the UK, both currently touring India and visiting many of TBMSG’s most remote ‘Dhamma outposts’, small projects in remote areas, mostly initiated by gradates from Nagaloka.

She says -

“Well, where to begin? We have been travelling for nearly five weeks now, and every day is packed with impressions, a rollercoaster of unfamiliar experiences. Both of us are showing symptoms of overload (poor sleep, strange dreams, loss of short-term memory etc) so have decided to spend a few days here in Kerala, meditating and chilling out - we have just spent an entire day at the beach!

Before that we were in Hyderabad, where we arrived having survived a rather trying train journey from Bhubaneshwar in Orissa... there were MICE! The situation in Hyderabad could not be more different from Orissa, a remote place where there are a bunch of young mitras full of enthusiasm and inspiration; here TBMSG is much more established.

Hyderabad
We visited a very famous site, Nagarjunakonda, an amazing place. Up to about the 5th century CE, this remote, peaceful valley of the ancient river Krishna, was a huge Buddhist monastic settlement, with many monasteries, stupas, viharas etc; then as everywhere in India, Buddhism became overlaid by Brahmanism and eventually disappeared. Then in the 1950s it was decided to build a huge dam, for much-needed irrigation for the peasant farmers of a huge area of Andhra Pradesh. The whole valley was set to be drowned; but a remarkable Indian archaeologist completed an excavation of the whole huge area, in just 6 years. Now the site is a vast lake (the dam is staggeringly huge) with an island where all the artefacts are displayed in a museum, among beautiful gardens and a setting like a Japanese ink-painting.

The Buddhist artefacts are amazing, not quite like anything I have seen before; including large standing and sitting Buddhas with strong faces of a different ethnic appearance from northern Buddhas, and unusual mudras (hand gestures). The site finds go back to the Old Stone Age, so much to take in...and we only had an hour!

The heroine of this stage of our journey is Jnanajyoti, who is making great efforts to connect and reconnect with women she knows in the Sangha here. I do hope they will continue to be supported in future, by TBMSG and the FWBO as a whole. Also great thanks are due to Padmavir who is trying to organise good things for us and, it seems, lots of other visitors at the same time! It's great to witness a revival of the ancient Buddhist traditions in Hyderabad, in a new form which will transform the lives of people here.

Kerala
Kerala, on the western coast of South India, is hot and humid, quite tropical, and very beautiful, generally cleaner and more sorted than other parts of India.

Today, meditating on the beach, it came clear that there are women here I especially want to help.
In fact we have lots of ideas for projects we want to pursue. We have had a number of successful (if rather stressful) 'programmes' and there is so much interest in people, in what we have to offer. Spending a day or 2 as a 'tourist' has made me realise what it is I love about being here - it is a sort of glow on people's faces when they realise what their potential is for a different way of looking at their lives - that brilliant gleam of human potential, it's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

And people are so friendly and responsive - a few days ago I found myself talking (to about 100 people) about my brother Asangasila's death (it was the anniversary) in just a natural way...they are so open and uninhibited. In Kerala we have spent a lot of the time with Ratnasiddhi, an Indian Order Member from Nagpur who is very impressive. He connects with people in a way we never could - I said something that inadvertently offended someone very politically militant at a meeting, and he fielded it so expertly. We are learning so much - Priyadaka is revealing a particular talent for teaching meditation, making it simple and appealing and very effective - to a group of 150 people including lots of babies, on one occasion!

Return to Nagpur
On Saturday morning we are going about 150 km north to stay with one of the Indian Dhammamitras in Kerala, who is going to show us some historic sites and put us on the train on Monday morning, to go back to Nagpur in central India, where we shall be based for most of the rest of the time here. This is a bit of a cliff-hanger as we do not have a confirmed reservation yet....our previous experience of this was not positive, we had no space to sleep...the journey takes 2 days and a night, so wish us luck...but it should be an exciting journey, through half of India....time to go now.

Any support you can give will be most welcome, on www.justgiving.com/youngindianfutures ... and thanks to you all.

love to all,
Shakyajata and Priyadaka

The map above shows most of TBMSG's groups across India; their website is at http://tbmsg.org

Dhamma travels in India

Shakyajata is a woman Order Member from Manchester, turned India traveller and supporter of the many graduates of TBMSG’s Dhamma and Social training programme at Nagaloka in central India. Since the programme started 8 years ago some 400 young men and women from all over India have graduated; many have returned home to begin Dhamma groups where they live. She and Priyadaka, also from the UK, are currently on an extended tour visiting many of them in their home towns and villages. She’s fundraising as she goes, and FWBO News readers are warmly invited to contribute to her fundraising page www.justgiving.com/youngindianfutures.

She writes -

Dear all,

Here is an update of what I shall be doing in India this winter, all being well. The best news of the lot, is that I shall be travelling most of the time with Priyadaka, an old friend, India returnee, energetic idealist and very experienced fundraiser, to name but a few of his qualities....how auspicious is that?

Our plan, in roughly chronological order, is:

Nagpur, central India: Aryaloka Animation students, 2nd - 7th November
We hope to be able to assess the success of this experiment in giving this training to 10 ex-Nagaloka Training Institute trainees, 6 of whom are fully supported by our fundraising efforts.

Orissa, north-eastern India - Dhamma Work, 8th - 22nd Nov.
We shall be travelling round this state where there is a lot of poverty and very little in the way of specifically Buddhist activity; the ex-NTI trainees here are focusing on social work, and we hope to devise strategies to support them in future. and raise their profile. Jnanajyoti and Tejadhamma will be with us, plus Utpal, Trinath and Nagavajra and others, who are doing the work on the ground.

Hyderabad, south India - 23rd - 28th Nov.
We hope to be able to meet up with Padmavir, late of NTI. Also I hope to pick up on some of the women who were contacted on previous outreach projects to Hyderabad. And do a bit of chilling-out in fascinating places!

Thiruvanathapuram and Kollam, Kerala, south India - 30th Nov - 11th Dec.
A short, but rather full programme of activities in Trivandrum with Nagaratna and others, joined by Ratnasiddhi for some of the time. We hope to spend time at Abhayaloka in Kollam, with Binoj Babu and others, and give everyone help where we can, with fundraising and publicity, for example.

Nagaloka, Nagpur, 14th Dec. - 13th Jan.
This part of the programme is still under negotiation, but will definitely include the 'launch' of the Buddhist Comic produced by the Animation course students, which we hope will be a successful fundraiser and focus for their first self-supporting efforts. We hope to do some teaching, myself on the mainstream curriculum at Nagaloka, and Priyadaka probably teaching English at Aryaloka Computer Education (where the A.C. course is being taught.)

Wardha, 14th - 21st Jan
We will both be on the team of a BIG retreat, maybe 1000 people, for 'Dalit' (marginalised) people, led by Saddharaja. Two-thirds of the retreatants are expected to be women. Check their fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/kshitigarbha

Our aims
This rather diffuse-looking programme will be unified, we hope, by the following long-term aims; "to support young people from disadvantaged ('low-caste') communities throughout India, so that they will have the skills and confidence to bring about radical positive change for their communities: overcoming poverty, prejudice and ignorance by peaceful means."

Your support will be most welcome, financial but also encouragement, thank you. Our fundraising page is at www.justgiving.com/youngindianfutures.

Just to bring you up to date - I’m writing this from extremely hot and steamy Orissa. It actually rains from time to time, then it gets hotter and steamier - but I'm not complaining, Orissa is very beautiful, and we are doing things I love, with lovely people.

For example, this afternoon we visited the State Museum, Bhubaneswar, mainly to view local Buddhist artefacts; and maybe predictably, that section of the museum was closed for renovation. And in that Indian way, they let us look at the stuff anyway. There were some amazing images, - including a terrifying Tantric one of a kind of gruesome animated corpse holding a severed head - but many of them appeared to have been quite brutally defaced by some past holocaust. Orissa is strongly orthodox Hindu, and our friends here work against a lot of resistance to their Buddhist values. They are mostly young and inexperienced, and we are here to find out what sort of support network can be given to them.

In the museum, I wandered into the 'tribal section' with Trinath, who is our main organiser here, and it was absolutely delightful. He comes from a village family in Western Orissa, and was brought up in quite a traditional way; and many of the objects on display, were just like things used by his family. His grandfather made this sort of basket net to catch fish, he used to wear this sort of hat woven of leaves; and best of all, he is very interested in music, and a very good mimic, and he imitated the sounds of all the strange instruments we saw, and even knew how to make them; like a personal audio show, and it was so good to see how he came alive, in contact with his own history. I felt so privileged to share that.

Spending time with these young people who are so dedicated and kind, despite their struggles, is a sheer delight; and my Order member friends too. Tejadhamma (from Nagpur) is full of energy and enthusiasm, seems to be able to handle any situation, and is full of good ideas to support the mitras in future. Jnanjyoti (also from Nagpur) is a rock, a terrifically strong woman and a great role model for the girls and women we are meeting here. I shall miss them so much when we part (quite shortly), and I am so grateful that Priyadaka (from east London) will still be with me. He is so supportive and thoughtful, and gaining in confidence (eg in public speaking) all the time, and forming good friendships with the young guys here; they tease each other unmercifully, a very good sign.

There is so much I could write about, but this may have to do for now....we are all pretty well, I am fine, and just very happy to be here. At the weekend we will have a two-day retreat for the mitras, to try and give them some tools for their work here. Then we are off to Hyderabad, next Monday; more from there later.

best wishes to all,

Shakyajata and Priyadaka

PS - do check our  fundraising page www.justgiving.com/youngindianfutures!

News from Akasavana

Vijayasri writes with news from Akashavana - the FWBO women's ordination retreat centre high in the Spanish mountains near Teruel . She reports-

“Akshavana is now in its third year of providing ordination retreats for women from all over the world. The third three-month-long retreat took place earlier this year, and we’ve recently completed the second two-week retreat for women unable to manage a long retreat, in the course of which four new Dharmacharinis entered the Order: Jayakara, Aryashila, Candrika and Sanghamani.

“This autumn's retreat was blessed by glorious sunny weather and a series of spectacular sunsets. It was a small retreat, but all present felt the benefit of the beauty, wildness and elemental quality of the Spanish mountains where Akashavana is set.

OPEN DAY

“Following on from the retreat this autumn we held an Open Day for local people to visit. Six people from the Valencia Buddhist Centre came to help with the occasion, in addition to five Dharmacharinis - Vikasini who is coordinating retreat support at the moment, Padmadharini, who lives in the area, as well as myself, Vijayasri, Siddhimala and Siddhishvari who were there to support the ordination retreat.

“Akashavana is sited 8 kilometers up a rough and rocky track, so we were not sure how many people would actually make it to the retreat centre! We thought maybe 50 at the most? So it was with mounting delight we saw one 4x4 after another arrive, disgorging many people from the nearby village of Penarroya de Tastavins, who have long been curious about the Buddhist women on retreat up in the mountains.

“Various local friends and helpers - plumbers, builders, bakers, hairdressers, even the man who runs Valderrobres great pizzeria - in fact everyone we've had any help from or contact with over the last five years were all invited and most came. Also a local Spanish Tibetan monk called Vicente, or Ngawang, visited and expressed much admiration for the environment for practice we had created, being himself at the start of a project to renovate an old house as a meditation centre in a nearby village.

“When we realised that numbers were mounting to around 150 people there was a bit of worry that we had enough vegetarian tapas to feed them all, but Siddhishvari's and Siddhimala's great work in the kitchen proved to be plenty for all.

“Giuliana and Stephanie from the Valencia Sangha led sessions giving a brief introduction to the FWBO in the shrineroom, and then led everyone in a short taste of meditation. The shrine room was full for three consecutive sessions. I for one found it very moving to look around the room and see many people who have been helpful and hospitable to us enjoying and appreciating what we have created. It was great to be able to show them something of what our movement is about, directly by demonstration rather than just trying to explain.

“We had many favourable comments, about the beauty of the location, the quality of the work on the house, the well-thought-out solar electric and water pumping system, and our openness in inviting them into the retreat centre.

“Thanks to all who made it such a great day”.

Vijayasri

More photos of Akasavana are available on FWBO Photos.

Letting go of letting go: a report from Sudakini and Vajralila

11 months ago Sudakini and Vajralila, two women Order Members from the FWBO’s Norwich Buddhist Centre, sold all their possessions and went forth into the homeless life. Their travels have taken them across the UK, to India, back, and over to America - from where they’ve posted a last report on their blog ‘The Cosmic Adventure’ .

We reproduce below some excerpts, focusing on the reflections that have arisen for them as they contemplate leaving the homeless life (despite their love of it) and returning to a more ‘conventional’ existence. For the full story, check their blog…

They write -

Letting go of letting go!
“We are in the end phase of the homeless life as we have known it for the last year now.

“… So now the trip is nearly over and we look back and think: how did we have the courage to take such a risk in selling everything and thinking the money we got (only 12,000 pounds in total) could take us very far. We never could have imagined we would have such a generous response that has enabled us to do what we have done "and yet..."(as Khajit would say). We saw a card the other day that said: "Take the leap and the net will come" ... maybe that says it all: a leap of faith.

“… So, as it has been such a rich time and Bhante seemed so interested in what we are doing, pleased with us even, we thought maybe we can continue this way of life in the UK. But it soon became clear that this was not to be. There would be no way of creating Dana in the UK and so we are having to think...what now? It has highlighted how there is no system or structure in the WBO to help practitioners try the homeless life, even for slots of time.

“… How does one deeply go forth, continuing to be a renunciant in the world? We are faced with the practice of letting go of being homeless wanderers, experimenting with a modern western version of the outer renunciant, and now considering what work and living situation will next best support practice... moving back to a life where the inner renunciant becomes more of the practice. Amongst other things, we have a wish to start FWBO activities where there aren't currently any, and Cornwall is a possibility. We also want to develop a livelihood doing workshops for women”

“… An area of contemplation here is how useful is it to call ourselves "teachers". We have heard the term used quite often here in the States to describe people offering classes in meditation and Buddhism... also the phrase "teachings" used quite a lot... there are a number of experienced and senior practitioners of Buddhism here, within a variety of traditions, who are leading retreats and offering courses and classes. But we have both felt uncomfortable with calling ourselves "teachers" in the Buddhist context, feeling it's a bit grandiose when applied to ourselves, and that "sharing practice" is a better term for describing our experience of leading events at Buddhist centres... but then again, if one has things to teach isn't it a fact that to share this with others is teaching! Semantics or stepping into what one does with authenticity?

Contact them (if you wish to) via the Comments feature on this site.

MBE for London Order Member

FWBO News has just received a tipoff from our Taraloka mole, who says -

“Just discovered that Sraddhapushpa has just collected her MBE at Buckingham Palace!”

Thanks, mole…! It’s true - Debrett’s says so, where we learn that the Queen has been graciously pleased, on the occasion of the Celebration of Her Majesty's Birthday, to give orders for the following appointments to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire...

Sraddhapushpa (whose English name is Suzy Powesland) is a 79-year-old Order Member living in an FWBO women’s community around the London Buddhist Centre, and was for many years a teacher in some of East London’s roughest schools. She was nominated for the award (a Member of the British Empire)by her community, which was awarded for “voluntary service to Black and Minority Ethnic People in East London”.

Sraddhapushpa featured prominently in Ed Husain's 2008 book ‘The Islamist: Why I Joined Radical Islam in Britain, What I Saw Inside and Why I Left’, shortlisted for both the Book Prize and Orwell Prize 2008.

To quote from Chapter 1, Ed Husain says  - “Sir William Burrough primary school in Limehouse was almost an extension of my home. The teachers would often visit my parents and I remember going to Ms Powlesland’s house to pick cherries in her garden. She loved her pupils so much that even her social life revolved around us. At weekends she often took us to theatres in the West End, where many of the stories we read in class came alive on stage. My particular favourite was Peter Pan. I liked his ability to do the undoable: to fly.

“Growing up in Britain in the 1980s was not easy. Looking back, I think Ms Powlesland was trying to create her own little world of goodwill and kindness for the children in her care. We grew up oblivious of the fact that large numbers of us were somehow different – we were ‘Asian’.

"‘Pakis! Pakis! F— off back home!’ the hoodlums would shout. The National Front was at its peak in the 1980s. I can still see a gang of shaven-headed tattooed thugs standing tall above us, hurling abuse as we walked to the local library to return our books. Ms Powlesland and the other teachers raced to us, held our hands firmly, and roared at the hate-filled bigots.

"‘Go away! Leave us alone,’ they would bellow to taunts of ‘Paki lovers’ from the thugs. Little did I know then that one day I, too, would be filled with abhorrence of others..."   (click here to read the rest of the first chapter online).

Sadhu Sraddhapushpa!

Four women ordained in Spain

Four women were welcomed into the Western Buddhist Order on Tuesday 27th October 2009 at Akashavana, the WBO’s Women’s retreat centre in the Spanish mountains.


Gillian Enlund becomes Aryashila (long first and last 'a', and long 'i'): 'She who has noble conduct or character'. (Private Preceptor: Vijayasri)


Beverley Ellis becomes Jayakara (long second and last 'a'): 'She who has a multitude, or mine, of victories'. (Private Preceptor: Paramachitta)


Seg Gaskill becomes Chandrika (long final 'a'): 'She who has the moon / moonlight' (poetic description: 'she who resembles moonlight; who sheds light on things'). (Private Preceptor: Parami)


Georgie Reiser becomes Sanghamani: 'She who is a jewel (lodestone) of the Sangha' as well as 'she to whom the Sangha is a jewel'. (Private Preceptor: Kalyanasri)


Ratnadharini and Parami were the Public Preceptors


SADHU!


Those interested in statistics might like to know that women’s ordinations into the Western Buddhist Order (outside India) have out-numbered men’s for four of the past five years, 2005-2009. On Sunday we’ll publish some statistics illustrating this and other demographic trends in the Order.

Youth Retreat in Bodh Gaya, part II

Here's a follow-up to yesterday's brief report on the recent NNBY Youth retreat at Bodh Gaya.

Aruna Kornana from NNBY reports -

The National Network of Buddhist Youth (NNBY) organized their first regional gathering at Bodhgaya, in Bihar.

It was a great challenge - the first time for this event with an entirely new group of people, working in a new place - but so successful.

Before the retreat the team went from one village to another, house to house, with the aim of educating the local people in the benefits of attending. Some places they could only reach on foot (almost 8-10 KM) and some on tractor.

The greatest challenge we expected was to get the Bihari girls out to come on this retreat as many had never before been away from their family. The local people proved our misconceptions wrong by sending their daughters to the retreat. In fact our efforts resulted in 35 enrollments, which is a big achievement as the tradition doesn’t allow girls to come out and participate in any such activities. This clearly shows how enthusiastic the people of Bihar are.

Dhammachari Subhuti led the retreat educating all present in the importance of Babasaheb Ambedkar ’s great Mantra “EDUCATE, AGITATE AND ORGANIZE”, dealing each of them separately. He mainly focused on how great a difference it makes when we form a proper Sangha: how much more we can contribute to each others’ growth, leading to development of ourselves and the society.

Dhammachari Maitriveer Nagarjuna from U.P. (Uttar Pradesh) led the team with morning Meditation and a talk followed by Group Discussion. We had Personality Development sessions in the afternoon - NVC (Non Violence Communication), English, information about RTI (Right to Information), Career Counseling, Play for Peace, and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), all led by different organizers. At night before we dispersed to bed we had daily Vandana (Puja). We also had a temple visit where we were guided around the sites where the Buddha spent 7 weeks after attaining enlightenment.

One could clearly see what difference the retreat had made on the young citizens. We encouraged them to put forward their concerns which brought into focus the lack of proper resources in the villages and the many obstacles they face in their way to growth.

Greatest of all was the need for girl’s education. The girls present were so happy that they could make it to the retreat. Most of them went back with a positive energy to do something for the other village girls, to motivate them, educate them and take this further. By the end of the retreat we had NNBY task groups (Sangha) one each for different regions. Dhammachari Subhuti in the concluding session said “Before I came to India I told my people in England that there wouldn’t be any girls on the retreat. But I can see that you had made a big difference, a great contribution.”

So a big applause to the whole team of organizers: Sailesh, Sachin, Sujivak (Govind), Suchit, Sujit, Seema, Sandhya, Preeti, Keerti, Aruna, Praneet and Ratnesh.

The whole team contributed in fulfilling the purpose of the Retreat: bringing awareness to the Youth, spreading the message of Buddha and Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar, also personality development, career counseling, guidance, and play!

With Lots of Metta,
Aruna Kornana

If you'd like to contribute to NNBY's work in India please visit their fundraising website www.justgiving.com/indianbuddhistyouth (In the US, we recommend www.jaibhiminternational.org)

Shakyajata and Priyadaka set off to support ex-Nagaloka trainees

Priyadaka reports -

"We will be visiting several states in India over the next three months to follow up these young men and women, all graduates of TBMSG’s Nagarjuna Training Institute, helping them put their Dhamma and other skills training to full use in their communities. You can catch a fuller picture of this exciting project at:

www.justgiving.com/YoungIndianFutures

"We intend to help them establish Dhamma teaching; to learn fundraising; to improve their English and even set up a Buddhist materials shop, all in three months! This is ambitious, but we want to aim high and build this project over several years.

"We thought a good way to mark it would be to reproduce here her final blog post, written immediately after her return last March - it captures very evocatively the joys and struggles of working in India, the idealism, the rewards and the frustrations…

She says -
“Thank you Lokabandhu, I'd be very pleased indeed to have my blog report reproduced on FWBO news. Maybe you could say too, that I am fundraising for the future skills training of these prospective young Dhamma workers - see my new webpage 'YoungIndianFutures'.

“Hope you are very well.
“much metta, Shakyajata

Blog March '09 – Shakyajata

“Hello from Shakyajata. I am writing this in the women's community in Manchester, where I have been kindly invited to stay for a while, to recover from the physical and emotional shocks which I experienced on leaving India and returning to the UK. A combination of a nasty bug, jetlag, and the pain of parting from people and projects which had become very dear to me, combined in a devastating way, and I lost about a stone in weight in the first 24 hours after arriving in Manchester.

“However, I am now recovering rapidly (more rapidly than I did when I returned from India in January 2008) and keen to re-engage at a distance with those projects and those people. I feel thankful to the gods of the IT realm, that my little laptop seems to have survived the travelling of 1000s of miles, and the terrible spikes and surges of the Nagaloka electricity supply. It seems ready to carry me into the work of following-up the deeply inspiring initiatives that I have seen developing in India, towards a better future for the young heroines and heroes to whom we have been teaching English, and through them, for hundreds or even thousands more people from poor backgrounds.

“Let me say here a big THANK YOU, to all the people who participated in the English teaching project at Nagaloka. Thank you Jess, Julie, Ken, Jenny, Sue, and Nealey, and especially Aryagita and Achala who are keeping the project going on a permanent basis. I think we can congratulate ourselves that we have made a great difference to the lives of the students of the Nagarjuna Training Institute. At the very least they have gained greatly in confidence; those with reasonable English have become much more fluent, those even with a little have made some progress, and the majority have a sound basis for improvement now and in future, in their fluency and their life-chances. Well done us, team! We gave it our best, and I personally feel I have gained greatly from the experience (or will when I have picked up the pieces!).

“THANK YOU also to all you out there who sponsored us. As well as ourselves and 3 - 4 months of teaching, we gave to the Nagaloka students (who have so little) books, stationery, a PowerPoint projector and laptop, and ongoing financial support for this year's project and the next one. (Also a lot of laughs, and sometimes oranges). You were so generous, and what you gave has gone a long, long way.

“The next big THANK YOU, is to the people who made it possible for us to do our work at NTI; to Padmavir and Vivekaratna, Nagamitra and Tejadhamma, Aryaketu, all the staff at Nagaloka and the girls' hostel, all our wonderful Guest-masters and porridge-cooks, and especially the students themselves, who threw themselves in with such enthusiasm and gratitude, who sang and danced and wrote poetry and drew pictures and mimed for us, made us laugh and cry, who bring the place alive in such a heart-opening way. A huge garland for each of you, of jasmine roses and blue lotuses. I will never forget you, you will always have friends in the West.

“Phew. What a life-changing experience it has been. If any of you out there, would like to participate in future, please let me know...”

Their plans for 2009 include an ambitious travel program visiting many Nagaloka graduates, who are scattered all over India. They’re off to Orissa, Hyderabad, Kerala, Chennai, Wardha, and Pune - India veterans will know just how much travelling this means! We hope to be reporting on some of their adventures in due course…

To contribute to their work, and to the Nagaloka Futures support fund, please visit www.justgiving.com/nagalokafutures

Female Buddhas celebrated at London Buddhist Centre

Maitrivajri writes with news of a cycle of celebration at the FWBO’s London Buddhist Centre: an honouring of the little-known Five Prajnas, the ‘female’ counterparts of the Five Buddhas in the well-known Five-Buddha Mandala.

She says - “This year we are ritually celebrating the female Buddhas, or Prajnas, on the day and time of the year associated with each of them. We began the cycle with the Summer Solstice and female Buddha Mamaki. We are performing outdoor rituals.

“The rituals are open to those who know both our meditation practices and have some experience of Buddhist ritual. It would be great if the Prajnas received more attention! The Mandala of the Five Prajnas is a symbol and image for the wisdom of the Buddhas.”

Next up, on September 20th, the Autumn Equinox, is a ceremony dedicated to Pandaravasini, the female Buddha of the Western direction associated with dusk and the wisdom of uniqueness.

Later in the year it is the turn of Samayatara, the female Buddha of the Northern direction associated with midnight and the wisdom of action (to be held over the weekend of Halloween/Samhain); and Akasadhatesvari, the female Buddha at the centre of the Mandala beyond time and space. She is associated with the ineffable wisdom of the Transcendental. Her ceremony will take place at the time of the Winter Solstice, Sunday Dec 21st.

For more details check the London Buddhist Centre website.

Neo Natal Ambulance is donated by Rotary Club, Pune to TBMSG Pune’s Jeevak Medical Project

Milind Shakya, an Order Member from the Mahavihara, TBMSG’s large centre in Pune, India, writes with news of a generous donation to Jeevak, the long-running women’s social project. 

He writes -

"The Gandhi Bhavan Rotary Club of Pune recently donated a Neo-Natal Ambulance with Ventilator and Portable incubator to TBMSG Pune’s Jeevak Medical Project in Mahavihar.

"In this program the Rotary Club’s President Mr. Shrikant Mahajan, Vilas Jagtapji , Dr. Sudhir Rashingkar, Dr. Govind Datar, and Atul Joshi were present. They met with Yashosagar, TBMSG Chairman, and Karunadeepa, Director of Jeevak.

"Dr. Rashingkar said they approached Jeevak for this donation because of the credibility of the TBMSG and Jeevak’s medical projects in India and particularly in the Pune area. He expressed confidence that the new facility will allow the Trust to save many newborn lives. Dr. Datar expressed in his speech the importance of childcare and reducing the child mortality rate.

"Many Rotarians were present for this Program and they all appreciated the work Trust is doing. And extended their wish for further help".
Readers of FWBO News may remember the fire that gutted the building in March; we are delighted to report this improvement in their fortunes.
  

Women's Ordinations in Dehra Dun, northern India

On Saturday 13 Jun 2009 two women had their public ordinations during the course of a women's mitra retreat at the Gorkha Military School, Dehra Dun.

These are the first women's ordinations in India outside of the state of Maharashtra. Sadhu!

Dhammamitra Sumitra from Dehra Dun becomes Dhammacharini Suvinaya – she of good, honest conduct/ethics. Her private preceptor was Jnanasuri, also from India

Dhammamitra Suman Lata from Dehra Dun becomes Dhammacharini Mettavadita -- she with speech full of Metta. Her private Preceptor was Karunamaya, who has lived in India for many years.

The Public preceptor was Karunamaya. The names were checked by Professors Sushila Muljadhav and C.R. Ingale from the Pali Department of Marathawada Dr Ambedkar University, Aurangabad.

The photograph shows Mettavadita just after her ordination.

Ordinations at Akashavana and forthcoming ordinations at Guhyaloka

This is to joyfully announce the ordinations of seventeen women, of seven nationalities, during the three-month women's ordination retreat at Akashavana.

Public preceptor: Maitreyi

Jan Birbeck becomes Silanandi (Pali) (both ‘i’s long, long first ‘a’) She who delights in ethics. Private preceptor: Vajragita

Stephanie Betschart becomes Padmadrishti, She having/taking a lotus view.

Private preceptor: Ratnavandana

Julia Kurcin becomes Abhayadhi (long ‘i’) Fearless wisdom. Private preceptor: Ratnadharini

Anona Bhambral becomes Karunadhi (long second ‘a’, long ‘i’) She whose wisdom is compassion. Private preceptor: Ratnadharini

Pia Tapio becomes Liladhi (all vowels long). She whose wisdom is the play (of the bodhisattvas). Private preceptor: Ratnadharini

Claire Owen becomes Padmagita (long ‘i’, long last ‘a’) She who is a song of the lotus. Private preceptor: Srivati

Public preceptor: Parami

Fran Neal becomes Pasannamati (Pali) She who has a bright, clear, virtuous and happy mind. Private preceptor: Samacitta

Linda Hanson becomes Vidyasara (all ‘a’s long) She having (liberative) knowledge as her core or strength. Private preceptor: Ratnavandana

Sharon Mercer becomes Nanasiri (Pali) (first ‘n’ pronounced ‘jn’, long first ‘a’, long last ‘i’) She who has the radiance of knowledge. Private preceptor: Dayanandi

Betsy Stirling Benjamin becomes Kiranada (long last ‘a’) She who gives beams of moonlight (of the moon of the Bodhicitta). Private preceptor: Dayanandi

Public preceptor: Padmasuri

Zoe Stephenson becomes Saravantu (Pali) (long first ‘a’) Valuable (like heartwood) She who values what has true meaning. Private preceptor: Dhammadassin

Hedwig Frerich becomes Jayalalita (long last ‘a’) As beautiful as victory, the goddess of victory. Private preceptor: Kulanandi

Angeli van den Berg becomes Parina (all vowels long) She who crosses to the further shore, she who transcends all duality. Private preceptor: Akasasuri

Public preceptor: Ratnadharini

Mari Brothers becomes Dhiragita (both ‘i’s long, long second ‘a’) Firm, steady song. Private preceptor: Punyamala

Helena Treiberg Claeson becomes Dayadharani (long second and third ‘a’, long ‘i’) Bearing, holding, possessing compassion. Private preceptor: Kulanandi

Public preceptor: Dayanandi

Cheryl McMillan becomes Tejavani (long second ‘a’, long ‘i’) Sound, voice or praise of splendour, brilliance, energy. Private preceptor: Karunadevi

Rachel Kahn becomes Dhivajri (both ‘i’s long) She who has the diamond of wisdom. Private preceptor: Viryaprabha



In addition we're delighted to announce the following 19 men will be receiving their private ordinations at Guhyaloka at an unspecified time between now and June 14th. Their Public Ordination will be at Guhyaloka on June 15th at 12:00 (Spanish time - 10:00 GMT):

Ken Pearson, Murray Sansom, Peter Hunt, Rob Thurlow, Simon Lovat, Simon Thunder, Frank Spitzauer, John Denton, Carl Hutchinson, Simon Okotie, Paco Guillermo, Andrew Harman, Nick Ross, Robert Evans, David Beard, Rob Gibbs, Richard Norris, Matthew Burgess and Patrick Baigent.

SADHU! SADHU! SADHU!